The Masked Singer’s Nine-Week Champion Chose Him: “Invitation to Everyday Life”

Part 9 of 11 in Shin Hae-chul: The Demon King K-pop Keeps Bringing Back

No. 3, “Invitation to Everyday Life” (Ilsangeuroui Chodae), is a love song Shin Hae-chul wrote after breaking up his rock band and leaving for Britain. The singer who brought it back in 2016 was the masked champion who won King of Mask Singer nine times in a row, the show’s record.

Wittgenstein (Shin Hae-chul) – “Invitation to Everyday Life” (KBS, 2001) — 70,000 views

Its combined views come to about 11.6 million. Of all his songs, this is the one I hum most often. Instead of big declarations, it’s Shin Hae-chul simply saying “spend today with me,” and that tenderness gets me every time. It appeared on Crom’s Techno Works, released June 1, 1998, with words, music and arrangement by Shin (Melon). After N.EX.T broke up in 1997 he moved to Britain to study music, and this was his first release from there. “Crom,” the nickname behind the album’s title, came from the English revolutionary Oliver Cromwell (Busan Ilbo, Aug. 4, 2016). The video above is from 2001, when he performed it on KBS with his new band, Wittgenstein.

Inviting you into the same old day

The man who had been making heavy metal operas came back with a song that opens, of all things, with a walk and a cup of tea. He reads, sinks into thought, and admits that lately something feels empty, that he seems to need someone. Even when he meets friends or stays up all night, one person keeps coming to mind, so he invites her in.

매일 똑같은 일상이지만 / 너와 같이 함께라면 모든 게 달라질 거야

Every day is the same old routine, / but with you, everything would change.

(Words and music by Shin Hae-chul; key lines quoted)

The second verse is shyer. He likes the serious look on her face when she listens to him, he feels he could do anything as long as she believes in him, and he asks if she can understand someone like him. This is the Shin Hae-chul furthest from the “Demon King.”

Also read: The Line His Daughter Gave Back to His Fans: "Don't Look So Sad"

The Music Captain’s nine straight wins

In 2016, “Music Captain of Our Town” set the record for most consecutive wins on MBC’s King of Mask Singer with nine, and when the mask came off it was Ha Hyun-woo of Guckkasten (Segye Ilbo, 2016). During that run he sang this song, “Dream of a Freshwater Eel” and “Lazenca, Save Us,” and the three were released as tracks in June 2016 (Melon). At the 10th-anniversary tribute concert in 2024 he said he’d sing “as a fan” and performed this song and “Lazenca, Save Us” (Hankyoreh, Oct. 28, 2024). His “Lazenca” stage is in the next part.

Sing Again, Kyuhyun, Kim Ki-tae

The most-watched cover of this song is the “Nerd Too, Me Too” team’s stage on JTBC’s Sing Again in December 2020, with 2.98 million views.

“Nerd Too, Me Too” – “Invitation to Everyday Life” (Sing Again, JTBC, 2020) — 2.98 million views

Super Junior’s Kyuhyun sang it with actor Lee Je-hoon on SBS’s Tikitaka, “as fans.”

Kyuhyun (Super Junior) and Lee Je-hoon – “Invitation to Everyday Life” (Tikitaka, SBS) — 30,000 views

On the 10th anniversary in October 2024, Sing Again 2 winner Kim Ki-tae sang it on KBS’s Immortal Songs, and actor Ji Hyun-woo sang it at the open mic of JTBC’s Begin Again.

Kim Ki-tae – “Invitation to Everyday Life” (Immortal Songs 2, KBS, 2024) — 170,000 views

Ji Hyun-woo – “Invitation to Everyday Life” (Begin Again Open Mic, JTBC) — 90,000 views

Contest singers pick it for a simple reason. It’s a song that talks to one person without a single show-off high note, so a masked singer or an unknown one can sing it like their own story. I happily accept the invitation he left us, again today.

Next, No. 2: “Lazenca, Save Us.” A cartoon theme song made Forestella the champion of champions on Immortal Songs.

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Sources: Melon (Crom’s Techno Works, June 1, 1998; King of Mask Singer Ep. 62, June 5, 2016; credits and lyrics); Busan Ilbo (Aug. 4, 2016); Segye Ilbo (2016) and other King of Mask Singer reports; Hankyoreh (Oct. 28, 2024). View counts as shown on YouTube, Oct. 25, 2026.