Loved this post. And agree with 99% of it.
I do want to add a couple of my insights to this, and apologies in advance @bookscandlesnbts for kind of hijacking your post for it, but it's perfect.
I too went through that emotional rollercoaster. I think that whoever loves these two amazing young men did. It's the initial shock to the clip and then to the statement. It's the whole cycle of dread and anger and grief and coming to terms and taking a step back and then being able to see things more clearly.
And to me they are clear.
There is no way under the sun that JM had anything with that woman. Neighbour yes. Acquaintance yes. Part of the same pandemic friend group yes. Actual relationship, romantic or physical, not in a million years, eww.. yuck... NEVER.
And I'm not dissing her looks or character, although her character definitely deserves dissing, but I think the post says most of it quite clearly. This is about who JM is and who he was with at that time.
But before I touch on that, I do want to add a little to the tale of miss attention seeker. Because JM is not the first she tried to sink her teeth into, and one of those on her sights was JK as well. Yes, she tried him too.
Posts with supposed same accessories as JK including wearing JK's brother's brand, wearing CK, doing a live from JK's brother's apartment building...
Culminating in the deranged live when she was dressed in an outfit JK wore in one of his IG posts, listening to Seven while telling her dog "that's appa singing".
Oh, and there is this one too:
Kind of funny when you think about the timeline and the connections...
Funny how she leached herself onto the two queer men in a gay relationship, isn't it. Kind of diabolical if you think about it.
So, let's talk about the timeline for a sec here. Because people seem to mess this one up a little.
Everything she had posted regarding JM is from 2020, probably towards the end of 2020. Funny how we are all agreeing she was JM's neighbour, it's kind of a consensus isn't it? All while JM didn't buy his apartment in 9-1 until March 2021.
Because he was her neighbour. Kind of.
Only the person that was living in that complex in 2020, the one renting an apartment there at the time was the same person that JM told us that waking up to see his face in the morning is what makes him happy "these days". Same person that directed the MV for Life goes on with one of the opening scenes being JM brushing his teeth walking in to their bed room and him waiting there for him - telling us that he tried to emulate real life in this MV. JM, who did not own an apartment in that building at the time had full access because he was living there too. With said person.
My point being that when this whole shit was going down, or more so the 'content' she's been dropping is placed in the timeline when JM and that particular person were practically inseparable. Attached at the hip. Coming and going together to practices, the concerts, events, shoots, interviews. Same time when JM was proudly saying they were together at 4 am when getting news of their #1 billboard achievement. Same time when said person was proudly parading and lovingly caressing a hickey JM gave him. Same time as we have them breaking mosquito nets. This is Black swan Melon performance ere. This is Dynamite holiday mix era. Like seriously, this is "could they even be any louder" era for god's sake. And in the middle of all this we are supposed to believe that JM was dating that woman.
Oh, and did I mention she had a boyfriend at that time too? Yeah, we have that as well. But who cares about her? I don't. I care about JM.
Yeah, JM wasn't involved with that woman while being bridal carried to his content by said buffed person.
I will not believe that there was ANYTHING substantive between them.
She was a friend. I wouldn't even think one that is too close either (his reaction in the clip kind of says it all), but maybe someone that was privy to things they shouldn't have been seeing that this was a hard time JM was going through and might have let his guard down around the wrong person, something that indeed has come back to bite him in the butt (which would also perhaps explain his reaction to this, taking the blame on himself for this situation they are in - and by they I mean JM, JK and even BTS - yes, he is taking all of that on his not so wide shoulders).
At first I was really struggling with it. Finding it hard to believe the company could actually release what looked to be like a load of drivel, with no consideration of their own artist. I was furious.
But then I calmed down and thought things through.
And as much as I hate the idea of the "statement", in hindsight and looking at what follows (Hybe stocks and perception in public and not our own echo chambers) it appears to maybe have been the lesser of two evils.
We lack public perception. We really do. We don't know what Korean public thinks about this, how they see this. It's a cultural thing but also a "not being inside our echo chambers" thing. We hear voices like ours, frustrated, hurt. We hear voices from haters, ugly, disrespectful, hateful. But those aren't the voices that matter. Not really. Not to the company. Not to the dollar bill bottom line. Not to the success of the BTS comeback. Not to the value of Hybe stocks. Those outsiders see someone owning up to a possible past relationship (yes, their perception even if wrong is that there was one, even if that was never really stated clearly in the statement). Emphasis on past. Years ago past. With an unstable woman who feels the need to continue and associate herself with him online, seeking attention for it years later. They see a man that takes 'accountability' (hate that word in this case, because accountability for what exactly, but it is what it is), being the bigger person in this case. They see this and hear him also say clearly and loudly with no vagueness and no room for doubt that whatever it was, it happened years ago, ended years ago and there has been no contact between them ever since.
And this perception is important. The effect it will have on JM's name, his reputation. The effect that may have on the company is important. The effect it could have on Hybe's stock prices, which at the end of the day are what they are trying to protect. This is also the reason the statement was released on the Sunday. Took me a second to understand that weird timing. But this was done on purpose. To give people a second to digest this before trade opens on the market. And it kind of worked. The statement and the timing of it. Disclaimer before moving on: I'm not an expert in financial markets but do understand some basics.
