I was inspired by this lovely thread made by cle19 about SKZ Chan. I was going to wait until Jaehyun's birthday (Feb 14) to write this, but I thought that, on that day, so many good things will be said about him. And imo, every day is a good day to appreciate Jeong Yuno. So why wait? Why not today?
Let me talk a little (or a lot) about NCT Jaehyun and why he's my ultimate bias.
Most people who are not familiar with NCT probably know him as the visual, the prince with a calm/cold aura, who doesn't talk too much. While this last part is true (in most interviews, he just remains quiet), there is a lot more about him that you guys might not be aware of. And actually: there's nothing cold about him.
First off, let's talk about his talents:
His voice
He's part of the vocal line of NCT 127, and it's obvious why. He has a very smooth, baritone voice which contrasts well with some of the higher/lighter vocal colors from other Neo vocalists. He's the perfect example of why having a higher vocal range doesn't equal being a better singer. He has very well-developed technique, as he's been training and singing for a while, and always focusing on improving. His vocal tone is not common in kpop vocal lines which makes it stand out to me.
Before I stanned NCT, I only casually listened to their songs without knowing most of the members. And somehow, his parts always stood out to me and I always wondered who the guy behind that beautiful baritone voice was.
His dance skills
Now, Jaehyun is not officially part of NCT main dancer line. However, he's an extremely good dancer. His mix of technique and control make him especially qualified and perfect for hip-hop style. I'm not very knowledgeable about dance, so I would suggest reading this reddit post which talks a bit more in detail about his skills. Plus, there are several videos by dance professionals who praise his skills a lot. He doesn't have the wow-ness of other NCT main dancers, but he's still an incredible dancer and watching him perform is extremely addictive.
His songwriting and passion for music
Recently, Jaehyun performed a self-written and self-composed song called Lost at NCT 127's concert in Seoul in December. Lost, which is fully in English, is a song about "love and emptiness", and he made the melody for it first, and then the lyrics. The songwriter minGtion helped him in this process. Lost is Jaehyun's first original song as a soloist (though still unreleased), so it reflects his style & colors he wants to show us as a vocalist, and maybe a hint to the sound of an upcoming official solo release.
But it's not the first time he's written songs. He's credited as songwriter in Fire Truck (NCT 127) and Dancing in the Rain (NCT U).
He can also play the guitar, and piano beautifully well. There's not a lot of footage of him playing it unfortunately, but from the few videos we have, you can tell he's good at it.
He's always been serious about his ambitions to learn. This a picture from his practice plan back in 2014, when he was a trainee.
He carefully detailed everything he needed to do in order to improve, and divided his plan in rap, dance, singing + other skills like English, piano, exercise. So, from the very start, he focused on every skill and dedicated himself to them fully and diligently.
Recently, he's decided to share some of his skills with fans through his IG stories. I urge you to go on his instagram account and check out his highlights (he's been saving them for us).
Now, let us talk about who he is as a person. Or, at least, what we can perceive from what he wants to show us. Yes, because Jaehyun is a very private person. Even when he is asked to tell his TMI of the day, his answers are always very standard. One of the things I adore about him, and that I respect a lot, is that he sets boundaries between his private life and what he chooses to share with people. So everything we know about him is filtered by him. However, that doesn't mean he is "fake"; it just means he wants to protect himself and protect the people around him. And that is a very healthy way to live as an idol.
Despite all that, there are some traits about him that are very obvious and that he doesn't feel the need to hide it from us.
First, the way he views life is extremely positive. He's the kind of person who, whenever things don't go his own way, sees them as learning opportunities and always takes something positive out of it. He doesn't dwell on misfortunes (like, for example, his acting debut being cancelled twice because of something unrelated to him). No, he always looks forward to the next opportunity. For him, the most important thing is to continue doing his best. He's a guy who loves to learn new things, consolidate what he already knows, and just live life.
