The Cycle Of Acceptance Of A K-pop Fan: Band Member Hiatus.

Goodbye Friends

We all dream of our bands starting and staying together till the end. But sadly, that is not life. I have watched several bands move from like 6 members to one.

After hearing the bad news of losing a K-pop group member, here is the Cycle Of Acceptance Of A K-pop Fan;


The Bad News

The Bad News

One moment you are enjoying the songs from a comeback, and the next moment you are hearing one of the members is leaving the group.

Some you never see coming e.g When I read that Woojin was leaving Stray Kids. Others you kind of see coming especially after a scandal e.g iKON’s leader B.I.

Denial

Denial

Unless you are reading the official announcement sometimes it hard to believe that yesterday your 9 member group was okay. While today, they have to change their dance formations to accommodate their new number.

Once I learned that Woojin was leaving Stray Kids,I faded into denial. This is because I had just listened to their song Double Knot , a few seconds ago and now I had to face the fact that their dance formations will have to change. Nooo.

I decided to ignore the news and continue listening to Stray Kids.

Anger.

Anger

Unless the member left for personal reasons, there is going to be a lot of anger within the fandoms at what caused them to leave.

Especially if it’s after a scandal and the exit has been caused by the all unforgiving nature of the Korean society. e.g Wonho who Announced his Departure from Monsta X after a drug scandal.

Another thing that angers the fans is the fact that some companies do little to nothing to support their idols especially when they get into a scandal.

Depression

Depression

As a fan it hurts seeing your idol or idol group go through pain, depression and social stigma due to past mistakes. Things that ideally should not stop them from reaching their goals and continuing to making music that cheers up their fans.

Don’t Wanna Cry

When you start realizing there is nothing much you can do, you slowly fade into the sadness of it all. Personally, I have not been able to listen to Stray Kids again.

Bargaining

Bargaining

Sign this petition guys, we have to save Wonho(Monsta X).

For the great fans who refuse to go down without a fight or go talking to friends about how they will miss the old group, they build petitions. They spend their time rallying friends for signature or collecting funds for whatever cause it was made for.

Acceptance

Acceptance

Sometimes the petitions win and you keep your group member. But rarely. Eventually, you read the official message from the idol’s Instagram page and you realize that Hwall has to leave The Boyz due to health issues or Wonjin has to leave Stray kids due to personal reasons. So you just have to say goodbye and be grateful for the time they gave.

Good news.
If it’s not a permanent hiatus, you can wait for their comeback in a couple of years or so.


What are the phases you go through to finally accept a band’s members hiatus? Please let us know in the comments.

Esther Mutua - Kulture Journey

Written by

Korean Enthusiast, MultiFandom ARMY, NCTzen, Carats... Favorite Kdrama: Strong Girl Bong-soon, Coffee Prince, Hwayugi.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade