Recently, a song released by a self-proclaimed Ilbe netizen topped the national digital music charts, including Gaon and Melon, drawing attention from the news media. The song sounds like an ordinary ballad except for the unusual lyrics. The singer’s true identity remains unknown.
Bro – That kind of guy
The kind of guy who knows how you feel and comforts you,
even if you don’t say a word.
The kind of guy who is always on your side
when it’s so hard that you get exhausted.
The guy who quietly gives it to you as a present
even when you just gave it one glance.
The guy with a broad chest that you can sometimes lean and rest on,
even if he’s not handsome.
That kind of guy would be crazy to date you.
Don’t you have a conscience?
If guys who aren’t so great keep coming to you,
that just means you aren’t so great, either.
The kind of guy who takes you to the sea
when you want to get away.
The guy who is at least 180-cm-tall and makes 60 million won a year,
even if he’s not tall and a wealthy chaebol’s son.
The guy who smiles brightly and shrugs it off,
no matter what kind of nonsense you say.
If I were to be that kind of guy,
the guy who you can fall for at first sight.
Are you high? I’d be crazy to date you.
I would want to enjoy my life, too.
If you want a prince, go to Saudi Arabia,
although the catch is, they practice polygamy.
Even if you put airbags in your breasts,
even if you grow caterpillars under your eyes,
there is one truth that cannot be hidden.
Your face is offensive.
Did you just get shot in the head? I’d be crazy to date you.
Don’t you have a conscience?
If guys who aren’t so great keep coming to you,
it’s not that you’re unlucky, or that you haven’t waited long enough.
It’s just that you aren’t great yourself.
Contrary to the singer’s initial expectations, the public response has been mostly favorable to the song that ridicules the “gold-digger” type of young women, although some netizens have criticized his association with Ilbe. The song has been playing in the streets and cafes and on the national radio. Advocating the song, female TV personality and lawyer Im Yun-seon made the following remark.
I felt catharsis listening to the song. The depiction in the song isn’t out of touch. I’m sorry to sound a bit serious here, but I basically think a battle for gender privileges is going on. Whether they like it or not, men had to give up some of their privileges. One of women’s traditional advantages was that they could be free from the financial burden because they can depend on men. In recent times, women have taken back lots of power from men, but some of them still cannot let go of their old advantages as women. As a woman myself, I really hate to see those women who try to rely on men. If you take something, you gotta give something, too.
From Daum:
Bro “Ilbe singer? It is true that I got ideas for my music from Ilbe”
Rookie singer “Bro” (Park Young-hun, 25) has become the center of attention thanks to his song “That kind of guy” that touches on the so-called “Kimchi girl debate” on the internet. Although his identity is unknown, his song with candid and witty lyrics has occupied the top spot in digital music charts.
The song is a satire about Korean women who try to depend on men for dating and marriage costs. It is receiving more attention due to the singer’s association with the far rightist website “Ilbe’. In the afternoon of the 25th of March, Bro had an interview with OSEN about his sudden publicity and what it means to be an “Ilbe singer”.
About the big attention he is receiving, Bro said, “I expected to get bashed hard after releasing the song. I didn’t know it would get this much attention. It still feels surreal and even confusing.”
“That kind of guy” received attention mostly because of the candid and witty lyrics. It gained sympathy as it criticized some women’s unrealistic expectations. To this, Bro said, “Although my own experience is reflected in the song, the lyrics are fictional. To make it sound funny, I used hyperbole. What I keep in mind while making a song is that I want to make a song that many people can laugh and sympathize with. Also, I try to be musically serious and do my best.” He added, “It took a long time to come up with the lyrics because some parts felt too strong or weak. I revised it many times to make listeners laugh without using curse or slang words.”
However, not everyone is happy with the song. There is criticism that the song bluntly belittles a woman. Bro said, “If you felt even a little bit unpleasant listening to the song, I’d like to apologize. I realize that I failed to connect with many people as a public singer. My intention was not to insult women in general. I would be grateful if you just think there is one funny singer.”
Bro also expressed his honest thoughts about getting called an “Ilbe singer”. He uploaded a hand-written thank-you message on Ilbe after his song received much attention. Bro said “Ilbe is a humor site where I spend some time. Before the debut, I put up an advertisement banner on Ilbe and posted a message desperately hoping for the success of my music. I think I have come this far because Ilbe users helped me a lot. I realize that Ilbe has been controversial, but I just used the site to get funny ideas and information. It is true that their candid stories gave me some ideas.”
At 2:00 P.M. on the 26th, Bro’s “That kind of guy” topped the real-time charts of the biggest digital music site Melon and Monkey3. The song also took the second spot on MNet, Daum Music, Genie, Olleh Music and Soribada.
Comments from Daum:
제동성님과술한잔님:
Because celebrity Ilbe bugs such as Kim Jin-pyo and Crayon Pop were not eliminated, now there is trash who openly claims he got ideas from Ilbe. Where does it stop? In the end, someone will make a song praising Ilbe. Before it is too late, exterminate Ilbe bugs from the entertainment industry!!
