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KWON DONGWOOK's 'THE CLIMAXXX' (2024): K-POP's MOST SHOCKING BODY OF WORK TO DATE, AND WHY IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING.

TW: Mentions of drug abuse, overdose, the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide.

On technicals: The CLIMAXXX is the second full album of fictional south korean rapper and NTCD member Kwon Dongwook, released on February 26th, 2024 under MINDBEND Studios, a subsidiary of MBN Entertainment, his parent company - probably to distanciate the project from NTCD and other Idol acts by the comglomerate as much as possible. It contains 11 tracks and a runtime of 35 minutes. Physical printing included three versions: Death Neon (above), King Tough and Mr. Giggle.

Initially marketed as a high concept album telling the story of 'King Tough', a made up luxurious character going trought an internal journey while driving back home, Kwon Dongwook's second full album caused extreme commotion on it's first day of announcement: from the scandalous first bathc of teasers, the complete broadcast banning on all 11 songs, as well as the attached note from MBN meticulously detailing his schedule for the entirety of the year, which included a one month long tuor exclusively in South Korea in March, followed up by a 6 months long hiatus and eventual military enlistment on the end of the year.

However, a week after The CLIMAXXX's release, Dongwook's upcoming hospitalization into a rehab facility in New Zealand alongside many private medical documents were leaked online - including positive drug tests and two past overdose reports in the last 3 years -, blowing his new musical era completly out of the window, and turning the whole world's attention into the shocking private life of a key integrant of one of the biggest boybands to come off Asia.

With Dongwook's legal and contractual fate still going by undecided and minimaly disclosed, the silence makes the lines between his real life and the album's mythos turn blurry, and might finally answer the question: why was The CLIMAXXX made? An impersonal album that was seen by many as work of excentric creativity now turns into a raw documentation of a man trying to come to terms with his own upcoming artistic, inner personal and physical death.

A long and badly covered up history of impulsivity, ambition and violence circles Dongwook in such a way that the efforts made by his fans, company and family wouldn't ever be enough to contain it for very long. What happens to a nightlife king when his reign comes to an end? That's the one question the narrator King Tough seems desperate to know as the album goes on. What exactly will be his climax, and who will be there to see it?

THE TRACK BY TRACK BREAKDOWN.

01. FREAK | *Title Track

Dongwook quick starts the album with an upbeat yet clear warning: this won't be another Any Song (2020), BTBT (2021) or any sort of easy to dance to hit that became his registered signature as a soloist. With pessimist lyrics counting down to the end of times, King Tought is presented to us a modern Dyonisius, singing: 'It's not a festival / Technically speaking, we're in decadence / This is a message from the god.' Following by the lens of the album's storyline, this is party or, speaking more methaphorically, the state of mind Dongwook's narrator is coming from: one that finds nihilistic enjoyment in debauchary.

FREAK is still by far the most market friendly song on the entire album, despite being the 'noisiest'.

02. Haidilao (feat. BARSCODE and LeeLimo)

Altought LeeLimo and BARSCODE - alter ego of Dongwook's fellow rapper and NTCD college Code Leeyao - take over the majority of Haidilao with a verse each and the chorus, they seem to keep up their lyrics according to the characterization of King Tough as he begins to leave the 'bland guys' behind to leave with his car.

Haidilao, meaning deep fishing, comes from a chinese proverb meaning 'hopeless endeavor': once again keeping the pessimism and emptiness of his lifestyle. The use of fishing imagery can also be a referennce to HILL, a high caliber club Dongwook has been known to frequent with his friends, located in Hongdae: their logo is a fish hiking up a mountain.

03. Kiss The Ring

Kiss The Ring is the first instance in the album where Dongwook seems to almost forget to stay in character, or simply decides to drop it on porpuse: many references to his actual career as a K-Pop Idol start to appear in the song, with him infamously recalling being offered sex by a fan in front of his bandmate Cain - which Cain himself confirmed to be a real instance recently in a now deleted Instagram live.

The song's first euphoric brag lines in the verses soon all disolve into a melancholic melody as Dongwook seems split between finding strenght to keep up the confident and uncaring act of King Tough, while being confronted by the isolation of his own reality while driving: 'Chasing dreams I cannot define / The nauseous rewinds.'

04. SEOUL DRIFT

In Seoul Drift, Dongwook makes a direct parallel between a car ride taken in 2023 - where his album narrator is, timeline wise - and 2021, at the heat of the pandemic, once again clearly mixing in his personal experience.

With the leaking of his private documents, it's been revealed that Dongwook had an opiote overdose on July 2021; giving the post chorus repetition of, 'I'm alive / I'm alive' as he gets a craving for parties and distraction take on another meaning, and resignificating the flashback as a possible PTSD symptom.

