Being a fan of K-Pop for more than 10 years, I thought I have experienced every heartbreak already. But I guess, as I continue to walk on this path, there are still a lot of heartbreaks that I will experience.
August 6, 2022 was supposed to be a happy day for Super Junior and PH ELFs because after almost two years Super Junior will be having their concert again here in the Philippines. But there were a lot of unfortunate things that happened a few days, or even a few hours before the concert.
Siwon tested positive for COVID
Last August 3, 2022, SJ Label posted a notice saying that Siwon tested positive for COVID which means he won't be able to join the group on the Manila leg of the Super Show 9. Although Siwon isn't my bias, I'm still sad because I won't be able to see him. I love all the members of Super Junior that's why I want to see all of them.
A lot of ELFs, especially Siwon-biased, felt sad with the news. But all wished for Siwon's fast recovery.
Eunhyuk's father passed away
ELFs were actually concerned when the airport previews where released because Eunhyuk was not in the photos. The faces of the members looked really sad and bothered. No one knew what happened yet. A few hours after they have arrived in the Philippines, SJ Label finally posted another notice. And this time, it's about the sad news about Eunhyuk's father.
This was the announcement that I saw the moment I woke up. My heart sank. I can't explain my feelings. I want them to postpone the concert but at the same time I know it isn't that easy since they have to deal with a lot of things here. Also, the members are already in Manila.
Even though I don't know if the concert will push through, I still went to Manila. And yes, with a heavy heart.
Postponement of the concert
A few minutes after I have arrived in Manila, SJ Label posted another notice saying that it would be difficult to continue the concert as scheduled. I was lowkey expecting this to happen. But what made me want to cry was the third paragraph.
"However, the members wanted to meet and greet the fans who came to MANILA to attend the concert, so we'd like to ask everyone with tickets to enter the concert venue on time."
The concert may not push through but the members will still meet the fans who went to Manila to see them. They know that there are a lot of fans who made efforts to travel just to see them and they don't want it to put to waste.
They could have just posted a notice and went back to South Korea immediately. But no, they cared. They love their fans so much that even if it is hard for them to stand in front of their fans with a heavy heart, they still decided to do so.
The bittersweet event
Even if there were unfortunate happenings, ELFs still went to the concert. In fact, I was surprised to see that there were a lot of people who still went to the concert. I was expecting that a few will come.
Ms. Kring went on stage to first say some things. And after that, Super Junior went on stage. That's when my tears started to fall down. I never thought that I will be crying like that because of Super Junior.
The members were so sorry that they have to greet us in a not-so-nice way. I actually want to shout that they don't really need to say sorry because no one wanted it to happen. It was no one's fault.
Each members shared their messages (translation may contain some inaccuracies):
Shindong: This is truly unexpected. I didn't know that a lot of people will still come today. I'm really sorry.
Ryeowook: A lot of you came from far places and I'm sorry that we can't continue today's concert. I hope you'll stay safe and we'll meet more in the future. We will surely come back with Siwon and Eunhyuk soon. Thank you.
Donghae: To be honest, I don't know what to say right now. Even if we have performed a lot of times, this is the first time that we started a concert with a ment like this. First, I would like to say my sincerest apologies. My heart hurts because I can't grieve with my best friend, Eunhyuk, who is now in Korea. We are very sorry for not being able to show you a good performance when you have waited for us for so long. We promise that all of the members will come back to show you a good show. Again, I'm really sorry.
Yesung: I missed you all so much. Just like you, we also waited for so long and we missed you. The members who are not here with us today also feel the same way. I am worried about you guys especially because of this situation. It's been a long time since we last met and I didn't expect that I'll be greeting you in this way. Not being able to perform. I'm very sorry. But I know, we'll be meeting each other again soon.
Kyuhyun: I'm very sorry that I can't greet you with a smile right now. It must have been difficult for you to come here at the concert but I was really surprised to see this hall filled up. Thank you for coming.
Leeteuk: I hope you guys won't cry too much. Actually, we were contemplating whether we will continue to come to the Philippines or not. But still, we decided to come here and greet you. I think this is the right thing to do since you waited for us for a long time. When we arrived here in the Philippines, we had meetings until 3 or 4am.
The concert is just postponed, not cancelled. Just think of it as you buying your ticket early. I actually requested the organizer that for the next schedule in Manila, we'll do it for two days. In this way, we can show our sincerity to you.
We will be back soon and greet you all again. And when that time comes, Siwon will be standing there in the middle. Eunhyuk, my doppelganger, will be right next to me. On the other hand, I am very happy and thankful that I have met you once again.
For ELFs, who became even more beautiful, we prepared a simple gift. It's a pity that we'll just go back just like that. So, we'll be singing a song for you. Wishing you and our love to last forever, "My Wish."
Once an ELF, Always an ELF
I know, I may have a lot of other K-Pop groups that I stan. But at the end of the day, I'll be going back to my first and great love, Super Junior. If this isn't what love is, then I no longer know. They made a great decision of postponing the event and still meeting the fans for a short while. It may be less than an hour but I felt like it was a whole concert already.
To Super Junior, let's meet again at the right time. For now, I pray for everyone's well-being. I really can't wait to see you again soon. I will always love you.
