happy haewon day <3
Today is Oh Hae-won (오해원 
) from NMIXX's 22nd birthday! 2024 was a big year for my ultimate bias, including her becoming my ultimate bias, so I wanted to celebrate Haewon Day by talking about my favorite Haewon moments of 2024 and 2025 (so far) as well as a photocard collection update!
NMIXX on PSICK Show
Kicking off the 2024 New Year, Haewon and Lily went on PSICK Show (a YouTube talk show hosted by a chaotic trio of male comedians). I loved Wonyoung from IVE's episode in May for her hilariously awkward comedic timing with the hosts, and Haewon and Lily killed it with their infectious energy. NMIXX doesn't do a lot of talk shows, so it was really fun learning more about them, plus the clip of Haewon going to celebrate Christmas with her dad was adorable. Idols sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the energy of talk show hosts, especially on a show as improv-reliant as PSICK, but NMIXX knocked it out of the park!
Haewon Hosts Workdol
Workdol (a YouTube comedy show where idols work part-time jobs) in 2024 year was more hilarious than ever with Haewon as MC. The reception from fans was so positive she's gone on to host another season this year! Her Gen Z humor, eccentricity, and do-it-for-the-Vine energy has imbued the show with some much-needed gusto. I love her as MC and hope she goes on to continue her comedic journey after Workdol with more creative control. My favorite episodes of hers so far have been the Men's Wig Studio and School DJ, and her most recent episode with Eunchae from Le Sserafim at the beauty store got a lot of laughs out of me!
Stick Out Comeback
In August, we were blessed with yet another NMIXX comeback, and it was nothing short of perfection. The R&B/Hip-Hop vibe from girl groups has the potential to throw me off, especially directly following a cute concept, but the girls really nailed this. The styling was incredible and didn't feel too forced. I enjoyed that there wasn't a reliance on elaborate costumes or wigs, and instead the stylists just let the girls be their creative, gorgeous selves! I enjoyed their input on the lore, and hearing Haewon talk about it in her Fridge Interview with Dex made it clear how much love was put into the story.
Plus, the music blew my mind. "See That?" and "BEAT BEAT" were my favorites. I put the album on the day it came out while I was working, and pretty much immediately went to watch the music videos to really appreciate what I was hearing. In addition to the great music and styling, I loved the photocards for this comeback! The album and non-album cards were adorable, like the Kirby POBs and a couple other really cute sets. The Stick Out tin photocard set that came out around the same time as the album (with the ice cream cones) was a big wishlist item for me as well, but alas, I decided to focus on the album cards instead.
NPR Tiny Desk Concert
NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts have a set of rules every performer has to follow regarding the absence of in-ears and voice-altering technology to ensure every performance is as "live" as possible. If even one of these rules is not followed, the video title will end with "Special". NMIXX's video title is 엔믹스 (NMIXX) : Tiny Desk Korea. They are the first Korean girl group on Tiny Desk to sing live, and they sound INSANE. They arranged the songs specifically for the performance, and worked with their band to create a truly unforgettable and authentic sound. I loved the jazz-esque arrangements and the solos by the band members. It was such a lovely vibe, and I would feel confident recommending the video to someone not interested in kpop, as the vocals and musical arrangements were indisputably impressive.
Photocard Collection Update
This year was also a big year for my personal photocard collection! Though my ultimate bias prior to Haewon was Seulgi from Red Velvet for several years (she's still #2, don't worry), I don't have any of her photocards or merch (whenever I buy albums, I ALWAYS pull Joy), and don't get her pcs secondhand due to the extortionate prices on Ebay and Depop. As a result, my photocard collection was mostly random album pulls (a LOT of NewJeans) and a few secondhand Wonyoung and Minji pcs.
When Stick Out dropped I'd been listening to NMIXX for a few months and enjoying their music, but didn't have any albums. When I got Stick Out and pulled Jiwoo and the Sullyoon/Lily unit, I fell in love with their cards and started collecting a few Haewon cards from A Midsummer NMIXX's Dream. Since then, my collection and obsession with Haewon has grown significantly! I'm not a completionist by any means, so I'm working slowly to collect her Stick Out, Midsummer, and Break album cards (and cute POBs when I find them for a good price) instead of trying to collect everything all at once and getting overwhelmed. For Break, I also love Sullyoon's cards and have a few of them collected.
I've been trying to find a good way to digitally log my collection, but it doesn't seem like there are any great websites for getting the job done. I might just have to do a spreadsheet.
Happy Haewon Day!
That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed my gushing over Haewon! I have her to thank for my sanity when I'm drowning in work and school. Workdol has been the highlight of my week for months now, I truly don't know what I'll do when she stops hosting.
I hope you enjoyed celebrating Haewon Day with me, come back next year for an even longer list (and even emptier wallet) <3
Happy Birthday Haewon !!