“A dream I can’t wake up from”: Former IMFACT’s Ungjae mourns the loss of ASTRO’s Moonbin in an emotional post

IMFACT’s former member, Ungjae, who was one of ASTRO Moonbin’s closest friends, posted an emotional letter with photos on his Instagram account on April 22, 2023. The post was a means for the 24-year-old artist to mourn the loss of the ASTRO member, who passed away on April 19.

In a lengthy letter, Ungjae wrote that life for him felt like a dream he couldn’t wake up from nowadays. He shared a close friendship with Moonbin, along with fellow 1998-born idols such as SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan, VIVIZ’s SinB and Eunji, among others.

As per the English translation via the Twitter account @astrohaluv, he started the letter by saying,

“I feel like I have a dream I can't wake up from. Even if I tried to wake up, nothing changed. I met you when I was 19 and we spent our 20s together and I liked you a lot and sometimes even admired you.”

Along with the lengthy letter, Ungjae also posted throwback pictures. The pictures and videos showed him enjoying the sea with ASTRO’s Moonbin. SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan was also included in one of the photos.

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ASTRO Moonbin’s close friend, former IMFACT member Ungjae, shares pictures with a heartfelt letter

ASTRO’s Moonbin, who was in the middle of his DIFFUSION tour with fellow member Sanha as a part of their subunit activity, passed away on April 19, 2023. The idol was only 25 years old.

As condolences poured in on the internet from across the world, many expressed concerns for his close-knit group of the ‘98 liner friends, with whom he had shared multiple years of his life.

One of them, former IMFACT member Ungjae, posted pictures and videos with a heartfelt letter on his Instagram account on April 22. The post was a reminder of his friendship with Moonbin.

Ungjae also wrote a lengthy caption, mentioning how the duo spent their 20s together and how he admired him.

“I wanted to meet you one day and tell you what a wonderful person you are, but it will take a little longer until then, and my heart aches. You're the warmest and most thoughtful person I've ever met and I respect your choices. I just want to meet you and tell you that it's not all your fault you've been through so much. I've never had a hard time when I'm with you, I was just so happy, so take care.”

Ungjae added that he hoped Moonbin would visit him in his dreams.

“For a long time, you've always been a great pride to me and I've always been grateful that you're my friend. Let's be friends again and again and again. We'll live well. You wouldn't want the people you love to live in pain so it will all be bright and beautiful, it's okay if I hurt a little thinking of you so I hope you'll come to my dreams sometimes to see my face.”

He ended the letter by mentioning his wish to see the ASTRO member once.

“I just want to see you once, even if it's just for an hour. It's never too late for us to meet again. I love you, puppy cat.”

Meanwhile, SF9’s Chani also uploaded a post mentioning the importance of Moonbin’s friendship in his life. The duo have been friends since childhood and first met as eight-year-olds when filming TVXQ’s music video, Balloons, in 2006.