[FanTalk] WEi wraps up a busy year with nothing but love for its fans

What question do you want to ask your favorite K-pop idol? In “FanTalk,” the Korea JoongAng Daily relays fans’ questions directly to the stars. What would you ask? Send your questions to @CelebConfirmed on Twitter and @celeb.confirmed on Instagram.  

WEi is wrapping up a prolific 2022. The boy band held its first world tour since debuting in 2020, released new music, and even a special Christmas EP.

“We’re also satisfied that we could really stuff this year full of activities,” said Daehyeon, the group’s leader. “We’ve been meeting so many fans in different places. It’s a happy ending to 2022 for us.”

Between September and October, WEi performed in a total of 14 cities in five nations for “2022 WEi World Tour [First Love].” Because WEi’s fifth EP “Love Pt.2 : Passion” dropped mid-October right after the tour, members say they had to prepare for the release while touring the United States.

The six members — Daehyeon, Donghan, Yongha, Yohan, Seokhwa, and Junseo — recently sat down to look back on their fond memories and answer fans’ questions, submitted to the Korea JoongAng Daily’s official social media outlets. They also watched a number of videos sent to the Korea JoongAng Daily from RUi all around the world.

A.

Yohan: When we were in Canada, we decided to film the ‘New Thing’ challenge in front of Niagara Falls. Donghan insisted we do it. Do you know how embarrassing it was? I bet we were the only ones doing that challenge in front of Niagara Falls.

Donghan: I’m proud of coming up with that. It’s an unforgettable memory at a unique location.

How do you handle anxiety before stepping on stage? (submitted by @lyra)

Yongha: My body physically gets stiff when I’m nervous. I try to give myself a simple massage before getting on the stage.

Junseo: I try to give all the members a big hug. After I give them a pat on the back, we find ourselves much more relaxed. The key is to act like what’s about to happen is not a big deal.

Daehyeon: So we just talk about any trivial stuff, like what should we have for dinner after this, whether we should get Korean food. Of course, we’re still nervous inside, but I think being too relaxed before a concert can be a problem too.

Seokhwa: We also try to take a peek at the audience before the performance starts. We take turns stepping on the stage for a short moment to feel the warm welcome from our fans. That heat makes us feel much more comfortable.

How did you juggle a world tour and comeback preparation at the same time? (submitted by @joyiii)

Seokhwa: Our world tour and our practice for the next comeback happened simultaneously.

Yohan: We left for the U.S. tour right after filming promotional videos [for the latest EP] in Korea, then rented a practice studio in the U.S. during the tour.

Junseo: Our schedule was literally jam-packed. We’ve been so busy that it feels like time flew by and we suddenly woke up in this interview studio. But all of these gigs are possible thanks to support from our fans, RUi. We feel loved that we’re busy.

How do you feel after watching fans’ video messages? (Korea JoongAng Daily)

Seokhwa: We felt this dearly throughout our world tour too; Even if you don’t speak the same language, you can always feel the sincerity beyond any language barrier. That always makes us emotional.

Yongha: It’s cool that we get to communicate with fans on the other side of the globe. It motivates us to never give up on music. I hope we get to meet them again during our next world tour.

Yohan: I was so touched to be able to see the love from all around the world. That quote from the video stuck with me; “Please keep making music. You guys are my stars.” We got to see with our own eyes that there are people waiting for us, for our music. I really want to come back as quickly as possible with even better songs and performances.

What do fans mean to you? (submitted by @jess)

Daehyeon: In one word, “miracle.”

Seokhwa: I’d say “light.” I vividly remember this moment, when I looked at the audience during our tour. We were performing our song “White Light” (2021) and the seats were like a sea of light, coming from the fans holding up light sticks to cheer for us. I’ll never forget that beautiful view from above.

Yohan: RUi is like a transparent glass bottle for WEi. No matter what color we are, they embrace us and help us best show ourselves.

Donghan: I want to describe them as turtles. You know, turtles are slow but they live for a long time. I want WEi and RUi to be like that; slowly taking our steps together for a long time.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]