Because Shinhwa is responsible for my life!
I'm a fan of Shinhwa.
I think that statement is on top of the list to describe me for a decade and counting. There are no words to describe how much I love them. There's no value or amount that can measure my love. I know it sounds a little nutty, but the group has been a savior when I needed more than just music. Or a laugh.
Kim Dong Wan's (in)famous words to Shinhwa Changjo are "Shinhwa is not responsible for your lives."
I get it, oppayam. I really do. True, a fan should live a life more than its fandom. But Dongwan's viewpoint is just one facet of what a passionate fan does with her life. The other part of being a fangirl, that very important part - meeting fellow fans and making genuine friendship - that's something Shinhwa is responsible for. And isn't that such a wonderful thing to take credit for?
I met the best of people through Shinhwa. My circle of friends that I meet constantly are big fans as well. Recently, I finally met Amylia after 9 years of being friends because of Shinhwa. (In their concert day no less!) These people are not loosely called 'friends.' These are friends that are going to be in my life forever. People who are there for me in good days and bad. And most of these friends are people I have never been to school with, or work with. I wouldn't have a connection to these people if it weren't for Shinhwa. And these friends have connected me with their other friends, and I connected them with mine. And as time pass, we became this big group of friends that have more in common than we thought.
Sometimes, me and my friends would reminisce on how much Shinhwa has affected us as friends and how many connections we have made throughout the world because of them. The world. Some from places that wouldn't have resonated in my life if I haven't met fellow Shinhwachangjo friends.
It's pretty overwhelming. And awesome.
I have Shinhwa to thank for that. So yes, they are pretty responsible for these connections.
They may or may not like it, but Shinhwa is partly responsible for my life.
Or at the very least, my social life. Haha.
A fangirl's love is too much that it could feel like a burden. I totally understand that. When Dongwan said those words that totally earned a lot of "what the hell is he saying?!", fans are young and reckless. Now that both Shinhwa and Shinhwachangjo are older, wiser, and crazier (but still in accordance with the law), we are a better group. WE. Shinhwa and Shinhwachangjo. That's why I'm so happy, so very happy, just as I've been 10 years ago. We are a great group. We truly are.
One is never too old to be a fan. Just as it's never too old to continue making music and making a living out of doing something that one loves.
Screw haters. Screw young fans of younger groups who think we're too old for fandom shit. So many have called Shinhwa old when they reached 25. It's nothing new. Those other idols and their fans? They will grow old too. The question is, will the group reach 17 years together? And will their fans continue supporting them despite their age?
With Shinhwa and Shinhwachangjo, it's a loud HELL YES.
We're a legend. We're the best example of #relationshipgoals.