A K.Will and ChaKun Joint Effort: "Even If You Play"

K.Will and ChaKun from the Electroboyz under Brave Entertainment came together to release the single, “Even If You Play,” a title that might actually be “Even If I Play” if you go by the lyrics, but Loen Entertainment’s video chose the former. It’s produced by, of course, the Brave Brothers and Park Hyun-joong. What’s unique about the collaboration is that ChaKun traditionally takes on the vocals of his trio, leaving leader Maboos and fellow member 1Kyne to the rapping portions. However, here we have ChaKun rapping with K.Will’s vocals as well as making an appearance in the music video itself. Fortunately, Loen Entertainment’s YouTube channel’s video comes with subtitles, so don’t forget to use them if you need them!

The video follows a young woman, reasonably famous if the articles shown on her tablet and her destination of a photo shoot mean anything, as she essentially goes through one day. From the morning til night, certain events continue to remind her of a previous relationship, typically shown in black and white. Even if she attempts to fool around with another–in the video the photographer (ChaKun) is shown to be that other person–she can’t bring herself to actually follow through, actions that only make the vacancy in her heart larger. This is shown through the simultaneously familiar and awkward touches between the photographer and the woman as the session progresses. Though when the photographer goes in for a kiss, the woman’s head is always turned to the side or she brings a cloth up to cover her lips, preventing the kiss from actually happening. This moves to the typical scene at a restaurant or bar: she has a glass in front of her as she’s lost in her memories throughout the night, the passing time indicated by blurred figures. Even something as simple as a phone call in a phone booth as memories attached to it, making such a small actions full of sorrow. The end result is the woman just breaking down and crying herself to sleep over the utter loneliness and inability to move on from what to her was a meaningful relationship.

Even if I play everyday,
Play like I’m crazy,
I still think about you.
Why do I think about you.
Even if I play everyday,
Play like I’m out of mind,
I’m left alone at the end.
It hurts me.

The majority of the video is shot using little light, creating rather beautiful shadows to complete the scenes. All of the light is meant to be man-made, from that which streams through the window, the glow from a streetlight, or the use of a lamp right in the scene itself. A particularly good use of this is in the more intimate scenes between ChaKun and the actress; by the glow alone, appealing highlights are created to first outline profiles but later keep the focus on the woman and her changing attitudes reflected in her facial expressions. The result, aside from the shadows, is a dark music video to reflect sadness and regret of the main actress. By contrast, the scenes from her memories, although in black and white, appear much lighter and happier than her current reality. All in all, the cinematography makes for an enticing visual piece.

Although aesthetically pleasing, probably the most difficult scene to believe was the one between ChaKun and the actress. The reason behind the photo shoot is unknown: it could be a legitimate shoot or perhaps one for more personal purposes. But aside from that, the awkward part had to do with the strokes of each other’s heads. The first stroke could be a simple pat down of the hair for the photo, but when the actress does it to ChaKun, it just seems a bit bizarre, especially since she’s not even looking at him at that moment. However strange, those actions do give off the first hints that there is something more to the relationship of the two.

Fans of the twist in K.Will’s “Please Don’t…” won’t find anything like that in this music video. It sticks pretty close to the lyrics, though the amount of “playing” viewed is much less than indicated in the song. The acting is above average throughout, adequately conveying an emptiness throughout the day. As usual, K.Will’s voice sounds fantastic, and ChaKun’s thinner voice is a good contrast to K.Will’s fuller set of vocals. Overall, this is an above average music video but nothing aside from the way it’s shot stands out or is something that hasn’t been seen before.

Overall Score: 3.7/5

How did the collaboration between K.Will and ChaKun from the Electroboyz work out for you guys? I know that before this, I didn’t really pay much attention to the Electroboyz, but perhaps after this I will. Leave a comment with your thoughts!

(Starship Entertainment, Brave Entertainment, LOENENT)