On the February 5 broadcast of tvN's 'Talk Mon', Sunmi opened up about her heartbreaking childhood and how she wanted and needed to become a celebrity to support her family in place of her ill father. Fellow guests broke down in tears after hearing Sunmi's story, and out of all, Shindong was captured crying the most. 

Regarding this, Shindong explained, "I had misunderstandings about Sunmi." He continued, "I used to audition with Sunmi when we were young. I was 20-years-old at the time and Sunmi was in 5th grade. She was so young so I used to walk her to the subway station. I would ask her about what kind of singer she wants to become but she didn't answer and I remember her being very cold."

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He continued, "I still remember Sunmi standing by herself in the corner of the platform. I thought she was just a dark person." Shindong then added he now understands Sunmi after hearing about her heartbreaking childhood.