As much as the fans' patience, the LG Twins members showed great loyalty. LG's off-season fan meeting event "Love Giving Day" was filled with words such as "winning for the first time in 29 years" and "surprise guests" appeared.
LG held the "2023 Love Giving Day with Championship" event at Kyung Hee University's Peace Hall in Seoul's Dongdaemun district on Tuesday. More than 3,000 fans came to the site to see the team that won the Korean Series after ranking No. 1 in the regular season.
Lim Chan-kyu, who is an FA, girl group Weekly, whose members are LG fans, and Tyler Wilson, who was a member of the club until three years ago, made a surprise appearance and received cheers from fans. The club has prepared a photo zone that displays the regular season and the trophy of the Korean Series, a jar of Aomori soju airlifted from Japan, and a "legendary watch" donated by Korean Series MVP Oh Ji-hwan.
The event kicked off as the first surprise guest. The audience was excited when Wonder Girls' "Tell Me" rang out. FA Lim Chan-gyu came out and greeted the fans. Lim said, "I thought it would be better to say hello. I will leave quickly, but my heart will be with the fans," before leaving the stage with a big bow and applause. Following Lim's surprise visit, Weakley, a girl group that Jaehee certified as a fan of LG, performed a congratulatory performance.
The team also made an appearance with fans. Players made surprise appearances as if they were idols in the audience, instead of on stage, and exchanged high-fives with fans. While many players were awkward about unfamiliar situations, fans cheered when Lee appeared with a relaxed smile.
Manager Yeom Kyung-yeop said, "Hello, I'm Yeom Kyung-yeop, the winning coach," to which he received a big round of applause. "Thank you for joining the Love Giving Festival even in the cold weather. I promised to win at last year's event, but I was so happy to keep that promise," he said. "I faced many crises during the season, but I felt a sense of responsibility and desperation as fans cheered me passionately regardless of whether I was on an away trip home. With that in mind, I achieved the result of a unified victory. I will show you a fun baseball and a good season next year."
Oh Ji-hwan said, "I'm grateful to be here in front of so many fans. It was a shame that I couldn't talk to you up close because I was so focused on the game," adding, "We were able to win the title thanks to the fans in front of us. I think the players really didn't give up. I'll start from now on and win the unified title in 2024, and see you here again."
Returning to the U.S., foreign players expressed their gratitude to their fans via video message. "It's a shame that I can't participate in the event. Still, I'm happy to play again next year and I'll try to win again next year," Kelly said. When Wilson continued his appearance, audience members cheered wildly. "I was the biggest LG fan in the U.S. I was truly proud to see him win. I'm proud that I was a member of the LG Twins, and I'll keep it forever," Wilson said.
Hong Kyung-min, the singer who created Hong Chang-ki's cheering song, was outstanding with his eloquence. "My kid was singing Hong Chang-ki's cheering song, so I told him I made the song," he said. "The kids said Hong Kyung-min made the song well by mistake," he said, making them laugh. "In the first round, there was a cheering song and Hong Chang-ki threw the first pitch," he joked. Hong Chang-ki came on stage and smiled awkwardly, saying, "I think I was too nervous." Hong Kyung-min elevated the mood with his popular song "Shaking Friendship." 안전놀이터
The nine rookies greeted their fans in pairs through a dance initiation ceremony. Jin Woo-young, the oldest rookie among the rookies, said on behalf of the team, "It's an honor to have the initiation ceremony in front of many people. I'll try to harden it in Icheon and greet you in Jamsil as soon as possible."
During the talk concert, Koo Bon-hyeok, who joined his first club event after being discharged from the military, offered his return speech. "After work and hours, I always cheered while watching the game. Next year, I will try my best to make people laugh together."
"This is my first time to hold such an event in front of so many people. Thank you so much for coming and I hope we can make it bigger next year," Kim said to applause. Lee Jung-yong, who is about to join the military in Sangmu, said, "I'll be back safely. I'll come back healthy, thinking that one year and six months are shorter than I thought. I'd like to thank my fans on this occasion."