In the end, SuJu fans accepted grudgingly Kyuhyun’s addition – after they were promised there would be no more changes to the group. This was a significant compromise, as Super Junior had been created as a group with a flexible, rotating line-up.
The initial reaction to Kyuhyun could not be more different to that of Super Junior fans today, and the singer – speaking in early April in Hong Kong, one of the stops on his solo Asia concert tour – expressed his gratitude to his oldest fans, whose unwavering loyalty continues to surprise him.
“The driving force behind my long-lasting career is my fans. To be honest, we can’t do anything without our fans any more. I can’t perform nor go somewhere just because I want to, if there is no one around [to watch],” Kyuhyun said.
“Our fans might as well move on and start liking new, younger people, but they seem to continue to like our team and me. So I think to myself, ‘Wow, their loyalty is really great’.”
“I don’t think it would have been easy for me if I had debuted in this era. There are so many good-looking rookies these days who are all so talented in singing,” Kyuhyun said.
Still, not everyone is successful, and acts are as likely to be a bust as they are to boom. In one week in April this year, for example, four groups announced they would be disbanding. So the fact Kyuhyun and his SuJu colleagues are still active, 18 years after their debut, is a blessing for them – and much of that has to do with their fans.
SuJu fans – known as ELF or Ever Lasting Friends – say having such long-term rapport with a group is as valuable for them as it is for the group. At his Hong Kong concert, fans of Kyuhyun said they cherish the comfort and companionship that only time can create.
“[I’ve been a fan of Kyuhyun] since his debut. So [I’ve been] an ELF for 19 years, and I’ve loved Kyuhyun since his debut,” said Stephanie, a 36-year-old Peruvian student in Macau. “It’s my safe place, actually. Idols, for me, are something I have loved since I was younger, since I was 18. Now I’m 36 and I still feel like that’s a safe place.”
Fans say it is not just about the relationship they have with Kyuhyun – it is about the community that has been fostered among themselves.
“I’ve liked Kyuhyun for more than 10 years … [Throughout the 10 years] I could get to know a lot of other fans. I’ve also participated in support events held by other fans before,” said Tam, a Hongkonger.
There are other benefits to being an idol who has been around for a while and whose fans are less likely to follow his every footstep. Kyuhyun said he appreciates the freedom and space he has now to finally enjoy Hong Kong.
“In the past, the fans were always in front of the hotel, so I couldn’t go anywhere, but now they’re telling me to enjoy [whichever place I’m visiting],” he said.