On the latest episode of “The King of Mask Singer,” the identity of “Ink” was revealed!
During the June 18 broadcast of the MBC singing competition, four contestants continued their quest to challenge the reigning champion for the throne.
In the first battle of Round 2, Ink serenaded the audience with an emotional rendition of Lee Juck‘s famous ballad “Laundry.”
In order to give the panelists a hint as to Ink’s identity, the show played a special pre-recorded video message from JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin Young.
Park Jin Young praised Ink’s talent, describing him as an underrated singer whose skills deserved to be known by more people. “That’s why I’m so happy that he’s appearing on ‘The King of Mask Singer’ today,” he continued.
After hearing his message, the panelists tried to figure out who Ink might be. ATBO’s Yeonkyu guessed that he was VICTON’s Sejun, while Wonder Girls’ Yubin guessed that he was GOT7‘s Yugyeom.
Although Ink stole the audience’s hearts with his singing, it was ultimately his opponent that won the round. Ink then remained on stage to take off his mask and reveal his identity—and, as many fans had already guessed after watching last week’s episode, he turned out to be Stray Kids’ main vocalist Seungmin.
Host Kim Sung Joo asked Seungmin if it was true that he had waited for years to appear on “The King of Mask Singer,” and the idol replied, “Yes. I’m now in my sixth year since my debut, and I’d always wanted to appear on this program no matter what.” When Kim Sung Joo asked what had taken him so long, Seungmin explained, “I had braces for three years. Immediately after I got them removed, I started working hard to prepare for both our comeback and ‘The King of Mask Singer.’”
Meanwhile, Seungmin’s former JYP Entertainment labelmate Yubin spoke highly of his character. After expressing embarrassment that she hadn’t been able to recognize him under his mask, Yubin remarked, “Within the agency, I heard a lot about how kind, composed, and hard-working he is. I’m so happy to see that he’s grown so well. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you!”
Finally, when asked about his personal goals for the future, Seungmin responded, “I want to continue singing with sincerity for a long, long time, so please keep an eye on my singing. Thank you.”
After the episode aired, Seungmin took to Instagram to share several photos of himself both in and out of his mask backstage. He playfully added in the caption, “Who is Ink???”
Source: Soompi