Soobin, the beloved leader of TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) recently took the concept of fan service to a new level. He personally baked cookies for the group’s fans. This act of kindness is part of the growing yeok jo gong trend, where idols give “reverse tributes” to their fans.
Each cookie came with a sticker that read, “It’s not much, but it’s a gift filled with my love. I’m always grateful! – Made by Kong MC.” Soobin‘s thoughtfulness prompted him to make different cookies to cater to fans with nut allergies.
The baking session took place at a cafe after Soobin‘s schedule had ended, with his older sister assisting in the five to six-hour endeavor. Soobin‘s dedication to creating these gifts, despite the pressures of his idol schedule, did not go unnoticed by the fans or the cafe staff.
Soobin, master of icing
Days after the fan meeting, Soobin went live on Weverse. He admitted that baking made him very nervous because he didn’t know if MOAs would like the cookies. He said, “I got back to our dorm at 5:00 AM, showered, and laid down to sleep, but I was like, ‘What if it doesn’t taste good?’ ‘What if the shape turned out bad?’ But I was also excited, and I was like, ‘I’m not someone that works at a cafe so MOAs will understand and think it’s cute.’ To the people who tried it, was it good? Hehe, I did try a little bit during the process and I think it was really yummy!”
The cafe owner, a friend of Soobin‘s sister, generously offered their space and ingredients for the project. But he worried the cafe owner would find it hard to help prepare everything they needed. “I felt bad, so I told my sister, ‘Should we just bake things that we can give MOAs that come to the live show?’ And she was like, ‘Why? Let’s make it for everyone.’ And I was like, ‘I want to, but I feel bad asking the owner to prepare so many ingredients.’ And she was like, ‘I’ll ask!’ And the owner was like, ‘There’s nothing to worry about, we’ll do all of them!’ I felt grateful because they didn’t hesitate at all.”
The owner of Celona, the cafe where Soobin baked, took to Instagram to share their experience. They noted that aside from baking, he dried off all the grapes himself. “Soobin was an angel and a master of icing! I don’t know if you still want to open a cafe, but please come back here to bake and make coffee at any time.”
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An extremely special relationship
Reflecting on his own experiences as a fan, Soobin acknowledged the unique love between a singer and their fans. He now understands the importance of accepting and appreciating all the efforts fans make, recognizing the special bond they share. “I think there’s a kind of love that can only exist between a singer and their fans—one that doesn’t happen between friends or people dating. They exist for each other and want each other to be happy and hope for better things for the other than for themselves. It seems like it really only exists between fans and singers,” he says.
“Actually, as a singer, whenever fans came to a fan signing event with a fan letter in hand and said, ‘I’m going to hold a birthday cafe event for you,’ I would say, ‘I think your hand will be tired from writing letters every time you come. I’m thankful you make time for me but I hope you don’t spend your money.’ But now I think I should be grateful and accepting of everything they do. I think I understand them better now, too. I’m the kind of person who puts the happiness of my fans ahead of my own unconditionally, but the fans also put my happiness first and feeling that again, I realized it’s an extremely special relationship.”
Soobin‘s gesture not only brought smiles to the faces of MOAs but also set a beautiful example of the mutual love and respect that exists within the K-pop community. – K-Pop News Writer
Featured Image: Soobin put his heart and soul into preparing his gift for MOAs. Source: Instagram/@__celona.
