It’s my duty as a lesbian to push the Loona agenda. In all seriousness, I never thought I would ever be invested in K-pop as a genre despite growing up with countless friends who were diehard K-pop (albeit boy group) stans. But the 12-member girl group Loona proved to be the exception.
My first proper exposure to Loona was the “Heart Attack” or “이달의 소녀” music video. I was immediately captivated by the clear queer allegory, Chuu’s bright smile, and the song’s bouncy energy. Since then, I’ve been religiously following Loona and the post-split activity.
Loona debuted its members monthly, presenting a new “Girl of the Month,” and Chuu was the 10th member to debut with “Heart Attack” being her title track. Known for her optimistic demeanor and friendliness, Chuu’s idol personality is perfectly captured by the upbeat nature of “Heart Attack,” a song about falling in love, but in a light-hearted manner.
The visuals of the music video punctuate the unserious nature of the song’s subject matter of boundless affection. In the opening shot, Chuu appears with a comically large red bow on her ponytail. Throughout the music video, the bright green apple she holds onto grows so comically large at one point that it’s even bigger than her. The apple has also become a symbol for Chuu, as she’s known for her infamous apple-heart gesture.
The color red repeatedly appears, including when Chuu is dressed in red as she dances in the snow among dancers dressed in black and white. It appears again when Chuu opens presents with Yves, another member of Loona who plays a central role in the MV. The stark red is an explicit visual representation of the song’s central theme of love.
Speaking of love, the music video for “Heart Attack” is a story about sapphic desire. Throughout the video, Chuu clearly has a crush on Yves and expresses her feelings by quite literally following Yves’ footsteps. She watches Yves read a book while wearing the same uniform as her and goes as far as to even try to take photos of her.
And when Yves finally properly glances her way, an arrow strikes the apple placed over Chuu’s heart, and Chuu falls backwards into an explosion of red heart-shaped confetti. Thus, the apple becomes a metaphor for Chuu’s heart.
Chuu continuously tries to admire Yves without being caught. However, from the way she’s constantly near Yves and often watching literally from outside in the snow, it’s evident that she can’t contain the feelings she has for Yves.
When Chuu finally works up the nerve to confess to Yves, she repeatedly offers Yves her apple. But no matter the size of the apple, Yves ignores Chuu’s advances, causing Chuu to wallow alone and wonder why Yves won’t accept her love.
Only when Chuu takes a bite of her apple does the apple turn red. She joins Yves inside the house and they both celebrate by opening presents and eating strawberries together, happily twirling around as they’re surrounded by heart-shaped balloons. But after this happy montage ends, Chuu is seen lying alone in the snow, the apple having fallen out of her hand.
Combined with the playful visuals and references to literary works like The Little Match Girl, “Heart Attack conveys an important and powerful message conveys a powerful message about queerness…
The “Heart Attack” music video is a beautiful and adorable depiction of how an essential part of queer desire is self-acceptance. Chuu can only be with Yves after taking a bite of her own apple, or learning how to be comfortable with the taste of her own love. She cannot love Yves if she herself cannot accept the way she loves.
Combined with the playful visuals and references to literary works like The Little Match Girl, “Heart Attack” conveys an important and powerful message conveys a powerful message about queerness while maintaining an upbeat feel that’s characteristic of the K-pop genre. Furthermore, it cleverly employs the biblical references to the apple as a forbidden fruit and Yves having a name reminiscent of Eve from the tale of Adam and Eve to add another layer of deep meaning.
“Heart Attack” has quickly become a sapphic anthem. It was even played at Seoul Pride in 2018. While the story of Loona as a group may be over, “Heart Attack” will forever live on as one of the most iconic sapphic stories in K-pop.