Jaehyun spent his hiatus in early 2021 working on his skills and picking up new hobbies. And he considers that the most memorable moment of the year. Because that's when he felt the most connected to himself, and the most fulfilled.
Jaehyun is a simple guy, who finds happiness and comfort in the little things, like a beautiful night view, his wired earphones or his vinyl collection. BUT. He's also a total goofball, who acts like he came straight from Kwangya another planet.
One last thing about him, is that he adores his fans. He mentions and thanks NCTzens at every opportunity. Obviously, he's not the type of person to be very active on social media, but whenever he is, it's always to check on fans, wish them a nice week, a good year or a happy Sunday. Or simply say hi. He knows he doesn't owe anyone anything, and just greets us when he wants to. That makes his interactions with us, that much more genuine. Because that's who he is, a very genuine, kind and humble 25-year-old boy.
A boy, who happens to have this beautiful smile, which radiates sunshine and positive energy:
Basically, that's Jaehyun and everything that makes him my ult. Not only do I consider him one of the most talented idols, and completely adore his voice - which was the very first thing that drew me to him - but I also look up to him as a person who I'd love to become: positive, optimistic and happy with life and the little things about it. Even though I miss him when he "ghosts" us during hiatus, I respect that so much and will continue to, because I know that, in that way, I know he's doing well. And that makes me the most happy, as a fan. I'm so thankful to be here and to witness his talents, his growth as an artist and as a person, and I'm looking forward to see what this boy will bring us in the future. As long as he keeps being himself, doing his thing, and keeps being happy, I'm satisfied.
And to finish, here are some of his quotes that I find very inspiring:
Quote from his bblCzennie, thank you. As I debuted and entered my 7th year, I have a lot of thoughts and I am continuing to work with my center. I'm so happy to start this year with such a big award. In fact, I think the grand prize is a message from Czennie for their hard work to us who have been working hard. We will be more humble and continue to show you our improvement. I hope our pride, Czennie, will be more proud and receive a lot of good energy and do what they do better and happier. Let's enjoy this joy and look forward to the good memories we'll spend together. Thank you again. I love you.
Quote from MARK AWARDS | NCT RESONANCE 시상식, from YTI believe that if you don't get scared, try to have confidence and work hard at trying new things, good things will happen.
Quote from Elle KoreaI don't want to take anything for granted. Whether it is the people around me or the things I'm doing, I hope to be reminded to still be thankful before moving on.
Quote from JAEHYUN’s Beautiful Moments of 2021 and Beyond, on YTTo me, "beautiful" means is to be " just the way you are and be honest." It's because every individual has a different personalities, preferences, thoughts, and everything. There was a moment when I saw everyone being honest and felt that was really "cool". Whether it was on stage or on other occasions, I had felt that way "just accepting and showing just the way we are". I think that's what makes everyone "beautiful".
Quote from NCT Night NightWhenever I start feeling inferior because of other people, I view it as good stress to push myself to improve even more.
Quote from V LiveOn pressure to be perfect:
"I realized that thinking about it over & over again, maybe showing others how hard I work or how much I enjoy every moment of me trying to be perfect & being happy about it, is how to be happy myself."
Quote from W Korea"Do the things you want to do, the things you thought were right, and the things you like. You know that you’ll do well, but it’s also okay to make bolder experiences."
(...)
Your hero?
"My grandmother. Despite being nearly 80 years old, she has been a dancer until recently and has now retired. She doesn’t miss out on the broadcasts that I appeared on, and after the broadcasts, she always sends a long Kakao Talk message filled with feedback. Since my grandmother is a dancer, there are times when she corrects my fingertips and neckline when I dance, but mostly, she tells me what kind of mindset I should have when it comes to living my life. I always get advice from my teacher and acquaintances around me, but strangely, every single word of my grandmother seems to strike me especially hard. I still hold on to her words ‘to not mind other people and live enjoying what I can now with a stride"
Thanks for reading. 
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I also wanted to share more vids of him being the dork he is, but had to filter a lot.
