Tears Flow as Hwang Ga-ram Shares His Journey on You Quiz on the Block

On the February 5 episode of tvN's You Quiz on the Block (유 퀴즈 온 더 블럭), hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho were moved to tears by singer Hwang Ga-ram's heartfelt story. Hwang, who achieved a remarkable chart comeback with his song 'I Am a Firefly' (나는 반딧불), shared his struggles during the special 'Life Reversal' segment.

Hwang revealed that he passed the 'Pinocchio Vocal' audition with odds of 300 to 1, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to participate for three months. At the time, he was 38 years old. Reflecting on his journey, he expressed, "I felt like I was part of the team, but I started to question if I was on the wrong path. As I approached my late 30s, it felt like the world was telling me to give up, and I wondered if I was the only one not understanding."

He described the moment he became a Pinocchio Vocal as a time when he thought he might finally achieve something, only to feel as if he had reached a dead end instead. "It felt like the universe was telling me that this was not the right direction, and it was incredibly painful to remember all the times I had failed up to that point."

Last year, at the age of 40, Hwang encountered his life-changing song 'I Am a Firefly.' He shared that the original artist, Jung-sik, had requested a cover from him, and he poured his heart into it. Hwang felt that the lyrics resonated deeply with his own life experiences, stating, "I often felt like that bug. I cried a lot during the recording. I didn't know that fireflies were actually called 'gye-dong-beol-rae' (개똥벌레), so I referred to them as 'dog, poop, bug.' Among bugs, they are the most special."

Hwang then performed 'I Am a Firefly' live, prompting Jo Se-ho to shed tears silently. Jo admitted, "I think I got too emotionally involved. Hearing his story and then the song overwhelmed me with feelings."

Struggling to contain his emotions, Jo shared, "I rarely talk about my own struggles, but it reminded me of my tough times. I feel like he has endured so much, and I hope he receives even more love."

When asked what he would say to his past self, Hwang broke down in tears, saying, "Don’t take too long. Don’t expect everything to happen at once. Valuable things don’t come quickly, so I hope you work harder."

Yoo Jae-suk also became emotional, stating, "I tried not to cry, but I couldn’t help it. It’s hard to express how difficult it must have been for you. I hope one day Hwang Ga-ram becomes an even bigger person and shares more of these stories through his music."