On April 27th, I attended your concert in Toronto. Thirty minutes before VVIPs were let in for the fan engagements, I bought a VVIP ticket. I purchased a balcony seat months ago but somehow the stars aligned at the very last minute to give me the experience of a lifetime. This is all to say I was not at all prepared for the fansign or the hi-touch or the group photo and because of that, I missed out on the chance to give you each a handwritten letter.
So, a few days after the show, I decided to join and level up in your fancafe because I have so much I need to tell you!!!!! But tragically, it took me a little while to get approved. However, I was just approved today and I'm here now to tell you everything I wish I could have 34 days ago.
Please look forward to my future posts! I will write something to each one of you. For today, I will share a bit about how I became a lyOn.
My journey with OnlyOneOf is a little bit complicated for reasons I can't exactly get into. I first heard of you back in 2020 during the libidO era. To put it simply, I was stupid and stubborn for no particular reason and refused to listen to any of your music. I knew almost nothing about you. I don't understand why I was so closed off and judgemental, and I am not proud to admit this is where my story with OnlyOneOf began.
Eventually as time passed, I saw more things about you here and there and I slowly realized how foolish I was being. There was no reason for me to be acting like that. I accepted that I was an idiot and that I was wrong. But even so, because I had this aversion to you for so long, I felt that I had no right to suddenly turn around and loudly support you. I felt awkward. I didn't think you'd want me as a fan. So I sat in this weird limbo for months, knowing my initial aversion to you all was completely unfounded but also because of that foolish behaviour I felt like I lost my chance to get to know you.
Then, on the morning of January 24th, my YouTube homepage recommended OnlyOneOf's chrOme arts MV and rather than awkwardly and ashamedly scrolling past it, I thought why not find out what I've been missing out of these past few years! So I watched it. And I have spent every single moment since then deeply regretting the years I had wasted on a silly unreasonable unfounded misguided one-sided grudge. I could have been enjoying your music for years!! I could have supported you and smiled with you and felt so much love and happiness but instead I chose the opposite of that. There aren't enough words to express how truly sorry I am for taking this long to get here.
Uh, shame spiral aside, I found out you were not only going on tour but that you had a Toronto date! And not only THAT, but tickets were going on sale that Friday! So yes, exactly 3 days after I listened to my first OOO song, I purchased a balcony ticket for your Toronto concert date 😳 Meaning that as of April 27th, I had been a lyOn for exactly 3 months and 3 days. And the day that started with my balcony ticket and 3 snapshots ended with VVIP (fansign, hi-touch, group photo, a seat ~9 rows from the stage) plus those 3 snapshots. I wasn't just unprepared and overwhelmed but I also can't help but feel totally undeserving of that experience. It was my first time participating in fan engagements like that. Thirty four days and part of me still doesn't believe it was real. The happiness, love, and joy that I felt on that day... it hasn't faded at all! Because it was real, and it was incredible, and I'll carry these feelings and memories with me for the rest of my life.
ChrOme arts was exactly the kind of song I love listening to. But the visuals are what hooked me. Number 1 was the Junji center moment when the video transitioned from the white button up outfits to the form fitting crop top numbers. Number 2 was the Yoojung center moment around 2:45 because oh MY ... the way he does That Move is flawless and I'm obsessed with it. Once the 3 minutes and 10 seconds was up after that very first watch, I want to say I knew instantly where my life was headed now that OnlyOneOf stole a piece of my heart, but that'd be a lie. I didn't imagine writing a letter like this in four short months. I didn't know the concert would happen and turn out infinitely better than I ever could have imagined it would. I never would have thought I would have three polaroids in my possession of me posing next to three of you. But after that first watch of the music video I knew I would come to love OnlyOneOf in one way or another. I knew you would become a deeply important part of my life.
I knew it was the beginning of something incredibly beautiful.
I hope this wasn't too long. Honestly, I have so much more I want to say but I'll save it for the individual letters and all the letters I will write after that. If you take anything away from this letter, let it be this:
Thank you for existing.
Sincerely, with all my love,
💜 Tori 💜