"I kind of fear being without you": SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan pens another touching letter to Moonbin, shares how he's coping without him

Pictures of SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan's heartfelt letter to his late best friend Moonbin of ASTRO went viral online on June 5, 2023. Fans spotted his letter at the late star's current memorial place on Sky Park, the rooftop of Fantagio's building. The memorial will be shifted to a Buddhist Temple in the Gyeonggi province on June 7.

Fans who visited the memorial prior to its shifting were touched on reading Seungkwan's letter. The SEVENTEEN member was known for his close, years-long friendship with the late ASTRO singer.

In his lengthy letter, Seungkwan opened up about how he's grappling with the loss of his best friend and how he is scared to live without the light that made him shine. A couple of lines in his letter, as translated by Twitter user @svtranslation, read:

SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan talks about living a "less-okay life" without Moonbin in emotional letter

SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan was one of the many close friends of the late ASTRO member Moonbin. The duo's friendship, along with other 1998-born K-pop idols such as VIVIZ's Umji and SinB, IMFACT'S Ungjae and UNI.T's Suji, was quite popular in the K-pop industry.

Moonbin's sudden death on April 19, 2023, devastated many people. His friends, ASTRO members, and sister Moon Sua of the K-pop group Billlie, often write letters for him at his memorial. Prior to bidding the late singer farewell on the 49th day since his passing (June 7), Seungkwan wrote an emotional letter to bid his best friend goodbye.

One line that touched fans' hearts was about what IMFACT's Ungjae told Seungkwan. It read:

Read the letter translated to English via Twitter user @svtranslation and the reactions to it below:

What is the 49-day mourning period in Korean culture?

Buddhism is one of the two dominant religions in South Korea. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, Buddhists believe that the fate of the deceased's afterlife is determined on the 49th day following the death of the individual.

It is also believed that the deceased spends the first 48 days going through trials and that their spirit lingers around in the human world. On the 49th day, the deceased is believed to finally leave the human world and go to the afterlife for reincarnation.

Meanwhile, the new memorial for ASTRO's Moonbin will open on June 7 at the Gukcheongsa Temple at Namhansangseong. The new place will be treated as a public memorial for the singer for a longer duration of time.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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