He's too skinny :(

It’s all about who’s the best singer, who’s the best dancer, who’s got the biggest muscles, the most defined six pack, who’s the skinniest, who’s the tallest, shortest, who plays the most instruments, who’s the most athletic, the list goes on.

The industry has always been very plastic, there’s no denying that, but there was a time where people focused more on the music and less on the amount of awards the artist won or on what place it ended up on the billboard. They were still idols, they were still well-trained, good performers and had beautiful bodies. But fast forward a few years and all that takes is a mediocre voice and a killer body to get in, of course it’s not that simple, but not far from.

In Win they weren’t idols yet, they were in a competition to debut where the most talented got to debut, iKon didn’t make it. But it didn’t end there, instead, Win was replaced by another competition named Mix & Match, where they yet again had to fight to the finish, fight for their right to fulfill their dream.

And Donghyuk finally made it, he finally got to debut with some of his closest friends and sing on stage in front of his fans like he’d dreamed of doing for so long. They still had to work hard like they did when they were trainees, but this time it was less about trying to prove your capability of singing and dancing and more about polishing your abilities and your body.

Donghyuk trained together with Hanbin and Jiwon to get the body he knew the fans would go crazy over, bulky but not too much, lean but not in a weak way, defined abs for fans to drool over and a v-line they could only dream of touching. He felt amazing, like he was on top of the world and nothing could stop him. The schedule felt heavy on his shoulders but the sound of his name being screamed by thousands of fans was enough to keep him going. Their promotions were amazing and despite the few lines he had he felt good, he felt great, even.

Fast forward a few month and their promotions are basically nonexistent, they release a song called WYD, it’s cute and simple and a lot like My Type, they don’t promote it at all and it doesn’t hit big but it goes okay and the fans enjoy it. He looks good as well, and so do the others. He’s got limited lines again but he’s still doing good. He no longer carries baby fat and his cheekbones look more defined every day. He feels good, amazing even.

Then they’re in Japan, promoting their first album in japanese and enjoying their time on japanese talk shows, it’s fun. He eats well, hangs with his friends, makes some new ones, and learns more of the language and culture than he’d ever thought possible. They’re in China for a while as well but only a short moment. No new songs but it’s not too bad.

Then comes the stop in promotions, they’re barely doing anything, and it takes a toll on Donghyuk. He’s restless. He loses a bit of his appetite.

Then Taehyun quits because of health issues and they hear that he’s depressed, Donghyuk sees his Instagram of Kurt Cobain in his final years and knows what thoughts circle around in his old friend’s head. It makes him sad, and he loses his appetite.

They’re spotted at an airport and he’s wearing skinny jeans and a t-shirt, and later he gets comments on how good he looks now that he’s lost some weight, how good his face looks and his legs, and he loses his appetite.

It continues like that, he works out like crazy and eats less and less as the days pass, around new years he’s spotted again and the comments on social media go crazy over how different he looks, and he feels proud because for once he’s being talked about, mentioned, acknowledged.

They’re at an award show next and he’s so skinny, the comments later say he looks like a skeleton, but Donghyuk loves his ribs and his collarbones.

Next time is on the V-app, Junhwe and Jinhwan were talking when Donghyuk entered and a fan commented “you’ve lost so much weight” and he laughs a little and answers, “I’ve been on a diet- to look great for you, and to look pretty,” and he doesn’t notice the slight pain on Jinhwan’s face as he talks about how strict Donghyuk is with his diet. He doesn’t notice because he’s too focused on the fact that a fan noticed.

They’re on the V-app again and it’s the first week of 2017, they’ve all changed a bit, matured, gotten a haircut, lost some weight. And despite the few comments from fans saying he should take care of his health, Hanbin says he looks good now and he laughs because he does, right? Now that he’s lost weight.

I just want him to be healthy.... :(

Don't own any of these pics or gifs, I just wanted you to smile after all that sadness. Please get better Donghyuk! <3