MBC Fantasy Couple 2009
Little Girl: In Super Junior, who is the most good-looking?
Eunhyuk: Must I say it honestly? I think I'm number 1.
Little Girl: How about Kangin oppa?
Eunhyuk: Kangin hyung is a little bit at the back.
Little Girl: What about singing?
Eunhyuk: Oppa is a rapper. I'm probably number 12 out of 13.
Hyukjae was the guy who rarely got any singing lines in songs and was known to be the "Singing Hole" (Parallel to Kyuhyun being a 'Dancing Hole') in the group. He was the dancer and the main rapper, that was that. He didn't belt out high notes like Kyuhyun, Yesung and Ryeowook did, and if it wasn't for Sukira, us fans would never have been familiar with his singing voice. It wasn't until recently that Hyukjae started to come out of his singing shell. Songs like Good Person and My Only Girl gave us Hyukjae fans who were dying for some Hyuk singing goodness a pleasant surprise <3
Suddenly, Hyuk was singing more confidently on Sukira, and was just generally more comfortable singing. A lot of Hyukjae fans (myself included) got to thinking that maybe he took voice lessons, because his improvement was noticeable. We looked forward to the Pretty Action Quiz in Sukira, and half-wished that the people who'd call in would fail in their attempts, just so that Hyukjae would have to sing the lines all over again. He appeared on 1000 Songs Challenge, and JABJVBADKJB it was just SO adorable seeing him all jittery and nervous around two seasoned singers. (Yesung and Ryeowook)
Then, he gives us this.
No lie, when I saw this, I cried. Everything about this performance -- from Jungsoo's suspense-ridden intro, Hyuk's stretches, Hyuk facing the wall everytime there'd be a high note, Jungsoo helping him out, to him whispering the last notes from embarrassment and Jungsoo clapping like a proud umma -- was imperfectly imperfect. Hyuk's voice croaked at one point or two but to me, that's what made it so special. He's a work in progress, but his effort and his heart was in the moment and you could totally see that he was pushing himself and challenging himself to deliver. It also emphasizes one of the traits I love most about Hyuk: He never gives up. He doesn't stop at mediocrity (which was also why he quit Star King and Dream Team, which is to pursue and further his dancing) and really strives to reach his full potential. So it wasn't about him singing yet another song in Sukira, or that he was just doing fanservice. It was so much more than that, and him pushing through with it (because he didn't HAVE to sing, but he did) showed commitment and passion to better himself. He's walking proof that practice makes perfect, and that through hard work and perseverance, one can truly improve and become great at something. That's what made it so beautiful, to me.
I finally got to understand why Kyuhyun fans were so ecstatic that he started joining the main dancers in promotions and during dance battles. In that same respect, I can also understand why some Kyuhyun fans felt offended when Sungmin fans questioned his place in the dancing bridge of Bonamana. It's different, refreshing, and extremely exciting when your bias goes out of their comfort zone and does something else. (like Hyuk singing, or Kyu dancing) It's even more of a treat when that bias becomes good at their waterloo, and you end up beaming like a proud mom because they've come a long way since debut. Hyukjae has come a long way since the pre-debut video of him singing and rapping alternately, and I couldn't be more proud ♡
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