After two years of silence within the music industry, Sungmin finally releases his own mini album as a soloist. The singer is currently inactive in his group of ten years, Super Junior, due to controversy surrounding his marriage in 2017. Since then, he has not been participating in activities with the group, and this is evident as he was not present in Super Junior’s latest comeback, “Super Clap”. Sungmin’s MV, “Orgel” (meaning music box in Korean), reflects his longing to promote with Super Junior again, and how he misses the days where he could perform freely without a care in the world.

The MV opens with Sungmin staring at a child’s drawing of an old person next to a carousel that plays music. Sungmin is dressed in a white shirt and black pants, indicating that his character is currently working in an office job. The scene immediately cuts to a close up of the actual music box, and Sungmin is seen in more casual wear — a flannel over a plain t-shirt — and he is sitting cross-legged on the floor with his guitar as he sings. The expression he wears on his face is one of dejection and sadness, reflected in the shots of him attempting to write melodies in his notebook which he crosses out immediately. Even while singing, Sungmin does not smile, but rather directs his gaze towards the floor, suggesting that he is unhappy with where he is right now.

Sungmin’s frustration and sadness towards his inability to perform can be seen multiple times throughout the MV. There are shots of him tearing out a page from his notebook and crumpling it, writing on his desk with a pencil aimlessly as if to recall the time when he wrote music in his notebook, and the guitar and his sheet music disappearing from his room. These scenes indicate his disconnection from music and songwriting, and this distanced relationship is further emphasised when the MV cuts to Sungmin coming back home dressed as a salaryman. Such a portrayal of scenes suggests that Sungmin has moved on from this supposed dream, and made the decision to become like the average man in society.

The music box is a recurring motif, for it represents Sungmin’s dream and passion for music. In the MV, Sungmin can be seen looking at the music box and winding it up with a sad expression on his face. These scenes, when paired with the lyrics, implies that Sungmin still longs for the day where he can express his love for music once again, and that he still wants to attain his dream even if he deemed it impossible.

No one knows why
It keeps spinning without stopping
Only it knows
I wind it up
So that the dream from that moment doesn’t stop
I do it without anyone knowing

Sungmin’s controversies surrounding his marriage has resulted in numerous consequences: his inability to participate in activities with Super Junior, fans choosing to boycott Super Junior’s activities until Sungmin officially leaves the group, and so on. These consequences meant that Sungmin’s career as a singer/performer was over, for no one was giving him to chance to perform or even just to appear onstage. “Orgel” is his first song from his first official mini album, and considering the fact that he chose to release it at a time where many were against him, “Orgel” seeks to explain his longing to sing and perform again, in hopes of getting the masses to forgive his mistakes.

So that I don’t regret later
After time goes by,
I open it again today

At the end of the MV, Sungmin is playing the guitar again, in hopes of realising his dream. His desperation and longing to perform again is seen, and through “Orgel” and his mini album, Sungmin proves his love for music.

Everyday, we receive news about scandals revolving around idols and how these idols are given a period of time to reflect upon their actions before participating in activities again. However, Sungmin’s controversies caused him to be shunned by fans for an indefinite period of time. Even though two years has passed since the incident, fans continue to reject his presence in Super Junior. Although Sungmin could have chosen to officially leave the group and simply enjoy married life, he knew that his dream was to become a singer/performer and that he would regret it if he did not do anything to fully realise his dream after the controversies surrounding him. Therefore, “Orgel” not only serves as a way of asking for forgiveness, but also to give a reason as to why he refuses to leave the music industry.

“Orgel” is filled with sentiment and love, and hopefully Sungmin will be able to realise his dream, perhaps even standing together with Super Junior once again.

(YouTube. Images via SM Entertainment)