minsungchronology

[minsungchronology]

Hi! First of all, I want to say I really appreciate your videos - they have given us all such a newfound appreciation for minsung 😍

I have seen some theories floating around since the fan meeting about Lee Know and his friend who dressed as Leebit during the whole of the fanmeeting. We all know that Lee Know often jokes that people are his boyfriends (this friend, Han, even Hyunjin) so generally no one takes those comments seriously but some people have started wondering whether they are actually in a relationship and whether this is a soft launch of sorts (it seems the argument is that being in a mascot costume for hours over three days just seems like a lot for just a friend). It also would make sense Han knows him since Han (all things aside) is very close to LK. I’m curious whether you have any general views on this?

I have also always seen LK as the type to like to keep his personal emotions, feelings and life quite private. I have shipped Minsung for a while now but I am curious to hear from you what you think about the fact that they have become much more “obvious”/affectionate lately - do you think that could suggest they’re not actually in a relationship (since both LK and Han seem like the private type to me) or that it’s the company trying to push minsung or do you think something has changed that has made them more open to expressing themselves? I’m loving it personally but it was shy LK (the “do you like me in that way?” comment) that made me start shipping them so I guess I am just not sure what to do with the major escalation in minsung land over the past few months.

Thanks again!

I’ve seen the discourse around the whole friend thing and I have to giggle. I think a lot of fans misunderstood what LK said when talking about his friend. He said that he was the friend that took “boyfriend” photos of him which is a common term that's used to describe how a photo is taken, not that he was the guy who he jokingly called “boyfriend” in the vlog to get a reaction out of Han. Idk if its the same friend though (unless anyone else here knows lmao).

And about them being “open” I think there’s a huge difference between stuff meant to get the audience hyped up (i.e: the teleprompter stuff at the Japan concerts) and them just naturally gravitating towards each other, interacting, or laughing together at something (which is like 90% of the their moments we got during the fanmeet, outside of their duet during the first day, the quick WSB performance, and maybe the sign that Han answered to). Other duos I say were more blatant about things during those three days (For ex. LK and CB playfully fighting over HJ, 2min’s antics on stage, FeIix/LK almost kissing eo on stage, etc.)

I think many fans underestimate how private they actually are together. It’s just that every moment of theirs gets hyped up since they’re a popular duo, even if other duos are much more (open?) about things (i.e: JiIix pretending to kiss eo, CB playfully flirting with HJ all the time). 

The members have said it during the 2022 kids room that they’re generally secretive about their bond and we see that even more in recent times. Remember when they went to France a couple of months back and fans saw each duo spend time together in their spare time? (The Maknaes, HyunIix, LK/Han, Chan/Changbin?) and then a week or so later we literally got a SKZ TaIker of vlogs of EVERY duo except LK/Han. The only thing we got was Han verbally saying that they spent time together. 

And then there’s the 2kids show episode where they were very visibly nervous (during the first half especially), they would downplay their bond like, “I don’t know this guy!” “We don’t pay attention to eo!” “The only time we hang out is when the fans see us!” and LK quickly fumbling over the whole we don’t need to sneak out thing, etc. (before they eventually loosen up a bit and contradict themselves on some things). I think a lot of things from that episode cemented them being private about things. Cause if it was all jokes and sayings to get the fans hyped up I don’t think they would have been nervous at all. They would freely joke about things like FeIix/CB did, for example.

Outside of the stage (where all of the members seem to visibly relax and have fun), they seem very “gatekeepy” about a lot of things they do together, especially in recent times, compared to prior years.

Personal opinion: I also think because other members/duos are very visibly affectionate on camera (some even more than LK/Han) and have been so since forever, that would probably make them feel more comfortable to be so as well.

[minsungchronology]

I just finished a quick video of (most??) of the Magic school Fansign moments. It's pretty much a quick preview of what to expect from the 2024 video. I might add/change a few things before the final 2024 video is uploaded in the future.

#Youtube

[minsungchronology]

One thing I've noticed is that the mood from this year's fanmeet is 📈📈📈📈 compared to last years; the difference is so noticeable. All the members seem so lively and happy this time around.

#helps that they had a month+ long vacation

[minsungchronology]

I really hope you feel like doing a 2024 video at the end of this year because I already feel like we’ve gotten so much content and it’s only February! lol

I actually just started working on it; all of the moments from the fanmeet were 🤯 and im actually thinking of uploading a little preview of it soon

[minsungchronology]

You have watched so much content to put this together, it's really amazing. Thanks for your efforts. Curious: did you notice anything about the other members as you watched? Not even necessarily shipping things, but just in general evolution of who they are and their relationships with each other/the group/fans/fame?

