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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:
"I kind of fear being without you who made me shine. A few days ago your fans came to the cafe and thanked and comforted me. You have no idea how much I held back tears. They comforted me so warmly. So I have to get it together!"
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:
“I hoped that if our time together then went by slowly, I'd feel okay. but I don't think that's the case, and Ungie (IMFACT’s Ungjae) said so too. That it's better to live a less-okay life than live life okay without you. I agree with that a bit.”
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.
