TVXQ's Chang-min finally shed tears. In the 13th episode of Cool Kids on the Block which aired July 2nd on KBS 2TV, the Cool Kidz team faced off against Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province's Ssangchon-dong team in the final bowling game. The two teams were neck on neck until the seventh round until finally the Ssangchon-dong team won 4:3.
The youngest of the Cool Kidz team, Chang-min, burst into tears after the loss. The Cool Kidz team had been in the lead at first, but allowed the Ssangchon-dong team to catch up and tie at 3:3. At that critical moment, Chang-min, who had been shedding his "bowling dunce" image through practice and hard work, rose to the plate. As the fate of the team lay in his hands, the team looked like it was bound for victory.
Chang-min displayed tremendous concentration and skill hitting two consecutive spares, but he just could not shake off the tension. He tried with all his might, even putting down the bowling ball for a while and breathing deeply to relax, but it just wasn't enough and unfortunately, he gave away the lead to Ssangchon-dong team's Park Dong-hyuk.
After the game, Chang-min could not stop his tears saying, "Soo-geun helped me to concentrate at the middle of the game. I knew I was going up to the plate and realized that being nervous wouldn't help. I said to myself, just to try my best just as I've been practicing all this time".
He added, "Because it was such an important game, my palms started to sweat and my thumb slipped out. This is probably the closet loss we've had but I don't have any regrets. I tried my best, and it was a good game. I'm happy with that".
Although the team lost, they were truly happy for the Ssangchon-dong Team's victory. The tears showed that the Cool Kidz team didn't give up and tried their best until the very end.
Chang-min's escape from his "bowling dunce" image was in the spotlight all throughout the matches. Chang-min was shown visiting the bowling alley every free moment he had and practicing hard to help the team, despite his busy schedule. The other members knew his passion and determination to win, so they rooted him on.
For the past month, Chang-min truly gave it his best and grew with the team. As the audience saw his genuine heart, determination to improve and make it until the end, his tears were that much more meaningful to them.
The signed ball that the Cool Kidz team gave to each other showed the team members' appreciation and love for Chang-min as well. It said, "Although you may not be the best, you gave it the best! We love you!"
After the game, the audience commented on various SNS, "I cried along with Chang-min..", "Good job! You gave it your best, we're proud of you!", "You did a great job just by being able to say you don't have any regrets!", "You always try hard to improve. You're an inspiration!", "Until the day you become the best in sports and games, good luck!!" etc.
Meanwhile, the episode with the final bowling match scored 6.4% in viewers' ratings (Nielson Media Korea, Nationwide), increasing 0.3%p from last week. The program ranked first among other shows in the same time slot.
Cool Kidz on the Block is a program aiming to elevate the standard of health and happiness through various sports games with ordinary people in our neighborhoods. Starting next week, the Cool Kidz will be facing off teams with badminton. It stars Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Chang-min and Cho Dal-hwan and airs every Tuesday at 11:20 p.m.
source : asianfanatic
