Happy 8th Anniversary, SHINee

Dear SHINee ((and fellow SHINee World out there)),

I know I am a week late, but it has been on my mind all month and I have been itching to write my greetings for your 8th anniversary. I am sorry that I have just got a chance to finally write it down, but as always, it came from the deepest and most sincere heart of mine.

For the past eight years, saying that I have seen you guys grow up a lot is an understatement. We have all grown up together. I have seen you since the debut era, I still remember your first variety show "Yunhanam" ((Younger Boyfriend)) and I still miss Jung Yoogeun and the fatherly side of Minho and Key every now and then.

I still remember loving "Amigo" so so much and especially this performance that I will never ever forget. I remember the excitement when Jonghyun joined twitter or when Key joined instagram even back then when Minho updated SHINee's me2day every now and then. This year, the five of you have grown not only as a group but as an individual artist yourselves.

Onew, you are such a great leader and I know you will forever be. We have seen you play in musical for the past years and this year, we saw you as a new and highly praised actor. The way you portray Lee Chi Hoon as the young and generous doctor is so wonderful. Especially on times that you cry your heart out, it touched my heart as well. Next year, I am hoping that you got your turn to have a solo debut and sing your favorite tune or release the jam and bread song ^^ I hope seeing more of the Onew Sangtae ((Onew condition)), your ttakbam, and actor Onew, and singer Onew, and also Onew with chicken lol.

Jonghyun, I am so proud of you and how you have established yourself not just as an idol singer but also a songwriter. You are a true artist and a great performer and I can't be happier to call myself your biggest fan and supporter. I am amazed by your delicate voice and soulful performance. I love your wit and your sense for the social issue. I am thankful for radio show like "Blue Night" and TV show like "Monthly Live Connection" that help us witness your writing process. You also had a solo concert which I would have totally gone if I live in South Korea. I am thankful for SM for the chance for you to grow as an artist to release songs not only to gain profit but to become closer to your fans and to inspire the people around you. I love your albums from "Base" to "Story Op.1" to "She is" and still got amazed for songs you created for other artists. Next year, I wish you will write more songs and sing more songs and be more creative. Even if you had a slump, I hope you can quickly recover and get back to what you are always passionate about.

Key, oh Kim Kibum, you lovely firecracker. I always admire your fashion style and how vocal you are about your personality. After playing numerous musical, you challenge yourself for a theater play in "Save the Green Planet". You even become a brand ambassador for Jill Stuart and further establish your position as a fashionable idol as a special editor for Elle Korea. You appeared in "My Little Television" and even if I have just watched a bit of them, I am so happy you got your own broadcast. Next year, I wish you would be designing fashion pieces and appear on more variety shows because you are so fun to watch. I hope many more people will appreciate your creative taste in fashion.

Minho, my bias and my handsome oppa, this year too, you challenge yourself on becoming a better actor. Honestly, I am not a big fan of your acting but I will keep on supporting you and I know that one day you will be a one fine actor. You have always been acting on television and this year you took it to the big screen. I hope your movie receive a good response and become a good experience for you. I am looking forward to your new drama "Hwarang" and hope it will do well and further develop your acting with the fellow actors you are working with. I also pray that you will write more raps for future SHINee songs and appear in another variety or show again. I remember how you used to be so quiet and then you become an MC for music shows and become a fix cast for "Dream Team". Next year, I hope you got a chance to develop more in any aspect of entertainment. If you love acting, I hope you continue pursuing it, and I hope you will write more raps for SHINee songs. 

Taemin, the maknae who is no longer that cutie pie. We have all seen you transformed from a cute mushroom-haired boy into a gorgeous masculine man. You break the stereotype of being the 'dancer' of the group and prove everyone that you are also a great singer, even a great performer. You have a unique taste in music and I adore how you become an original Taemin yourself and not a copy of any of your idol. I love your witty personality and how you joked with your hyungdeul. Next year, I hope you continue growing and showing us an interesting side of yours. Who knows that you might be the one who choreographed the dance for SHINee or yourself too?

SHINee, the past years, you have always been my mood booster and the reason why I still hang on to K-pop. I still got excited everytime I see the news about any of you and even better about SHINee altogether. I am proud about all your achievements and how you guys have promoted in Japan. I have not been very loyal about your Japanese promotion as much as I follow your Korean promotion, but I will always keep on supporting the five of you no matter what.

I wish all of you will stay together for a long long time as SHINee. I wish you all to grow together as a group and individually and to always have the passion and love for singing and performing. I wish you guys will be strayed away from scandals and gossips and bad things. I wish you guys to take a rest every now and then and not to drain yourselves. After all, being healthy is the top priority. I wish ideas and creativity will always spark to you and your team so you guys can keep on producing and performing contents with great quality.

Thank you SM Entertainment for finding the talents in these five young men back then and letting them debut together and giving them chances to explore the creative sides of themselves. Thank you SHINee for debuting so young and sacrificing your youth to become a prominent idol group you guys are today. Thank you for not giving up on your dreams and staying true to yourselves all these years. Thank you for debuting as SHINee and making me a SHINee World. Thank you for bringing colors to SHINee as five amazing men and bringing colors to SHINee World as one wonderful SHINee. 

I know I am not the only one, and I sincerely hope that SHINee will last until as long as you could, with no changing member. I believe that SHINee World are okay with your individual activities as long as the five of you, Onew, Jonghyun, Key, Minho and Taemin stay together as SHINee. 

It says that the name SHINee means the one receiving the light. But I think it is us, SHINee World who received so much light and hope from SHINee. I love you and I am forever grateful to call myself as a SHINee World.

Happy 8th Anniversary, SHINee!