그날이오면님:
At this rate, there will be celebrities who will even proudly associate themselves with Ilbe. Just like cockroaches that want to enjoy broad daylight.
guswnsaka님:
I won’t give any attention to Ilbe. I’m indifferent…
네오제네시스님:
Do you truly not know what kind of site Ilbe is? Promoting regionalism against Jeolla-do, misogyny, praising Park Chung-hee’s dictatorship, planning rape, bragging about bestiality, etc. They are not normal people. Were you encouraged by Crayon Pop after they supported Ilbe? Let’s please stop the Ilbe marketing!
Xanadu07님: [Responding to above]
Accusations about promoting regionalism, misogyny, and praising Park Chung-hee’s dictatorship are true. Accusations about planning rape and bragging about bestiality are propaganda against Ilbe.
hoppang님:
If he got ideas from such a website, I’m inclined to avoid the song. How shameless, tsk tsk.
무명소졸님:
How ridiculous. For him, the mecca of rape and insults is simply a humor site. He sings well and his song is fun. But if he’s associated with such a group, I won’t listen to his song. Good-bye.
피아노쟁이님:
Do you think satires can work with the ballad genre? If a song like this can be popular, there is a problem with our music industry.
From Ilbe:
Bro spoke like a retard today
Someone just posted Bro’s phone interview with Channel A. I write this post because it was painful to watch. Bro kept saying “I’m sorry”. The host even asked him what he was so sorry about.
Il-gays, young men in their 20s and 30s, and non-Kimchi girls embraced the song enthusiastically. It might be because his vocal skills are excellent, the MV is brilliant, and his singing style and the lyrics are humorously unmatched. However, the fundamental reason is that he is daringly and loudly singing about something that we have long kept inside and couldn’t openly say in real life.
Since he started it, at some point, he has to show up in front of the public. If he loses his confident attitude and thick skin, he will have to end his career as a singer after a brief moment of tornado. Competition in the entertainment industry is extremely fierce. In the jungle, the weakest ones get preyed on first.
Since he decided to be an entertainer, he should not be afraid of his anti-fans or the public. All celebrities are bound to have anti-fans, regardless of their political orientation and personality. It’s not necessarily bad that there are anti-fans. You can always stay relevant through them. Just like politicians, celebrities fear indifference the most rather than anti-fans. If he wanted to be an entertainer, he might have known the mechanism of the entertainment industry and media. Why couldn’t he sound more confident?
“The lyrics sound a bit candid, but I wanted to speak for young men living through this era in a direct way. I want to sing sweet ballads, too, but if given the chance, I won’t hesitate to sing a song like this again.”
“Contrary to what’s known to the public, Ilbe has a lot of quality and fun posts and a talented community. I don’t think it is right to criticize someone just for using a website where various people gather. Browse Ilbe for yourself. You won’t think it’s very different from Daum Agora except that their political orientation is different.”
“For those who talk poorly of my song’s musicality, did you think Psy’s Gangnam Style was musically sophisticated? I don’t think Psy pursued serious musicality. Also, when even young girl groups’ sexy concepts are acceptable in the current music industry, there should be no particular reason for my song to be an issue.”
Why couldn’t he boldly say something like that?
It’s not just the entertainment world. If you are hesitant and timid, you can never be successful in anything. In politics, business, or even fraud, confident ones succeed. Even when problems arise, confident ones get more support and sympathy. There is no single example in history where the public loved someone who isn’t sure about their principles and repeatedly said “I’m sorry.” This is why Lee Hoi-chang, Oh Se-hun, Lee Myung-bak and Betrayon Pop [Crayon Pop] failed.
After the American tank incident, president candidate Lee Hoi-chang criticized the anti-American protesters for politically manipulating the unfortunate accident. But he felt threatened by the aggressive protesters and ended up visiting them with flowers only to be humiliated. This wasn’t the real problem. Those protesters who gathered at the Gwanghwamun Square were not going to vote for him anyway. The problem was that he showed an indecisive image that weakened his supporters’ faith in him.
Same with former Seoul mayor Oh Se-hun. If he sticked to his original belief that the free school meal plan was flawed, even though he might have lost in the immediate battle, he might have been able to reclaim his position much faster. It wouldn’t have taken long for the plan to be proven problematic to the public anyway. Despite his opposition to the free meal plan, he made a bad move of suggesting a plan for free school supplies. People didn’t think it made sense and his political career was critically damaged.
Lee Myung-bak also didn’t stick to his principles. He sang a song along with the protesters on the hill at the back of the Blue House. He compromised and negotiated with the violent rioters in Yongsan. His political damage wasn’t healed until the end of his presidency.
There are times when you must not compromise. If you compromise when it comes to your faith, orientation and identity, you will definitely lose. Antis will laugh at the loser saying they were right. Supporters will also bash the loser who betrayed their support.
Same with Betrayon Pop. When they were accused of being associated with Ilbe, if they just beat around the bush, anti-fans might have lost interest in time and still received love from the public. Some idiots say they flopped because they were associated with Ilbe. But in fact, they rose to stardom right after the Ilbe accusation. They flopped quickly right after they said Ilbe is immoral.
