Seven years after their disbandment, the South Korean project boy group Wanna One reunited for their reality show WANNA ONE GO: Back to Base. While the 11 members couldn’t be complete due to Kang Daniel being in the military and Lai Kuan-lin having retired from the industry, a recent episode reveals that one of the members, Ha Sung-woon, traveled to Beijing just to meet their maknae (aka youngest member), Lai Kuan-lin.
A Long-Awaited Reunion
It was certainly an emotional moment for the Wanna One members, who says they literally haven’t seen Lai Kuan-lin since he left for China years ago. The former singer-actor, who’s from Taiwan, pursued a career in the Chinese entertainment industry after leaving K-pop. However, he suddenly announced his retirement in June 2024. Now age 24, Lai Kuan-lin is based in Beijing, focusing on his work as a film director. During Sung-woon’s visit, the Wanna One members recorded video messages for Kuanlin to express how much they missed him.
To their surprise, Lai Kuan-lin revealed a tattoo on his arm that reads “807,” symbolizing Wanna One’s debut date on August 7. It’s a day he considers the most meaningful and worth celebrating in his life, making their debut a memory he has chosen to carry with him permanently. However, he candidly admitted that while he does want to reunite with the group, he is absent because, “appearing on television again feels like too much pressure.” Nevertheless, his sincerity shone through as he talked about how much he missed his hyungs, adding that even though he has too many things to say, “I’ll tell you more when we meet privately in the future.” He closed with, “I love you” towards his hyungs (older brothers).
Wanna One Members Tear Up
It’s a moment that would make any fan cry, and sure enough, as the members watched, they were overcome with emotion and moved to tears. Ha Sung-woon updated his Instagram with chat messages exchanged with Lai Kuan-lin after he left. Hwang Min-hyun said he was holding it in the whole time but couldn’t anymore. Park Ji-hoon literally walked away for a second, turning his back to cry, and everyone else was crying too.
Other members also became emotional, like Ong Seong-wu, who admitted, “When I was busy with my solo activities in Korea, I didn’t think of Kuanlin as often. I thought he was doing well and making a lot of money, but he’s actually been thinking about us this whole time. I feel so guilty and heartbroken.” Bae Jin-young added, “I’m really devastated. My mind just went blank… I should have taken better care of him.”
Interestingly, the moment ended on a hilarious note as the group drank the Moutai liquor Lai Kuan-lin gifted them. What ensued was everyone coughing, as they didn’t realize how strong it was.
