Lai Kuan-lin Expresses Love for Wanna One and Korea in Emotional Reunion

Lai Kuan-lin, the youngest member of the group Wanna One, has expressed his affection for the group and Korea. After retiring from the entertainment industry following their final concert in January 2019, Lai Kuan-lin's recent activities have been revealed for the first time. This marks his first TV appearance in about eight years.

On the second episode of Mnet's 'Wanna One Go: Back to Base' aired on the 5th, Ha Sung-woon visited Beijing to meet Lai Kuan-lin. During their reunion, Lai Kuan-lin shared, "I have no one to ask, but I want to eat Korean food, so I make it myself," and added, "I joined a Chinese film production company, where I work and learn about scripts, mainly working on short films."

Impressed by Lai Kuan-lin's improved Korean language skills, Ha Sung-woon asked, "Why is your Korean so good?" Lai Kuan-lin responded, "Because I still have lingering feelings for Korea," and revealed a tattoo of Wanna One's debut date, August 7. He added, "If I were to commemorate something, it would be August 7," which brought tears to Ha Sung-woon's eyes. Lai Kuan-lin expressed his longing for the members and shed tears, admitting, "I really want to be with them, but appearing on TV again feels burdensome."

After the broadcast, Ha Sung-woon shared a screenshot of their conversation on his social media on the 5th. In the shared photo, Lai Kuan-lin asked Ha Sung-woon, "Why did you cry earlier?" Ha Sung-woon replied with a selfie, saying, "I still cry. It's because I'm proud and grateful. I also had lonely and tough times, and it reminded me of those moments. I was struggling too, but knowing you endured like I did made me even sadder. We both endured well. Let's applaud ourselves."

Lai Kuan-lin responded, "I want to applaud you, hyung. Whenever any of our members felt lonely or struggled, you comforted us and shared good words. I realized a lot during those three days. I felt like I couldn't do anything for you as a younger brother when you were having a hard time. I also cried a lot alone and thought of you all. I think that's how I endured."

Ha Sung-woon replied, "Thank you, Kuan-lin. I take care of my health thinking of you. Having a cool and strong younger brother like you is reassuring. Thanks to you, I was happy." He added, "We cherish and love warm-hearted Kuan-lin, who loves and supports Wanna One and Wannables more than anyone," and "Our Kuan-lin has supported, watched over, and loved Wanna One more than anyone."

Lee So-jung, Ten Asia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr