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Is 'performance king' San OK? Gruelling 'Guerrilla' stage has Ateez fans worried

Fans are worried as San was seen breathing heavily and leaning against a prop during Ateez's 'M Countdown' performance on August 4

Ateez has been dubbed ‘performance kings’ as their impressive stages have always been a recurring factor in their comebacks right from their debut days. The boy group also shared that they always sing live even when not needed, which adds to their intricate choreography that leaves fans in awe. If that wasn’t enough, the members always go viral for their facial expressions which add an extra level of nuance to their performances. And it seems that even when they are not well, they go all out. But this has worried Ateez fans with San looking tired during a ‘Guerrilla’ performance.

Ateez has been applauded for never skimping on their choreography and making it suitable for their lead singles. This was evident with the extremely grueling dance moves for their latest comeback ‘Guerrilla’ which has metal and hard rock sounds. There is also a running joke on K-pop Twitter of other idols running away whenever Ateez looks for someone to do their TikTok challenge for ‘Guerrilla’. But it looks like the performance-heavy stage and their back-to-back schedules have taken a toll on San who for the first time since their ‘Wave’ era had looked unwell.

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San looks tired during ‘Guerrilla’ stage

In their ‘Wave’/’Utopia’ era in 2019, during one of the stages, San and Wooyoung had crashed into each other which had left fans worried and asking Ateez’s label to let them rest as they were performing almost all of the b-sides of the album. Well, while the label has been commended for prioritizing Ateez’s health over their schedules, it seems that they might again need a break. 2022 has been a hectic year from Ateez announcing two world tours, participating in ensemble concerts, and having Japanese and Korean releases. For their recent ‘M Countdown’ stage on August 4, San was seen breathing heavily and leaning on a prop.

Nothing seemed amiss during the actual performance as all of the members gave their all for the high-energy ‘Guerrilla’ choreography. San was his usual self from his frighteningly good facial expressions to sharp dance lines. But in his fancam that followed him even when he went off-stage during Mingi’s solo rap part, we could see the Ateez member looking tired. However, when the rest of the group rejoined Mingi, San again gave his 100% for the rest of the performance including the fast-paced dance break.

With Ateez repeatedly sharing that they always perform like it's their last stage, worried fans are urging San to take it easy and get some rest. San saw the clamor online and left a message on the same day, “No matter how tired, I always wanna show you a better performance. I don’t wanna leave a disappointing performance since i wanna repay all of you.”

‘Breaks my heart’

Fans left tweets like, “San he was so so tired omg I hope he ok.” Another wrote, “Kind of broke my heart to see san looking super tired than usual while waiting for their turn during mingi’s rap part :((.” One fan posted, “San always says making eye contact with the members gave him strength (he patted mingi’s back, fist bumped hongjoong, made eye contact with the dancer) and he really went all out for the guerrilla dance break at the end despite being visibly tired and worn out.”

Another commented, “Yes, san is very professional for dancing this hard no matter how tired he is, but he shouldn’t have to be this exhausted on stage. their schedule is so tightly packed they barely have time to sleep at night and that’s not ok.. seeing him like this truly breaks my heart.” One added, “One thing I'm always gonna do is protect San at all cost, that man always gives his everything into performing and always proves why he's a performance king.” Another fan shared, “Seeing san, the member with the best stamina and endurance, look so exhausted makes me worry so much but I know they told us that they can handle themselves and they know how to take care of their bodies.”

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