Oh my goodness gracious Mr. Lee Donghun is officially 30 years old!!!!! Now I know by some K-pop standards and to some K-pop fans, that pushes him right into ahjeossi-land. But when you are a mature K-pop fan such as yours truly, dirty thirty is prime! Oh, and let me be clear: when I say mature, I mean senior citizen halmoeni-esque mature! So, how shall we celebrate such a momentous occasion on Day 524 and Donghun’s 30th revolution around the sun?! How about an explosion of DH fan cams? It’s his special day, so why not? Let’s go!
It is the 500th day of Donghun’s military service!! 5-0-0! Amazing, right? The end of his service is a mere 138 days away ~ we are truly almost there! I don’t know if you would agree, but these 500 days have actually moved rather quickly. Of course for those yearning for all of our A.C.E men to return, I know, I know ~ it’s draaaagggging!! Anyway, for this special marker, I felt like traveling back to 2019 and the Savage era. This was actually the era where I became an official Choice and it was during this era where I first saw A.C.E live on stage in my city! So both the era and the song itself hold special meaning for me personally. That said, A.C.E turned things up a notch with Savage, served up some formidable violence, and our Dong Dong was there every step of the way full of swag, attitude and fire.
새해 복 많이 받으세요!! Welcome to the Year of the Water Rabbit! Here we are ushering in yet another Lunar New Year with our resident Water Rooster, Donghun! I wonder if the water element will work some kind of special magic for Donghun. Well, for one, he has a mere 152 days remaining in his service and 2023 will see 4/5 of A.C.E sprung from military duties so all-in-all it is already shaping up to be a pretty good year, right?
Wow…when we began this journey it was the year 2021 and here we are embarking upon yet another new year – but this time we are so much closer to Donghun’s discharge so the celebration feels all that much more festive! We are nearing the home stretch of our ethereal main vocal’s service as discharge is less than six months away, and time is moving rapidly (although for some of you I am sure it drags as you wait for DH to return).
Well my lovelies, at least we can say that with this new year, DH is really coming back! And listen, we will also get Wow, Junhee and Byeongkwan back in 2023 as well, so we will literally have 4/5 of A.C.E back this year! 2023 is feeling quite promising, right?! Our baby sunshine Chan will be set free in February 2024. Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s just focus on this very moment and the start of a new year!
I wish Donghun, his dear A.C.E brothers (omg, I cannot explain how much I miss them) and all of you a most healthy, happy and prosperous 2023.
✨Happy New Year!!!✨
~🎆~
Next Waiting For Donghun update: Day 487~ Happy Lunar New Year!
[Don’t forget to follow Donghun on Instagram ~~> dhl2e]
Merry Christmas everyone!!! Our second Christmas celebration of the countdown and Donghun is now just a mere six months from discharge. I hope that the light at the end of the tunnel seems brighter as we slowly creep towards completion. But you know, baby steps right? We have a few more milestones to celebrate before we welcome Donghun back which include another birthday celebration in February. Yes, our main vocal will return to us two years older and all the more wiser, I am sure. If you have been following Donghun on Instagram, you will have noticed that he keeps readily in touch with his many updates and appears to be enjoying the hiatus. He looks healthy and happy! And, that is all we can wish for during this holiday season for him and always!
Merry, Merry Christmas!!
~🎄~
Next Waiting For Donghun update: Day 466~ Happy Donghun New Year!
[Don’t forget to follow Donghun on Instagram ~~> dhl2e]
I guess I should probably mention that the DH One Shot sub-series will rotate in about every eight days. With 638 days to cover, I have to plan out posts ahead of time so I stay on schedule. The one shots help. They also make for quick and easy Donghun appreciation posts. Today a fan capture.
While it is easy to focus on all that went awry and continues to be wrong with 2020, I choose instead to focus on the one thing that single-handedly has saved this difficult year for me: Lee Taemin. Even though the world was pretty much in complete ruin when I woke up to his art and music in August, I think I happened upon Taemin at just the right time. I showed up on the verge of him releasing not one, but three albums (if you count his involvement with SuperM, and I do) which ended up being remedies I never knew I needed. That is, loneliness and isolation in need of comfort, and troubling times in need of a hero. Yes, in many ways, Taemin landed in my realm at the right time; and by way of music, art and his indelible smile, rescued 2020.
Even though I am a baby Shawol, I think it is safe to say that in addition to carving a permanent place in my heart, SHINee has also carved their place in history as one of the most iconic groups in K-pop history. Please take a moment to dive into this beautifully written piece from Dreamspinner Extraordinaire.
A word of caution before you proceed. This will be a long post. If you’ve been following me for years, you might notice this one is the longest yet. …
Back in February (which seems like ages ago now) I went to my first of what I thought would be many Kpop concerts in 2020: Stray Kids. I went without knowing anything about them other than they were part of the JYP family. I have been following them since and have to admit that their latest comeback has hit me like a wrecking ball, and that’s a good thing.
If you were to ask me one word to describe the Korean group, Winner, I would say FAMILY. I would challenge anyone to show me a closer-knit group. To me, Winner has elevated past the general colleague-based relationship most professional groups have. Moreover, this feeling of family is not exclusive to the group itself. No. I think the group’s fandom Inner Circle would agree that it not only encompasses the relationship Yoon, Jinu, Hoon and Mino have with each other but, that it also extends further to their fans. Winner’s latest, the title track Remember on their newly released full album, brings the family together, soothes my fangirl heart, and waxes nostalgic in a way only Winner can.
