On March 11, WOODZ appeared as a guest on the 334th episode of tvN’s variety show 'You Quiz on the Block.' During the broadcast, he opened up about the difficult period at age 21 when he not only had to pause his group activities but also received the devastating news of his father’s death.
WOODZ, who previously shared that his parents divorced when he was in elementary school, recalled the moment he learned about his father while his group activities were on hold due to the Chinese ban on Korean entertainment.
He said it felt like everything was piling up at once. It was not a disbandment, but they had no choice but to pause activities. Then he got a call from his mother. What was strange was that he felt something was off even before picking up the phone. When he answered, she said, "Seungyoun, don’t be shocked, just listen." The moment he heard that, he knew something was wrong. He asked, "What happened?" and she said, "Your father passed away." He told her, "I’ll head home," and that is how he found out.
He continued, "I still don’t know the exact cause of my father’s death. He passed away overseas. I asked, 'What should we do?' First, we had to bring him back. We could not bring the body from the Philippines, so we had to have him cremated. After that, we brought his ashes back, revisited the places in the Philippines where he lived, and finally brought him home to Korea."
WOODZ moved to the Philippines at 15 to study at an international school and be close to his father. Reflecting on that time, he said it was hard to believe that someone as big as his father could fit into something so small. It did not feel real. At the temple where they held the funeral, they call the deceased’s name three times to say a final goodbye. Hearing his father’s name, he felt like he was not really in this world anymore. At the time, it was just pain, but as he has gotten older, he has felt his father’s absence more deeply.
He also shared fond memories of his father. He said his father was a very romantic person. He once said he wanted to travel across the country with him on a Harley and get matching tattoos when he became an adult. His father’s sense of romance inspired a sense of wonder and dreams in him.
WOODZ added that he did not get to see his father much after returning to Korea from high school onward. But they had so many memories eating hamburgers together, walking around, and drinking coffee. Those moments stay with him.
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