Hybe stock prices did fluctuate, but nothing dramatic. Nothing that can be directly attributed to the "scandal" (ugh, another word I hate using). There was a dip in the stocks, but same time dip in the other entertainment companies stocks and Samsung stocks as well, We are talking about same percentages of these stocks dropping, indicating this most likely had nothing to do with JM or the statement and more with the natural market fluctuations or other elements that would influence it on a broader spectrum.
But enough economics. B O R I N G...
I want to talk about the language used in the statement. The clear difference between the first part about the past and the second part about the present.
The wording of the past is purposefully left vague. I hated that at first. I felt it did JM a disservice, allowing for those to assume this was basically a confirmation of their past involvement, of an actual relationship. But you see, this is not what it was. Not in my opinion.
This was the company not admitting to a relationship but at the same time not denying it. How does that help him exactly, you ask? How is that not a disservice to him if nothing happened between them? Because as we see, there are clearly those that say, "well that's what all companies do when admitting to a dating rumor", or those that say, "well leaving it vague is just them copping out and they really are admitting to it".
See, I think that's the point. Because they are admitting that he knew her personally and whatever went on between them can be anywhere on the spectrum between acquaintance to romantic connection.
Why would they do that though? Why put this on JM if there was nothing going on?
We know she's unstable. We know she is unpredictable. And that is a dangerous combination. We don't know if she has any more surprises up her sleeve.
A denial by JM followed by a surprise release by her of even the most innocent interaction between them caught on video will re-ignite the rumors and spread doubt, undermining his denial. The talk won't end, it will continue. He will now be perceived and she as the victim. And she, well she will get the attention she is so clearly seeking.
Denial, the truth, in a sense, could be a trap.
But leaving it vague, allowing for people to assume there was a past relationship, even if that is not true, basically neutralizes her. If she releases anything from now on, so what? He already admitted to it all. Old news, move on, no attention and JM's reputation in tact. Truth telling, owning up to whatever she is hinting to, so what does she want from him? She's the unstable and criticized one in this type of future equation.
Top that with their clear cut denial of present relationship and a clear years long disconnect from her. Second part being now more reliable, more believable. Because he did own up to being 'involved' with her to start with.
Could she possibly also have something on Jikook, holding that over their heads? Possibly. But giving her this, the acknowledgement she wanted so much should suffice, because she has nothing to gain atp from outing them. Before it could be used as leverage. Now that JM has admitted to whatever he did, she has nothing more to gain from it, only lose.
"We sincerely ask that people refrain from making groundless speculations about the artistโs private life. We also earnestly request that everyone avoid actions that could cause harm to the individual being mentioned alongside him."
She's mentally unstable and is at the end of her rope - untouchable in the industry and left penniless. Fear is she might do something drastic, like harm herself and then the scandal that could ensue could literally ruin JM's career and BTS. Coming forward now is him being the brave one, clearing it all up, at the same time being the gallant one calling to protect her. She's the one that comes out bad from this. The unstable/ unhinged and from now on anything she might do should not be connected to him anymore.
So, we have reached the point where my opinions differ from the original post. I don't think they are preparing to sue her. I don't think they are threatening her. I think that if they wanted they could sue her as is for breach of privacy. But they don't want to. Because that would be counterintuitive. Both denial and suing gives her the power in this equation, which would be a mistake. Denial by allowing for her to continue with her games of little hint throwing and maybe releasing more content, each time bringing this back into the limelight, every time making JM look even worse. While suing is willingly putting her in that limelight and keeping her there for as long as this law suit continues, the one thing she wants so much. And while putting her in the limelight that will also put JM in that same limelight for all the wrong reasons. Perpetuating the "scandal" instead of snuffing it out.
With the statement as is they have written the narrative not allowing for wiggle room that can cause JM any more damage and put a full stop at the end of the sentence ending it and moving forward leaving it all behind.
It's a little hard when we are in the thick of this all to see that this here was the right thing to do. that denial and confrontation might have been the just way to go but not the smart way to.
It's also hard to come to terms with this when we see how powerless JM is in all of this, when we know he's suffering, when we know JK is too. We haven't seen JM, he's basically gone into hiding, but we have seen JK, and he is clearly affected by it. It was very noticeable during his lives. Even Hybe Boy noticed it and was wondering what was going on.
I cannot imagine the pain they are both feeling. Only a couple of months ago they finally finished their military service, the happiest we have seen them in years. Happy, free, literally a weight lifted from their shoulders and then this.
And JM? Kind beautiful humble JM. I can only imagine the guilt he carries on his shoulders. For what? Trusting the wrong person? Letting them close enough to leave them this vulnerable to their manipulation. It's not on him, it's on her. But we know that's not how it works, especially with JM. He would take this on himself.
Heartbreaking. Gut wrenching.
He has JK first of all. He has his bandmates. He has his family and real, caring, trustworthy friends.
So let's show him we are here supporting him.
Let's show him that support on Weverse where he can see it immediately.
Let's show him support on social media by posting positive drowning out the hate, by reporting the hate and not engaging with it.
Let's vote for him for the VMA's full blast, we still have a few days.
Let's continue streaming his songs.
And let's show our support for Jikook as well.
This is what our support is all about.
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