Last weekend I was in Bangkok to see TVXQ's T1STORY concert, and it got me thinking of the almost nine years I've been in kpop.

Some of my readers knew that TVXQ was my first love in k-popdom. It all started when I accidentally found the "Begin" MV of their early Japanese single and was immediately drawn to them. Which was strange, to say the least, since my taste in music leans more into R&B, hip-hop, classical rock, Broadway musicals, but never ballad. Yet, there was something in that song that made me listened raptly, and I began to search around for this group who I presumed to be Japanese. Needless to say, I was surprised to find out that they were in fact, Koreans, and just started to search more. I bought all of their CDs, both Japanese and Korean, bought their merchandise and photobooks, went to their concerts even when it's in another country; in short, I already fell down deep into the rabbit hole that is known as k-pop and became their fan.

People asked why I continue to be their fans, when there are other kpop bands out there. The answer is simple: it's because of their music. There is a good reason why in the beginning SM promoted them as a "dancing acapella group". In my opinion, TVXQ is the only band in kpop who all five members can actually sing.

Now, most of you by this time will scoff and said that it's the same with other bands. And I would say ".....really?" with a raise of my eyebrows.

Put aside your bias/preference for a kpop group or member and really listen to their music. From the way I see it, the formula for the majority of kpop bands will be one or two main singers, one or two rappers, then one or two dancers. Granted, TVXQ also have a somewhat same formula, but the difference lies in the way all five members can actually sing or even branched out to be a solo singer.

The best evidence for this will be to go to their Japanese concerts. Mind you, I said Japanese, NOT Korean concerts. Simply because I think Japanese concerts are higher in quality than Korean's. In all Korean concerts from a variety of kpop bands I've gone to, more than 90% of them will have music  from playback and during fast songs they will be lip-synching. While Japanese, they demand to have their singers sing live. Hence, most of the time the music will be from a live band and the members of the band will actually be demanded to sing. Also, because the Japanese audience really appreciate the singers, they will remain silent during the song. Oh, they will clap and shout, make no mistake on that. But the moment the first music note sounded, they will clam up and be silent, so that you could actually hear every nuance of the singer's voice. And I have been to enough TVXQ's Japanese concerts to know that yes, those five guys? They can very well damn sing! I tell you, hearing them singing "Love in the Ice" live is still one of the best memory I have, one that moved my hard, cold self and melted my stonehard heart to tears at the time.

Simply put to say, I am a TVXQ fan. I won't call myself a Cassiopeia or a Bigeast simply because I am not registered as part of that fanclubs But that doesn't mean I love them any less. I've been with them through thick and thin, through the chaos that was the lawsuit, through the months of anxiety of not knowing what will come next. I've beeen to both TVXQ and JYJ's concerts after the lawsuit, crying unashamedly at both those times because I thought I would never see them singing on stage anymore.

And last weekend at the concert I cried again, because I realized that this is it. This will be the last year I get to see them on stage before all five of them will go do their military duty and I will not see them for two years, I won't be able to go to their concerts for at least in another two and a half years. And I cried harder.

At the end of this long, unclear rant, I came to one conclusion:

I may write fanfictions about EXO.

I may jump up and down excitedly for Big Bang's comeback.

But TVXQ has always been, and will always be, my ultimate love in k-popdom. I will wait for my love to return  :) <3