Thoughts on: Baekhyun and Taeyeon

EXO's Baekhyun and Girls' Generation are dating. The hot topic of the week. The two were caught by the Dispatch kissing in a car, and the gossip rag also pointed out their couple items (sorry, guys, but Yunjae has about twice that amount), and SM Entertainment went ahead and confirmed: SNSD's beloved leader and her labelmate from Korea's most hyped group are an item. Cue a fandom explosion, one not as kindly as those that erupted when Sooyoung, Yoona, and Tiffany announced their relationships earlier in the year.

My own reaction was pretty indifferent, though I was a little surprised that Taeyeon would go for a younger guy. I'm an EXO-M bias and follow them much more often than EXO-K, but Baekhyun didn't strike me as the most mature member of the group, while I always viewed Taeyeon as a mature and put together woman. Part of my perception of her came from the fact that she's an industry veteran, and I've always looked up to her as a leader, since when it comes down to it, she and Baekhyun aren't too far apart in age. It certainly wasn't a relationship I was expecting, but I didn't have any bad feelings about it. But then again, I'm a fan in my twenties, and I have no illusions of my idols ever ending up with me. When I was little, I cried like a baby when I found out Justin Timberlake was dating Britney Spears, but I like to think I've grown up a little from those days. Besides, Baekhyun wasn't on my bias list, and since I admire Taeyeon, I'm fine with whatever makes her happy.

All the same, I was expecting a portion of the fanbase to be very, very upset, and though a part of me wishes they would open their eyes and realize that Baekhyun and Taeyeon are real people, and falling in love happens to the best of us, a part of me does remember experiencing that pain with JT. Quite a few of EXO's fans are the younger crowd, and this may be their first experience having an idol they love dating openly. That's still no reason to call him a traitor or ditch the group entirely, but they have the right to be upset, if that's how they feel. We want our idols to be happy, but it's a difficult thing to have our fantasies killed all the same.

Still, I can't help but wonder if it would have been a better for Baekhyun and Taeyeon to put a hold on their relationship for the time being. You can hardly call EXO rookies anymore due to their string of victories, but at the same time, they're still a fairly new group. Their fandom is running on the excitement of their being a fresh and unique group from SM, but that fervor will eventually calm down to a point as it did with SHINee, Super Junior, and TVXQ, and fans will make a little less of a fuss and become more mature and respectful. From what they see of groups on reality shows, fans fall in love with the hard working and dedicated guys striving for their dreams, and they want to believe that their oppas are in the industry pursuing something they deeply love rather than to get a girlfriend. As they should. The beginning of an idol's career should be about improving as a musician and performer, not the "who is your ideal type" and "what female celebrity would you like to date" fluff interviewers thrive on. During the first few hectic years after their debut, we expect idols to be settling into their career, touring, releasing new albums, and establishing a good reputation. After that time passes, we become more relaxed about dating, and even hardcore fans come to support their idol when they find happiness. Perhaps a lot of the disappointment stemming from this news comes from the fact that Baekhyun is still in the early stages of his career, so it feels like he's not focusing on EXO properly or on the group's numerous fans. It's no excuse to bash him and especially not an excuse to bash Taeyeon, but perhaps this news would have been better received if Baekhyun had more time to grow as a musician before jumping into the dating pool.

In any case, they're dating whether we like it or not, and this fangirl intends to wish them well and hope they can survive the negativity surrounding them. Baekhyun has so much room to grow as both an artist and a person, and I have faith that Taeyeon unni can support him as she's supported her own group-- as long as all this negativity doesn't tear the relationship down before it properly starts.