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Ateez leader Hyungjoon appears on VLive, surprised K-pop fans say it was like 'facetiming boyfriend Joong'

The group is currently on a short break following multiple albums and an appearance on the South Korean TV program 'Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend'

In a welcome surprise, K-pop band Ateez's leader Hongjoong gave fans a treat with a surprise VLive that put a smile on viewers' faces. Ateez has had a stellar year thus far, with the release of their fourth EP, 'Treasure Epilogue: Action to Answer', the final part of their Treasure series, accompanied by the title track 'Answer'. Only a few months later, they returned with their fifth EP, 'Zero: Fever Part.1', and the accompanying title track 'Inception' which was followed by a second music video for the song 'Thanxx'. 'Zero: Fever Part.1' went on to become Ateez's first album to achieve a platinum certification on the Gaon Albums Chart. Additionally, they are the second fourth-generation boy group to reach one million total sales within their rookie period. And after a massively successful year, a surprise VLive from Hongjoong appears to be the icing on the cake for the group's fandom, Atiny.

Appearing in his bright blue hair and a simple shirt, Hongjoong chatted with fans and had them all swooning in no time. "I am simply getting my serotonin from outside sources (joong)," stated one fan, while another shared, "Here’s a hug from joong to make your day better," along with a video of the idol during his live. One fan, sharing multiple screengrabs from the session said, "THESE SCREENSHOTS I GOT MADE IT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE FACETIMING BOYFRIEND JOONG."

Honggjoon's live seems to have lifted the spirits of fans worldwide. One fan shared, "Nothing feels better than coming home to a Joong's surprise vlive," and another stating, "Imagine if ur sad!! Hongjoong as ur boyfriend is singing songs for u because u had a bad day!!!!!! I CAN’T RELATE!!! My life sucks. Our Smol Blueberry Joong Leader." Others, however, lamented missing out on the live, with one fan stating, "I ALWAYS MISSED A JOONG VLIVE."

Outside of breaking hearts, Hongjoon had fans rejoicing for another reason: his playlist that featured songs from fellow K-pop idols. "I CANNOT BREATHE!!! HONGJOONG SSTARTED THE VLIVE WITH A BLOCK B SONG HAHAH," stated one fan, adding, "Just LISTEN TO JOONG ADORING BLOCK B SUNBAENIM."  They further tweeted, "THE SONG JOONGIE PLAYED IS CALLED ‘DOES IT ONLY HAPPEN TO ME?’, a song from Block B’s debut album (2011) HONGJOONG IS A BBC YALL, HES MY BEST FRIEND." Another fan shared, "Joong listening to exo during his vlive warms my old multi stan heart." Soon, fan requests began pouring in, with Ateez fans asking Hongjoon to play everything from Stray Kids to Dreamcatcher.

Hongjoong and Ateez last appeared on the South Korean television program 'Immortal Songs: Singing the Legend' and performed a cover of Turbo's 'Black Cat Nero'. They won the episode they were on based on judge votes, making them the first fourth-generation group to win on the program.