I feel like Seungmin and Lee Know's bond isn't talked about enough - beyond the whole marriage/divorce love/hate thing that they have going on. I think those two are a lot closer than they let on and LK is actually really doting towards SM as a hyung based off of the more *spontaneous* and less ~fan-servicy~ interactions that I've seen them in over the years.

#ahhhhh its been a while since ive been on here #life has been really busy in the past couple or so months

[minsungchronology]

Lee Know: and your feelings for me are….?

Han: *releases want so bad*

...🫠

#oop 🙃 #it took half a decade to get here

[minsungchronology]

i have to share this with you cause you might find it funny, this is another angle of lee know checking han out during the dome concert

https://x.com/minhorae/status/1752789263182123225?s=46

LMAOOOO it looks even more obvious from this angle 😭

#exhibit ?? of LK having no concept of poker face around han

[minsungchronology]

An opinion on the 2 Kids Show episode that someone else on TW wrote about (that I couldn't quite put into words, but it sums up my opinion on it):

I put it through a translator so the english sounds kind of wonky, but its an interesting read on the difference between certain episodes:

[minsungchronology]

I get that the moments in concerts have a bit more "realness" to them like when the screen official camera isn't on them etc but i still don't think there is Much difference considering how the nearest section is overflowing with cameras. its hard to say that they're not camera concious in concerts (expection for Japan stuffs maybe) what do you think?

for reference : https://twitter.com/Hanisprettyguy/status/1622251379044777985?t=wzgP-fF62jrMRAUYDalvMw&s=19

I don't believe they're completely not camera conscious (that would be impossible imho as long as there's cameras on them), but at the same time they're more likely to goof off or let loose at a concert of all places compared to more curated content (like the variety shows we see them in or the 2 kids show episode where it felt like they - at the beginning especially - were very conscious/nervous of how they came across with their answers).

#I think there are exceptions to this like the sydney concerts #LK coming on live and saying what he said about the workout and everything - i dont think they were super careful that day based off of tha #*that

[minsungchronology]

i’m sure you’ve already talked about this but how do you feel about the oldddd minsung 2kr?? that video was just so odd 😭

It shows their inexperience in front of the camera (especially when you compare it to the 2022 one lmao). But I think that was one of the things that sealed the whole LK might have a crush on Han thing (at that point in time) for me. His delivery of the whole "feelings" issue (like he didn't say it as a joke or anything) really raised some questions.

[minsungchronology]

Something that is still difficult for me to determine is how what Han & Lee Know do together is different from how the other members treat each other as well as Han & Lee Know themselves. Like we know Lee Know slaps everyone’s butts and Han’s love language must be physical touch. All of the members also say heartwarming things to each other as well. I’m not here to disprove or anything I’m just asking what you think makes their relationship different. This is more of a way for you to discuss what you find special about their bond than trying to push you into proving a point, if that makes sense.

Skinship/affection is not something I pay too much attention to, especially when you watch how different groups act. Some duos within SKZ (Han/Felix for example) (and different Kpop groups) do a lot more of it on camera. It’s not the thing that ever set Minsung apart from the others for me. 

The yearly posts (pinned in my blog) explain why I think their bond goes beyond platonic/what I think sets them apart from other duos in that sense. There's a consistent pattern of behavior between those two imho.

And this post expands on why I rarely use physical affection as an indicator of anything romantic: https://www.tumblr.com/minsungchronology/737893207754555392/hey-i-like-your-general-approach-of-compiling-raw?source=share

#i hope that kind of answered your question

[minsungchronology]

I think you mention m1nsung being able to utilize things in the industry to hide in plain sight in your latest post. Can you expand on why you think that and why they wouldn’t make an effort to hide themselves?

Ok this is gonna be long cause it's a good question:

I personally think it largely depends on the type of fanbase they have, the other members and people around them, the industry that they’re in, the type of "marketing" that the group does, and the number of years that the idols in question have been in the public eye.

I’ll use a parallel as an example.

There’s the group Mamamoơ. A good proportion of their fanbase (larger than most popular groups) identify as queer. I think this applies to both their international AND Korean fanbase. One of the members, MoonbyuI, has strongly hinted/implied that she herself is into women. (First, through the type of music she writes. She literally wrote a sapphic love song. Second, her shutting down an interviewer by boldly changing male pronouns to feminine ones when they tried asking her about her love life). She, like many other idols, have done heavy fanservice on stage with their bandmates as well and part of that aligns with what fans want to see. Yet, she’s not shy about toeing the line and expressing herself through her music/words. The group as a whole has a very good track record with their lgbt fans/people as well (in Korea and outside of Korea). 

