Sometimes it’s hard to be a K-Pop fan. I feel like there is so much instability with my groups these days. A budding icon went bye. 9 or none became 8 is just as fun. I started liking a Monsta who just got X’ed. (That last one, I don’t think Wonho is a Monster. I meant it in context of the group name).

That’s not even mentioning Pentagon and Infinite. I don’t invest as heavily emotionally as many other fans, but I’m continuously saddened and affected by these departures and breakups. Maybe I should just fan solo artists. Oh, wait…

[1] LABELS SUCK!!! They take such knee jerk reactions sometimes and many suck at supporting and caring for their artists.
[2] These instances continuously highlight the disconnect I experience when Korean and Western cultures clash.
[3] Idols are humans too. HUMANS!!! I can only imagine how difficult it is to live such a “perfect” life. And it’s not just the idol either. It’s like everyone who is associated with the idol has to be a saint too. Grated, I have my limits/“no, no”es as well.
[4] Personas can really mess with you. Seriously.
[5] Will we/they ever get the change we/they need?

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    Monbebes are fighting hard and I don’t think they’ll give up until they get Wonho back.

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      Would it be worth it though? Would Wonho want to come back? Would they be able to bounce back? What about Shownu’s scandals?

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        I would think he would. He trained for years(?) to become an idol. What is he going to do now if he doesn’t do that? I think he only quit to protect the team or because he was forced out.
        Seeing the amount of support they have, I definitely think they will be able to get through this together. I’m more worried about them if he doesn’t come back. Some people might drop Monsta X just because they don’t want to support Starship anymore.
        Shownu only has one scandal right? The ‘dating a married woman’ scandal? Which really isn’t his fault since she got married and didn’t tell him. How was he supposed to know?

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          I dont really follow MonstaX but if what came out about him is all there is I wish he could go back. I think the true fans would stay with them.

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          I don’t know. I thought the DKDKTV vid made it seem like there was something else with Shownu, but I could be wrong.

          Is that what she did!? Oh dear. People.

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            I didn’t watch the DKDKTV video about it. I heard there were also nude photos supposedly of Shownu that leaked but the company is saying that the photos are fake and are suing.

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    Being a K-Pop fan is really hard, hades. I feel you. It’s not only an expensive hobby, but you go through so many emotions with and for them. As a hardcore fan of Super Junior for 13 years, I think it’s safe to say I have seen and experienced a lot. So many emotions and heartbreaks from the time my boys had a near-death accident, the supposed 14th and 15th member were going to be added in the group, to my favourite member being the first one to leave the group, to one member going MIA in all group activities, to another member caught in a crime scandal, SM was never fair to any of their artists, and the list goes on for 13 years.

    I am a proud ELF, but I am embarrassed of my fellow ELF for making a member quit the group just because he got married.

    I used to ask myself why do I stick with this group that gave me so much stress when real life is already hard it is? The answer remains the same, I cannot abandon the boys who gave me entertainment and escape when real life was hard. I’ll keep loving the ones who keep keep Super Junior going, and to the ones who have left, I can only wish them well. You are right, they are humans too and humans change. We don’t know who they truly are behind cameras. All we can do is keep supporting the remaining members for keeping their group alive; for keeping the momentum when things are shaken up. Being a fan is hard.

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      The podcast I listen to recently had a deep dive into Super Junior. They said that ELFs bought up to a 1% share or something of SM to protest something. That is intense.

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        K-ELF did, yes. That was around the time Henry was going to be added in the group and Only13 was the biggest protest. (I grew up. Though it took years, I realized 13 was just a number).

        One of the ways to get SM to listen to ELF was buy to buy their shares.

        How ironic that the same fanclub who fought for only13 was the same fanclub who protested and kicked a member out of the group because he got married. But hey, this is my proud fanclub. We have our ups and downs.

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          And Henry seems so cute and talented. I think I saw a clip of Life Bar with him and Taemin where Taemin was very complementary to him and saying something along the lines of Henry not recieving the accolades he deserves or something.

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            He is talented. I was sorry that this had to happen to him when he was just trying to make a living out of his talent. This was bad tactics and marketing on SM to try and put him in SJ.

            Adding/removing members was unheard of at that time. But this was SJ’s concept at first; labelled as SM’s rotational group at the time they debuted. This adding/removing was a sore topic to ELF who feared for news of which of the 12 would be staying or leaving the group. Kyu’s addition made all members official in the group, but Henry’s potential addition brought that fear back again because you never knew what SM had planned out for the group. It’s like SJ remained their experiment group, which did not sit well with us.

            Anyways, this Only13 protest sounds really immature and silly now, in this day and age, with all these news about members leaving their own groups here and there, but the emotions at the time, 2007ish, were raw and painful because only Super Junior had this issue of “unstable number of group members” in their generation. Times have changed.

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      Sometimes I wish the standard that idols are judged was more like the West–with the exception of people like Chris Brown etc.–but they are from a culture that is different in many ways from our own. That makes it super frustrating and hard to understand.

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    I don’t even know he is before but the whole Wonho situation is sad tbh. He does his best to move past his troubled past and seems like he really started anew but the way he got dragged for his past is unfortunate. It feels like it has nothing to do about the debt but just a vindictive act towards him. I don’t understand starshit reaction to it tbh. We have seen a bigger uglier scandal before with fewer repercussions, so why they are too quick to drop him? I just hope he has people around him to hold him close during this time~

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      It seems like celebrities have to be saints all their lives which is stupid.

      I too hope he has a good support system.

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    It appears to be a very cruel industry.

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    I haven’t been in to the kpop scene as of late and only looking out for my faves’ comebacks but boy was I upset with all these departures. Especially with Wonho’s departure. I am not a very big fan of Starships’ management since the beginning and couldn’t pinpoint why but this whole situation with MonstaX’s scandals and the way they handled it just proves how crappy they are.

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