As a person who likes Bro’s song and hopes Bro will be loved by the public for a long time, I wrote this because it is so pitiful that he will be ditched if he keeps giving an interview like he did today.
If the lefty commies were all that powerful, Samyang ramen should’ve conquered the ramen industry and Daum should’ve conquered the Korean internet. Lady Gaka [Park Geun-hye]’s approval rating should’ve hit the rock bottom. However, the reality has been the opposite.
Bro should keep this in mind. Whether it’s anti-fans or lefty commies, the moment you step back and show your weakness to them, you will be their prey. The public loves and supports confidence and bold attitude. You probably had a mental breakdown because your song unexpectedly topped all the digital music charts. Maybe that’s why you kept just saying “I’m sorry.”
Sleep well, take a good dump, and then make up your mind. “Fuck, since shit just got real, I will face it confidently.”
Comments from Ilbe:
.김조낸.:
Maybe because he’s a noob. A celebrity is supposed to have thick skin. Even those celebrities who did drugs or had sex with a minor shamelessly came back on TV. What if the lyrics are sensational? Arts are often like that. Novels or movies often depict murder incidents but directors don’t feel sorry about that.
루인:
The spotlight shone far brighter than his expectation. His agent is stunned by all the attention. The media aggressively approaching him. This is beyond what people who have not experienced it first-hand can judge.
WannerBe:
From the interview, it looks like he’s lost his original mindset or his agent (?) is controlling him too much. Well, he may be delusional about going mainstream at this rate. But Bro, you should not forget. You got popular for your Ilbe spirit. What is Ilbe spirit? Destroying the wrongfully built sanctuaries! Bro, you got popular for decently touching on one of those sanctuaries. Keep this in mind. No room for such a thing as an apology in the Ilbe spirit.
촤컬릿웨하스:
Media is fucking scary like that. Crayon Pop’s agency’s boss took it lightly at first but eventually hit GG. But I hope Bro doesn’t bend over. He must be anxious about being associated with Ilbe that is lefty zombie media’s prey while he has no power.
883:
I don’t know why Bro bastard debuted with a song like that if he can’t boldly criticize Kimchi girls on TV. When he should push it forward, he’s fucking pretending to be nice. Sigh, tsk tsk. I’m fucking disappointed.
7일레븐:
Bro bastard, you can ditch Ilbe but why are you so intimidated?? Think about the American beef riots or protests against the Jeju naval base. Lefty zombie celebs do all those retarded things and still keep their heads up. What did you do wrong compared to them?
북극제국:
Bro, there is nothing wrong with the lyrics. Don’t say you made a mistake with the lyrics. You didn’t bash all women. You criticized some insensible women. Only parasite-like girls got pissed off. There are social disadvantages for either gender. You tried to talk about disadvantages as men. That’s nothing wrong at all. Some articles say your song belittles women but that’s real bullshit. They are just against you because of your association with Ilbe. Why did you even do Ilming-out [Ilbe + coming out]??? If it weren’t for Ilbe, there would be no reason for you to get bashed.
일키로씨발년들:
His agent is fucking retarded. Even Cho Yong-pil, nicknamed “King of Korean Pop”, had as many anti-fans as fans during his heyday. Once you chose a path, you should push it forward. Are you trying to be a singer loved by the whole nation? Even if you are a nationally beloved singer, you will have 10 million fans, 5 million anti-fans and 40 million who have no interest in you.
gelingen:
This just shows you how much Ilbe is oppressed.. If you say you do Ilbe, they pull a people’s court on you. Bae Seul-ki once voiced a rightist opinion and she had to suffer a lot since then. Now is the era of lefty zombie dictatorship. Yeah, just talk loud only on Ilbe.
인간성:
Even some female idols and rappers have sung Kimchi-girl-bashing songs. Bro got good vocal skills but what’s different was that he asked Ilbe for aggressive support. It was also fun that the entire song was a satire about Kimchi girls. He was supposed to be irrelevant after releasing some unusual song, but he saw the light due to support from Ilbe. It’s delusional for him to wish he could go mainstream though. Wherever he goes, the first question will be “So you debuted through Ilbe’s support?” If they are direct, they will even ask him what he thinks of the Gwangju Uprising. If you are an average person, you can never openly call it a riot.
신촌의명가수:
“Contrary to what’s known to the public, Ilbe has a lot of quality and fun posts and a talented community. I don’t think it is right to criticize someone just for using a website where various people gather. Browse Ilbe for yourself. You won’t think it’s very different from Daum Agora except that their political orientation is different.”
All good but that part is just your own opinion. I’d be crazy to say that, ke ke. Immoral jokes and insults on dead people are prevalent here. Same as Daum Agora? What bullshit.
광우뻥=김보슬:
The song’s popularity is beyond Ilbe’s firepower. It topped Melon. They say even idol fandoms cannot dominate Melon. You topped that chart. Don’t be a coward. Be confident.
