Soyeon’s Song About Quitting Your Job Just Hit No. 1 Across Korea
The i-dle leader turned the fantasy of walking away from work into “I’m gonna TOESA,” and two weeks after its release, the extremely relatable solo track has climbed to the top of Korea’s biggest music charts.
Sometimes the song that connects with everyone is not about falling in love.
Sometimes it is about quitting your job.
Soyeon has scored a major solo hit with “I’m gonna TOESA (Narr. Kian84),” the title track from her first full-length solo album What a Wonderful Life. On September 21, the song reached No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 while also topping the real-time charts on Genie, Vibe, Flo and Bugs.
And the reason people are connecting with it is pretty simple.
She wants to quit.
“TOESA” is a romanization of the Korean word 퇴사, which means leaving or resigning from a job. Rather than hiding that concept behind a metaphor, Soyeon built the entire song around the fantasy of finally packing your things, walking out the door and choosing your own happiness over the stability everyone tells you that you are supposed to want.
Apparently, Korea’s workforce can relate.
The song initially entered Melon’s Top 100 after What a Wonderful Life arrived on September 7, but its climb became especially interesting during the following days. SBS reported that the track repeatedly moved higher during morning commute hours, which might be the funniest possible chart behavior for a song about quitting your job.
By September 18, “I’m gonna TOESA” had reached No. 1 on the real-time charts across Melon, Genie, Vibe, Flo and Bugs. It then topped the daily charts on Melon, Genie, Bugs and Vibe by September 19 before reaching No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100 on September 21.
Basically, people were going to work while listening to Soyeon sing about not wanting to go to work.
That feels pretty perfect.
The track also features narration from Kian84, adding another recognizable personality to a song that already feels more like a conversation about everyday life than a traditional K-pop title track.
Musically, “I’m gonna TOESA” moves away from the heavier electronic production people might immediately associate with some of Soyeon’s work in i-dle. Instead, it uses a warmer, band-driven sound underneath the song’s blunt message about leaving routine behind.
That approach carries across What a Wonderful Life.
The eight-track album is Soyeon’s first full-length solo record and her first major solo project since Windy in 2021. She participated in writing and composing all eight songs, moving through rock, hyperpop, EDM, disco and other sounds while keeping the project centered on different parts of her personality.
The tracklist itself tells you this is not an album taking everything too seriously.
There is “Bankroll,” “icebluerabbit,” “STAR,” “Amigo,” “Would you love me,” “Goodbye, Romance” and, wonderfully, a song literally called “Hate veggie song.”
But it is the resignation anthem that has become the breakout.
Soyeon thanked listeners and Neverland after the song reached No. 1, saying she hopes to continue making music that can give people a small break from everyday life.
That might explain why “I’m gonna TOESA” is working so well.
There is nothing particularly complicated about wanting to escape a routine that makes you miserable. You do not need to understand every part of Korean workplace culture to understand looking at the clock, looking at your workload and imagining what it would feel like to just leave.
Most people probably will not.
Soyeon made the soundtrack for thinking about it anyway.
