“I’m thinking about how to give more joy and comfort to you (tyongfs). I think about that all the time”

Being a K-pop fan can be a very fun experience. It lets us learn about a new culture and a new language, enjoy good songs, and also connect with people who like the same music as we do. But these things are only possible if the artist you decide to follow makes the experience worth it. 

Each member of NCT and SuperM, with their own personality and style, will captivate people in different ways. Taeyong is a showman who knows exactly how to entertain and connect with his fans, so it’s almost guaranteed that once you fall in love with Taeyong, there’s no going back. His fandom name is TyongF, which stands for Taeyong friends, and he acknowledged us using this name for the first time on Vlive. He also said that there’s a bond between him and his fans that he doesn’t know exactly how to express with words, but he is thankful for that.

Gratitude is something that he is constantly expressing through letters, Bubble messages, and on Vlives. He even dedicated part of the lyrics he wrote for the song ‘Mood’ by Marteen to saying “Thank you, TyongF” right after thanking his mom! (1:42) This makes the fandom feel special and honored!

TyongFs are always playing around with Taeyong’s jokes, organising votes for promotional ads, and encouraging each other to stream his songs on SoundCloud, YouTube and Spotify. His name is constantly trending on Twitter because TyongFs are always celebrating his achievements. From big things like reaching 1 million followers on Instagram to simply being glad because he sent a message on Bubble, TyongFs are always expressing how proud and thankful we are for Taeyong. The best part: there’s proof that he often sees what fans do online because he interacts with us by showing fan art and memes he finds, saying that he is proud of his fans.

Taeyong is always trying to cheer us up by saying encouraging words or simply by joking around. One time, while talking about Mondays and how a lot of people dread that day of the week, he decided that every Monday would be “Taeyong day.”In this way, TyongFs would have something to look forward to every week. Since then, he has tried to post something on social media, whether it’s talking about his day, releasing a self-composed song, posting a picture, or wishing us a good day and week. 

He makes sure to communicate with fans in the best way and whenever possible. He writes most of the captions on his Instagram in English for international fans, and on Bubble he interacts mostly in Korean. Because of that, many international fans rely on translations from fans on Twitter to understand what he is saying, especially because Bubble translations tend to be quite confusing. Taeyong is very playful with words, making puns, expressing himself in a cute way and creating words – therefore the fans translating his messages try their best to convey his intentions and adorable communication style. He interacts a lot by talking about simple things of his day in a very casual way, just like a friend would do. 

Taeyong also uses the Vlive app frequently to talk about his family and what he’s been up to. You can see all his Vlives listed here. He interacts with fans by playing games, reacting to videos and answering comments as well! Lately, he has been doing lives for at least an hour, and he said that doing it doesn’t feel like working at all; it’s just similar to spending time talking with friends, and, as such, it’s always enjoyable. He has already helped many people with great advice and wise words about life as well, from sad to happy moments, he shares his feelings and thoughts about a lot of things, and we are grateful for that!

2021 has been an incredible year. Taeyong is more motivated than ever about his songs, he is also perfecting his English, vocals and acting skills. He is doing the things he loves and creating great memories with his fans, even when it’s impossible to meet fans in concerts.

Now I have to go back home and feed the fish (cutely)

_{– Lee Taeyong [2021.03.18] translation by @alientyong}