AHOF’s Pinocchio: A Story About KPop Idols Who Just Want to Be Human

 written by Wifieeyy, November 6, 2025

Hey, FOHAs! I finally finished doing my “homework” — trying to crack the code behind the meaning of AHOF’s latest track, Pinocchio.

I think we all know by now that AHOF’s new song uses the story of Pinocchio as a metaphor for:

1. Idols wanting to be seen as real humans, not perfect dolls
2. The fear of being judged, lying, or hiding emotions
3. The pains of growth — insecurity, longing for authenticity, and wanting to be loved for our true selves
4. The journey from artificial (puppet/wood) → honesty (growth) → alive (human)

You’ll see these concepts unfold as we go through the scenes in the MV. I’ll be very detailed in this blog and try my best to answer almost all the questions you might have after watching the music video. So yes, this blog is quite long — I hope your patience to finish reading this whole blog is ready 🤞

Oh... before we start, a quick disclaimer: this is my personal interpretation of the music video and the song. Feel free to disagree — art is meant to be interpreted in different ways, and that’s what makes it fun. It’s the conversations and emotions it opens up that make it special. So, please don’t come at me, okay? 😅

Also, I’m guessing the writers took inspiration from Carlo Collodi’s original Pinocchio (1883), not the Disney version. I watched a summary of the original book and realized it’s actually quite dark — if I had read it as a kid, I probably would’ve been traumatized.

Scene Analysis

In the first scene, we have Woongki, a white bow, an arrow, and the moon. At first, it was confusing for me — and a lot of fans were confused too — but if you connect it to the Pinocchio story, it makes sense.

In the original book, there’s a scene where Pinocchio wishes on the moon and talks to it when he feels lonely. I think the arrow represents Woongki’s wish. Instead of saying his wish out loud, he shoots it toward the moon.

Based on the main concept, his wish is to become real — the real version of himself.

As the arrow travels, it looks like a shooting star. In the original tale, the Talking Cricket tells Pinocchio that good wishes and actions “shine like stars,” confirming that Woongki made a good wish.

When the arrow (or shooting star) reaches the moon and explodes, it’s as if the illusion of the fake world is destroyed. That explosion represents the start of his transformation — his wish to become real is coming true.

Then JL begins the song:

“You know, I smile at you and greet you every day. But behind the curtain, I’m just a lonely doll.”

This line hits hard. Why start with something so heavy? TT__TT It’s the very first line, and it already makes its listeners emotional. It’s relatable not just for idols, but for anyone who hides pain behind a smile — even ordinary people who show a very cheerful side despite feeling down.

You can see JL standing on a circular platform, which might symbolize a repetitive cycle or ongoing expectations. The hole in front of him, which he jumps into, could represent truth. The hole looks dark and scary because facing the truth comes with unknown consequences.

Since Woongki’s wish (the explosion of the moon created this hole) gave him a chance to break free, he takes the chance and jumps.

I’ve seen another interpretations of this on X, relating it to the Tower of Babel. That interpretation is also an interesting perspective to consider.

Next, Juwon falls onto glass, which cracks — symbolizing a broken façade or shattered self-image. He raps:

“This trembling that won’t fade, the time that feels like a lie, it’s not just a growing pain, is it?”

He’s questioning whether his pain is real or just a part of growth — or maybe he’s been suppressing his emotions for so long that even real pain feels fake.

Then we see the members reaching for a pear while Steven, glowing in his elegant vampire aura, watches them like a member of the Addams Family — wait, I’m getting distracted 😆

Anyway, the pear references a moment in the original book when Pinocchio learns humility and gratitude after being given three pears. So here, the pear could symbolize maturity, truth, and emotional growth — things the members want but struggle to achieve.

Maybe the members “fighting over it” symbolizes the competitiveness in the idol industry. Or from another perspective, perhaps they’re not fighting, they are just reaching for the pear at the same time, but unable to grasp it because of their painful past, insecurities, or the need for validation. Either way, it’s what stops them from becoming their real selves.

Steven, standing alone with lightning behind him, could mean he's the only one aware of how difficult the "truth journey" is, which is why his facial expression while watching them is serving—no… I mean, his face looks very serious. His line:

“On that folded page, I wrote down my feelings, hoping they would reach you.”

A folded page symbolizes a hidden confession. He wants to be understood, even if he hides his feelings.
Steven, that's so complicated — but YES, I DO.

 Some fans joke that Shuaibo wasn’t in the pear scene because he’s tall enough to just grab it, and honestly, I agree. 😆

But in his solo scene, he’s sitting by the pond... or a puddle. The water likely represents reflection or emotion. When he touches it, he slightly disturbs it — as if he wants to face the truth but is still afraid, which is why he only dips the tip of his finger.

