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. 

Kris Leaving SM Entertainment: How can we allow this to keep happening?

It's been reported that Kris from EXO-M is filing a lawsuit to end his contract with SM Entertainment.

Had this been any other label, I would have been shocked and disappointed, like I was when Nicole and Jiyoung chose to leave KARA. But I'm not shocked. I'm not even angry with Kris for "abandoning" his group in the middle of promotions and at the height of their popularity. This is just another incident in the long list of SM Entertainment having legal issues for mistreating their groups. H.O.T. SES. Shinhwa. Super Junior's Hangeng. My personal heartbreak, JYJ splitting from TVXQ. Maybe the first few times we blamed the members of the group for being difficult, but this has obviously not been the case. Junsu can't make it through TVXQ medleys without crying over missing the group, so many of Jaejoong's songs represent how much the split tore him apart, and the members of SuJu still miss and love Hangeng. These artists clearly didn't want to leave their groups, but couldn't ignore the way they were being treated.

So why does this keep happening? When VIXX's label Jellyfish Entertainment was having issues with the fans, the fans quickly arranged a boycott to wake the label up, and it was effective. But Jellyfish is a smaller label, and VIXX is their only major group. How can we prevent SM from overworking and misusing their artists? Would that involve boycotting TVXQ, SHINee, Super Junior, f(x), EXO, and Girls' Generation? I personally would have a difficult time with that, particularly with TVXQ, because the members of these groups are great and talented individuals, and most were the first K-Pop acts I started supporting. Yunho and Changmin went through a difficult time right along with JYJ, so how can I refuse to support them as individuals just because I disagree with how their label managed them and their former members? But how else do we keep these lawsuits from happening? I'm sick of seeing the groups I love suffering, I hate that people still make Hangeng + JYJ out to be the bad guys for leaving, and I hate that important members have to be separated from their friends because SM Entertainment blacklists them. EXO is the most popular group in Korea right now, and I feel if nothing changes this time around, nothing ever will. I'm saddened by this situation, but what will it take for us fans to make a difference?

I'm sure the Korean fans are just as confused and lost as the rest of us right now. I'm sure even the members of EXO are at a loss considering how sudden Kris's actions were, as well as the fact that they fell right in the middle of "Overdose" promotions. Most of the members have unfollowed him on SNS, and others like Suho have made cryptic comments regarding his decision (then again, SM could be pulling the strings here, too). I can only hope the Korean fans won't turn their back on Kris and will instead consider how to support both him and EXO, which I'm sure the majority will. I also hope the members will choose their words wisely and not continue to hurt each other because of this situation. Kris's timing may not have been ideal, but he is a person and deserves to be treated like one by his management, which is something I am sure his fellow members should be able to understand. The reason fans have been able to hold out hope for a TVXQ reunion so long is that members still continue to support each other in little ways behind the scenes; they most certainly do not hate each other, even though their actions may have hurt one another in the past. I don't want anything more painful to happen to Kris, or to EXO, but as an overseas fan I feel so powerless. What can I do?