I feel like she’s able to share that side of herself because of her fanbase, the type of fanservice/marketing that they do as a group, and the reception it gets amongst their fans.

Compare that with Skz:

You have a fanbase with a good portion of shippers (a lot of them who ship Han and LK whether it be in a casual or serious light). Like Mȧmamoo, Skz as a group has a very good track record with lgbt fans, and the group as a whole do plenty of ship-heavy fanservice and the fans react well to that.

Also, a lot of what public figures do/show to us largely depend on fan reaction (especially in the idol industry). This can also extend to more personal things. You’re more likely to share something personal if the fans have a track record of reacting positively to it. Couple that with the amount of years that they’ve been in the industry (both groups in question have been with us for awhile now, with idols who are experienced when it comes to knowing how much to show).

Which plays into a part of how open they can be without compromising the trajectory of their career.

MoonbyuI writing a sapphic love song (to a fanbase that is largely queer)

Han writing a love duet for himself and his bandmate (that a lot of the fans ship him with)

MoonbyuI strongly hinting that she likes women (on a show)

Han strongly hinting that Want So Bad is indeed about LK (on 2 Kids Show) - he literally said he kept thinking of LK when he went over the lyrics...and LK's reaction to that 😶‍🌫️

And, again, I feel like the nature of the industry allows idols to utilize the glass closet. (For LK/Han, it's the shipping and fanservice surrounding that imo).

As long as they don’t explicitly come out to the GP, there's still that plausible deniability. No official statement through the company/press = it doesn’t truly count. You’re still going to have people (a majority probably) who think that they are close friends who sometimes do fanservice for their fanbase (which technically is true b/c the group as a whole does it), simply because of how the industry historically works.

Finally, in both cases, I don’t think they would be as “open” if they didn’t have the type of fanbase that they have. (As well as members who have a track record of being explicitly supportive)

[minsungchronology]

One of my favorite moments, and it doesn’t even involve Lee Know & Han, is in the 2KR with Changbin & Lee Know. It’s when Changbin and Lee Know are talking about grilling and Changbin asks him who grills when Lee Know & Han go eat and Lee Know says I do. Then Changbin asks “who pays then” and Lee Know’s proud face when he says “we got dutch” is just too much to handle. Then he goes onto explain the deal that him and Han have and Changbin’s reaction to Lee Know talking about his little dates with Han is precious. I just think it’s so adorable how Lee Know talked about him & Han and was happy that Changbin asked. That to me was kind of telling.

Lmaooo I totally skipped over this moment. It's the first I've heard of it. 😭

It kind of reminds me of LK going on a 2min+ tangent on the pool date during the YT live in AU and him going into detail about a hangout he had with Han after a fan asked him about the new bracelets (and only about the bracelets) the two of them got.

[minsungchronology]

was wondering if I could ask your thoughts on volcano, in light of the 2 kids show episode. I was erring on skeptical about reading too much into that song before but something about how they describe each other in 2ks makes me wonder

Unless it's explicitly said or strongly implied that a song is about a certain person (like Want So Bad, that song is pretty clear imo), I don't like to make assumptions about song lyrics.

Though, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Volcano did turn out to be about who shippers speculate it is about.

[minsungchronology]

Thanks so much for putting the videos together, this must have been such hard work! Which show is Lee Know referencing when he says his friend is his boyfriend in the Rachalog with Han and I.N?

I forgot the exact name, but it involved a Seventeen member doing a skit with a female (idol?) or celeb.

[minsungchronology]

I've been watching all your videos gradually and enjoying every minute! Thank you for sharing this labor of love!

I was wondering if you have any personal favorites among the parallels you highlighted or the things that haven't changed much over the years.

The fact that they always goof off around one another. Whenever one of them does something ?????, the other immediately joins without any question. 😭

Like for example LK would wordlessly do a little dance move on stage and Han joins in on it/follows without saying a word.

And them being attentive to one another when they both had to sit during concerts/performances (one of the award?? shows in 2019 and 2023 maniac tour).

#thank you!!!

[minsungchronology]

no matter which year it is my fav moments in the chronology videos are always from the concert footage (minus the scripted stuff the group does during jp stops) . i feel like they're much more laid back and free during concerts and it's probably a better representation of their bond than their filmed content is. makes me excited to see them have fun during their world tour this year, hopefully it won't be too tiring for them

anyway thank u for the new vid i hope u have a great year!!

I agree. It's also the more spontaneous type of content where I think we get the vast majority of the eyebrow raising moments.

#You too! 😊