It’s Red Velvet’s third anniversary today!

Time sure flies fast. They started from the bottom (as a group coming from SM) and look at where they are at today. Look at where we at today. Finally…our very own solo concert, a fandom name and a reality show. This time last year, it felt so far-fetched, especially after NCT was born. Another boy group that SM would pay attention to? There goes Red Velvet. (I have nothing against NCT though, I love them, it’s SM’s mistreatment to its group that I don’t agree with.)

I really really want to update a one-shot today but lately, I’m going through a bit of a slump. I hate everything I write and I haven’t written anything for a long time. I’m slowly writing again though, so hopefully I’ll be able to update something at the day of the first concert. Hopefully. Today, I just feel like writing and gushing about Red Velvet. I can’t do that in my real life blog, since I’ve been mostly keeping lowkey about liking Red Velvet in real life. People know that I’m into kpop, but I don’t really like to delve on which group I like, for various reasons.

I’m just gonna be selfish for today and write about how I became a ReVeluv instead.

I had been a kpopper circa 2008-2009 but from 2012-2014, I was on hiatus from kpop. I hated the mess that fandom wars created back then and I was going through a very busy and emotional period of my life. So, kpop was put into the backburner. I was not completely out of it though, since a lot of my friends listen to it still so I was still keeping up with some releases.

When I first heard of a new group coming from SM named Red Velvet, my first reaction was, ‘Poor fans. I pity those who will stan the new group.” The reasoning behind my line of thought was simple. Red Velvet was a flavour, and the first thing that came to mind was…the cake. It would be hard to google their name and look for them, or so I thought. I mean, I stanned BEAST, 2AM, 2PM and weird search results used to come out for them then so T.T

That was my first very vivid memory with Red Velvet. My second vivid memory came about almost two years later but in between, I remember listening to Ice Cream Cake and Dumb Dumb (probably even Happiness, since it sounded very familiar when I eventually checked out their mvs). I remember reading about the ‘fat’ members in the group and when Joy went to We Got Married with Sungjae, she was the first Red Velvet member that I recognized.

When SungJoy was going on, I knew that Red Velvet was a good group, though I don’t really know much about them. I was, and still am a huge SONE and that was how I got to know Red Velvet, since SNSD kept interacting with them. But still, nothing triggered me to go check out their music or them as a group. Though I kinda like Irene at the moment, since people said she kinda looks like Moon Jung Won (twins in Return of Superman’s mom) and Taeyeon.

Then 15^th March 2016 happened. This was my second vivid memory of Red Velvet.

I was casually going through my timeline when I saw something that again, made me thought ‘Poor Red Velvet fans.’ I find it pretty ironic that people say ReVeluvs always complain but my first two vivid memories of Red Velvet was about sympathising with their fans, LOL. Even as a casual observer, I noticed that they were wronged in some ways more than other groups, what more as a fan.

They were supposed to be having their comeback on 16^th March with One of These Nights but it was postponed to another day. Somehow, this bugged me so much that I actually watched it early when the mv came out.

And I fell in love. It was an all at once affair. I love everything about One of These Nights. The song, the mv, the visual, the mv theory. Everything. I set the song as my Superstar SMTown alarm about one year ago, so I still listen to at least the beginning of the song everyday. That’s how much I love it. The thing that caught my attention the most was Wendy’s ‘One of these years’ part. I loved it so much I played that part over and over again just to listen to her voice. I listen to their live stages just for that part. Wendy was the one that stood out the most for me in the mv. But…my bias was Irene. Ahaha.

I started to look for them more after that, I looked for all of them especially Irene. Again, I found the ‘fat’ members articles and I paid more attention to Wendy. I was upset and angry – how was Wendy fat? She was a bit chubby in the cheek but all in all, she’s alright. She was healthy. But still my bias was Irene. At that point, I would just look at people weirdly if they said Irene was not much. I mean, are you blind??? (That was a bit too harsh, but I still look at people weird if they think Irene is not pretty.)

Then 21^st July 2016 happened. The song Don’t Push Me, sung by Wendy and Seulgi for Uncontrollably Fond was released. I was casually scrolling Youtube that night, I remember this clearly. The light was dim and the song came into my recommendation. Now, I’m not someone who cries. The last time I remember crying was in 2014 but that song really brought me close to crying. I didn’t even really understand what they were singing about but the song tugged my heartstrings and I understood there and then the effect Wendy’s voice had and has on me.

I could not choose my bias then. For months, if anyone asked, it was Irene and Wendy for me. I could not choose. Until one day, it was just Wendy. But I love all the members to bits too. Really. They all have their own special place in my heart. Haters can choke. Akgae fans can choke too.

Red Velvet brought me back to writing. Stanning them gave me more confidence and I made so many good new friends, I’m really happy. All in all, it’s been such a wonderful experience although I wasn’t there in the beginning. I’m a firm believer that things will fall in line when they’re supposed to be and this is one of those cases. I may not be there in the beginning but I was there for their second, and now third anniversary. And I hope I will be there until the end, when it comes.

Red Velvet was the first kpop act I see to be honest. I went through hell during my final week last semester just to go and see them at the ISEOULU concert. It was not even a good place to look at them but I was happy. I was really happy. 23^rd May 2017 will be another important date in my days as a ReVeluv. Hopefully, one day I’ll get to talk to them too, not just watching from afar.

Oh, I also bought my first album because of them. I listened to the first two songs in The Red Summer and the urge to buy the album was so strong…I ordered at the same day. I received the album yesterday, a day before their third anniversary. Just in time. I got Seulgi’s photocard and I’m so so happy. I would’ve been happy with getting other members’ photocard too but I tweeted about falling in love with Seulgi yesterday morning and talked about it in my group chat (at which my friends asked, BUT WHAT ABOUT WENDY? Lol) so I guess I had a subconscious hunch that it was gonna be Seulgi.

Long rant again. No wonder my bias is Wendy.

Happy third birthday Red Velvet and ReVeluvs! Let’s walk together for many more years.