NCT Dream recently went on a small staycation in Yangpyeong (a personal trip, not content), about which Chenle and Jaemin had been casually talking about and dropping little spoilers. Then, two days ago, Jisung mentioned that the trip was with seven people and that they had a great time. He even seemed to hesitate before saying it, almost like he wasn’t sure how people would react.
My first thought was honestly, “Wrong timing.” Mark is still in the middle of a hate train because of the Confederate flag controversy. I was hoping there would at least be some personal accountability from him before the issue faded into just another passing scandal that people eventually forget, so a mention like this could easily shift the conversation away from the actual issue.
But what really surprised me was seeing that some fans weren’t upset about the mention because of the controversy, they were upset simply because he left the group.
Like… what?
Some of them even sent protest trucks to SM asking the members to refrain from mentioning former members. I’d say it wasn’t the wisest decision to mention a former member who’s currently facing backlash over a major controversy. It’s reasonable to expect that some fans wouldn’t respond positively.
But that’s not even why they’re angry. They’re angry because he mentioned someone who “betrayed” them by leaving the group after talking about eternity.
Come on, guys. Being an idol is literally his job, and it’s completely normal for people to leave their workplace. It’s also normal not to talk about leaving before you’ve actually decided to. Calling someone leaving their job a betrayal and sending protest trucks because his former coworkers mentioned him just feels excessive.
These members have spent more than half their lives together. Of course they’re still going to hang out when they get the chance. Mark also left on good terms. Despite how unfortunate the current controversy is, he had vocal support from most of the members, and the fandom seemed to accept his departure pretty well.
So why are we suddenly acting like his name shouldn’t even be mentioned just because he’s an ex-member? If the criticism were specifically about the flag controversy, I’d understand that perspective. But that’s not what’s happening.
I already felt there was a lot of unnecessary hate directed at Mark, with some people using the controversy as an excuse to criticize everything about him and even the members who are close to him. That kind of backlash feels completely disconnected from the actual issue and only distracts from the conversation that should actually be happening.
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