His line:

“Even if I don’t know when, even if the fear won’t end,” shows that he's curious, but he's also scared.

Now, unlike Shuaibo, Jeongwoo here didn’t have a choice. When the pear fell, he was forced to face reality. Falling into the water is a good metaphor for that. As you can see, the pear fell, but no one was able to touch it.

In the story, Pinocchio falls into the water after making poor choices. This can symbolize the reality of how people—or even idols—must first face the consequences of becoming who they are before they can become their true selves. When others see parts of us that they find unacceptable, they often call it our “true colors” and may try to reshape us into something that fits their expectations. 

Now for the chorus:

“Hold me just once.” Maybe this hug means reassurance — wanting comfort to speak honestly.

“Even through lies, I still smile.” This echoes JL’s opening line.

“It hurts, my love.” For him, it hurts to lie to his loved one.

“I’ll tell you everything I’ve hidden, because my truth has always been you.” He wants to open up what he's hiding. Additionally, even though he wasn't being 100% honest about what he's going through; what he feels toward that person is real.

The hook — “Pinocchio hates the lies. That little Pinocchio whose nose grew long — was it only fear he felt?” — reinterprets the fairy tale deeply. It suggests:

• Pinocchio didn’t lie because he was bad.
• He lied because he was scared and insecure.
• Lies were his coping mechanism.

So the song reframes lying as fear of truth, not deception. Idols hide their feelings not to deceive fans but to protect themselves. Everything they do can be judged or misinterpreted. Unfortunately, even their own fans can be controlling, not just their critics.

Then we have the rap section, which starts with an acrostic poem about Pinocchio. In this scene, you can see that they are on a set. Here, they are wearing the best clothes, rehearsing a character, perfecting an image. This is the puppet world/artificial/fake world itself.  The rap goes:

“I can’t escape this moment now, but I’ll try for you. As I’ve grown taller, I think I understand a little more. Honesty takes more courage than hiding ever could. I’ll show everything without hiding a thing. The restless heart, the trembling. In the shadow of unreal yesterday’s, tell me I’m not alone. Among the faded scribbles, one single truth remains, hoping it will reach you in the end.”

It reflects emotional growth — courage, maturity, and readiness to show their true selves. Faded scribbles in Juwon’s line could be his “old feelings” he kept trying to forget or deny; he’s hoping that the truth could reach us.

I'm sorry, but this reminds me so much of the twins from The Shining TT___TT

I love JL’s acting! Seriously, what can't he do? ... Win a game, I guess :)

Sorry for being distracted, let's continue :))

When the stage starts collapsing, JL runs toward it — not away. That symbolizes confronting the destruction of their “fake” world. Furthermore, it could also mean that even when everything falls apart, he keeps performing, representing the pressure idols face to always smile and keep going, even if everything is falling apart.

JL jumps, but the next scene shows us Hani falling into a hole. This scene could be that this is the unavoidable path to growth or becoming "real". It’s like he’s surrendering to growth or inevitable transformation, which makes sense because the next scene shows us a natural world.

                             

The grass symbolizes healing, the sunset means transformation, and this straight path is their journey towards the truth.

Were you able to notice the Pinocchio reference here? It’s so subtle, yet it’s hard to miss!

Jeongwoo sees nine birds — in Pinocchio, birds often represent guidance. Here, the nine birds could symbolize the nine members guiding one another. After seeing the bird, he says,

“I’ll awaken that blue wish,” it shows he’s ready to become real.

Finally, Hani tosses a flower into the air — maybe symbolizing truth finally being expressed. I tried looking for a reference to the red flower, but based on my research, this flower has no direct connection to the original Pinocchio.

After cutting the flower, they are now healing together, no longer competing, but walking side by side toward authenticity. They’re no longer afraid to show who they truly are. The running scene represents freedom — they’ve become “real boys.”

Also, what’s with AHOF and running? 🏃 We all know that they had a similar shot in their Rendezvous MV, and even the vibe of that scene and this scene is also similar.

The snowy ending scene likely symbolizes rebirth — they’ve overcome fear and now live as their true selves. They are no longer puppets, and because of that, they can show us how crazy the beat change and choreography is (^_^)

For me, the message of the last chorus is:

“Life forces you to be a performer, but love allows you to be honest.”

It’s the completion of their emotional transformation. From puppets, to becoming a real human by embracing the truth, this song is such a masterpiece 🤎

- End -

I hope you guys enjoyed my interpretation of this song. I spent about 10 hours researching, writing, getting frustrated, confused, then finally being able to finish this blog. Please continue supporting AHOF so that they will be inspired to keep using the "sound" that they have now.

To Steven Curry, thanks for giving me the strength to finish this "homework". I wish you would achieve your goal of winning all the music shows <3