05. Shower Song

Shower Song is, undeniably, not a track that can or tries to hide behind the King Tough moniker. In fact, it introduces a new alter ego that only appears on this song: Mr. Giggles, that can be read to represent the celebrity side of Dongwook, the bridge between him as a person and King Tough. Mr. Giggles is the vision on the mirror that guides him trought the avoided act of showering, and reminds him to keep up with the facade of being fine.

The 'Sins of the week' line can be safely assumed to be a reference not only to the consequences of party life, but also to Dongwook's trainee year under New Wave Music and BBC's Boy Of The Week Project, and as consequence, the first arguable jab directed at LOOPiN - the first off the album, but as is believed by many, not the first off his career.

06. Love Drug (feat. LILILIU)

Dongwook opens up the introspect Love Drug by asking who is he and apolozing for it right after, and it's hard to deduce who's speaking: if he's adding another layer to the character King Tough or reminiscing over something exclusive about himself. But not only in lyrics and tone is track six different, the longer it's given attention, it seems to explain the split perspective he adopts on The CLIMAXXX, that at it's core seems to read as a struggle between choosing addiction or connection. In the chorus, whoever's narrating seems to have already made up their mind: 'Love is drug / I don't think you're the right one for me.'

LILILIU, the featured artist, is none other than Air Castle's Li Lihua, a long time friend and labelmate of Dongwook's.

07. Let off steam

Living up to it's name, Let off steam is a vent song filled with repetition delievered with a drunk sounding flow. The song has been quickly associated to be partially, or even entirely about Dongwook's relationship with LOOPiN's J.J given the tongue in cheek 'loop' pre-chorus and the overall regretful sentiment of the track.

Like many people in Dongwook's inner circle, he and Jiahang met while clubbing at HILL in early 2022. Rumors of animosity between Night Child and LOOPiN were growing strong at the time, and the sudden friendship was originally seen as a PR stunt. However, the constant proximity of the duo was perceived as something truly legitimate up util their mysterious falling out on November 11th - which matches the date The CLIMAXXX began production.

08. (Traffic) JAM

(Traffic) JAM is perhaps the clearest song about substance addiction in The CLIMAXXX, seeming to come from a true moment of sobriety of the narrator, ironically enough: when asked by someone to explain 'the drop' that keeps him hooked, he compares the vicious cycle and the adrenaline rush that's associated with getting intoxicated to being unable to get out of a moving car.

At the outro of (Traffic) JAM, Dongwook pleas to have someone by his side to convince him to stop going overboard, someone to make him step on the breaks in front of red lights.

09. Love Is Anaconda (feat. Kael)

In a similar vein to Love Drug, Love Is Anaconda is another track of regret and aversion to sentimentality, but this time more rooted in Dongwook rather than any of his alter egos.

The singer featured on song, Kael, has yet to be identified.

10. FWB

Another The CLIMAXXX song solely attached to a person is FWB - 'Friends With Benefits' -, who describes almost in detail socialite and tech heiress Yang Jiyeon, the oldest friend and nightlife companion Dongwook has to date. The 'Till I go to hell' outro even sees to take direct inspiration from Jiyeon's ankle tattoo, which reads: 'I live like it's a party'.

The pairing met in mid 2020 thought mutual acquaintances. Although Jiyeon has denied ever being in a sexual relationship with Dongwook through the years, the Idol's unwillingness to do the same, as well as his lash posture regarding attacks of fans at the model has been a constant topic of criticism about him.

Differently from any other of Dongwook's solo endeavour, Jiyeon is yet to promote it or talk about it. Given the current situation, is likely she never will.

11. Honey! (feat. HOSUNG)

Dongwook equals both himself and the subjects of his infatuations as something sweet in doses in the closing track of The CLIMAXXX, Honey!, surprisingly featuring IDOLMAKER's Hosung on the last lines, who's still on hiatus.

Extending the vague lyrics of Honey! to a generalization of all the relationships in the narrator's life isn't far fetched - deep down, he's once again aware he's not interested in connections or actual redemption, he just craves to not be alone when he's under the influence. It exposes a pattern of behavior, a clear game of cat and mouse where both the writer and his moniker comes out as the one on top always.

In the end, time is constantly running fast, the high keeps o running low, and King Tough Kwon Dongwook is, for better or worse, stuck staying the same.

#&& ⠀ [ . . . ] we bite and scratch and scream all night ⠀⸻ night child / ntcd .#fictional idol community #fake kpop group #kpop fanfic #kpop oc #kpop addition #:DDDDDDDDD

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