Hailing Hallyu
More to K-pop
By: Ong Ee Hung
KAJANG: Besides music and dance moves, Korean pop music, or better known as K-pop fans also gain mental support, amiable companions and novel experiences along their K-pop idols worshiping journeys.
Listening to K-pop helps 19-year-old Shaly Hang Kah Shin release stress and forget about her problems.
Hang could not contain her delight when sharing about how K-pop had brightened up her distressing life./Ong Ee Hung
“The members of Teen Top miraculously give me positive energies when I watch their variety shows,” Hang said.
She enjoys watching K-pop stars not only on the stage, but also in variety shows, because she feels that they are not pretentious.
Hang first listened to K-pop in 2010, when her mother fell ill.
During the period when she had to put up with her mother’s demise, it was Teen Top, her most favourite K-pop male group, that accompanied her through the ordeal.
Meeting new friends
Apart from emotional support, K-pop had also brought Hang and her fast friends together when she was worshiping another K-pop male group, AlphaBat.
“It’s because Epsilon, a member of AlphaBat, is actually Teen Top’s Ricky’s elder brother,” explained Lim Yong Xin, 22, Hang’s great companion of idol worshiping.
Yong Xin reminiscing about how AlphaBat had led her to Hang and elicited an unbreakable friendship bond./Ong Ee Hung
When AlphaBat first came to Malaysia for a press conference in 2014, Lim and her twin sister, Yong Kee, along with Hang, coincidentally won access passes to the event via a Facebook contest, without knowing each other beforehand.
Yong Kee still has their passes kept to this day by placing them on a piece of cloth that has their names printed on it./Ong Ee Hung
Exhilarated, they contacted each other through Facebook to discuss on their transportation plans.
“As soon as we met each other at the venue, we never stopped talking, until now,” expressed Yong Kee.
Yong Kee could not contain her laughters when talking about her crazy experiences of worshiping AlphaBat./Ong Ee Hung
Hang had gained many new friends from the showcase, with the twins being the closest to her up to this date.
Hang (first row, first from the left) and Yong Xin (first row, second from the right) taking a group photo with AlphaBat after winning photo access passes through a Facebook contest./Lim Yong Kee
Their journey resumed when AlphaBat revisited Malaysia for a four-day promotional tour at the end of 2014 to shoot their music video in Kellie’s Castle, a historical tourist attraction in Ipoh, to promote their second mini-album entitled, ‘ANSWER’.
Overwhelmed, the three of them assembled approximately RM1,600 together with five other Alphas (AlphaBat’s fandom name) to produce banners that were to be given out to other Alphas during the event.
The banner had Korean characters printed on them that meant that the fans believed in AlphaBat and would follow them through./Ong Ee Hung
Hang means more than a friend to Yong Kee.
She is a great companion whom Yong Kee can be crazy with when it comes to worshiping idols.
“There were a few times that I went alone and I didn’t really enjoy myself,” expressed Yong Kee.
Yong Xin feels glad to have met Hang whom she treats like a younger sibling of her own.
“We’re not just a bunch of K-pop fans, we’re a family,” said Yong Xin.
Exploring new possibilities
K-pop had opened up a whole new world of possibilities for Hang as she picked up a lot of knowledge on her own, such as the Korean language, photo as well as video-editing skills.
“I get to experience new things that I’ve never dared to do,” expressed Hang.
One of them was travelling alone to Thailand in 2014 and to South Korea in 2017 and 2018 to attend Teen Top’s concerts.
For the moment, Hang, who has been a K-pop fan for nine years, would certainly continue supporting her idols because she “needs them as a mental support and as a source for positive vibes.”
However, she is not sure if she would continue being one in another nine years’ time.
“I’ll be doing what I like, but I’m not sure if it’s about them anymore. One thing I’m sure of is that I’d still look into their news occasionally,” explained Hang.
More than music
Many people view K-pop fans as ignorant young girls, who waste money to worship their idols, but Hang disagrees.
To these people, she simply wants to make them understand that “everyone has something special that they like and we should all respect each other.”
She had seen for herself the power of K-pop in being more than just music.
It comforted her through her darkest times.
It led her to precious people who would treat her like a family.
It changed her into a better being, who is courageous enough to pursue the things that she desires most.
K-pop, is not merely a genre of music.
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