Screenshot from MBC’s ‘Show! Music Core’

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter KANG SUYOUNG] CLASSy member HONG HYEJU shed tears on stage.

 

CLASSy unveiled the first performances of ‘Walking With Tears in My Eyes Is Just Like Me,’ the title track of its new mini album RE:BOOT ‘After Tears,’ on MBC’s ‘Show! Music Core’ on the 27th and SBS’ ‘Inkigayo’ on the 28th. During the performance on the 27th, HONG HYEJU could not hold back her overwhelming emotions and shed tears, and the moment quickly became a topic of conversation. After the stage, reactions such as “It’s my first time hearing the song, and I’m crying” and “I could feel the members’ sincerity” spread beyond the fandom to the general public, and CLASSy rose to No. 1 on Melon’s popular search terms.

 

This stage was not simply a comeback for CLASSy. That is because the group had not released a new album for about one year and seven months since its 3rd mini album ‘LOVE XX’ in November 2024. During that time, CLASSy transferred to K-Tigers Entertainment. The name of the album released with its new agency is ‘RE:BOOT (After Tears).’ The group also changed the stylization of its name from ‘CLASS:y’ to ‘CLASSy,’ removing the colon. The newly reorganized logo and visual system were designed around the core keywords of “growth,” “connection,” and “expansion.” In other words, even the name contains a declaration of starting again.

 

That passage of time is also reflected in the album’s composition. Of the nine tracks on ‘RE:BOOT,’ seven are solo songs by the individual members. For the first time since debut, all the members included their own musical narratives in one album. PARK BOEUN participated in writing lyrics and composing for her solo song, while MYUNG HYUNGSEO and YOON CHAEWON were credited not only on their respective solo songs, but also in writing lyrics for the title track and B-side tracks. The album itself shows that the one year and seven months were not merely a hiatus, but a process of unfolding the stories of each of the seven members through music.

 

There was a behind-the-scenes story behind the tears on stage. Member WON JIMIN shared the moment herself on a fan communication platform, saying, “It really hurt my heart that HYEJU unnie cried yesterday.” During the part where the members stand in a straight line, WON JIMIN turned around and waited after finishing her part, secretly held HONG HYEJU’s hand, and said she did not let go until just before they faced forward again. She added, “But I think unnie was really overwhelmed. Before we run, we look into each other’s eyes, you know? When I saw unnie’s eyes welling up, I suddenly felt touched and sad too, and almost cried, but my part was right after, so I held it in.”

 

HONG HYEJU’s tears were not a flashy production, but emotions that burst out from the hand a member secretly held behind the stage and the gaze they exchanged. Considering that it was a stage they stood on again after a one-year-and-seven-month hiatus, an agency transfer, and rebranding, those tears can be seen as containing not just simple emotion, but the entire time CLASSy had passed through.

 

grace@hanteo.com

 

 

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