jonghyun always deserved more attention that he got. there’s no denying that he did better than a lot of other idol soloists but there was also always a heavy imbalance between how his songs for himself and his songs for others did, with the exception being “déjà-boo”. (death tw) after a celebrity passes there’s normally an influx in the attention given toward them. when eunbi and risae of ladies code passed away back in 2014 “i’m fine thank you” reached the top of the digital charts in south korea but it only lasted for so long and, after ladies code returned as a three member group, they were never given the attention that they deserved. (i say this as someone who has been a fan of theirs since debut.) jonghyun is obviously a different circumstance - as the situations are different (though all deaths were sudden and tragic) and he was always a very high profile idol. so, i figured that we’d see a spike in attention given to his solo releases, and that we’d also see his solo merchandise both sell out fast and have assholes take advantage of his passing as a way to make a quick buck because capitalism.
it’s hard to say how long “lonely” will remain at the top of the charts for but you’re right to say that it’s bittersweet. i’m angry that the song and album weren’t given this amount of love back in april, but i’m also glad that more people are paying attention to his talent. if anything that’s the one positive thing that i can take from this specific situation: his music and words are going to live on. that’s important to me and i know it’s important to other shawols as well.