#bang pd

Oh boy, what has been happening these past few days...

So, here we go. The first episodes of the show that the entire legion of Jikookers has been waiting for have dropped. We’ve got beautiful shots of Jimin acting like a Disney Princess again, and a story about how the guy didn’t shower for five days (which is... EW! But somehow, it doesn't surprise me that Jimin shamelessly talks about it). The scene that stuck with me the most was Jimin wandering around the complex, not knowing where to go—that is just so me, it couldn't get any more relatable. I’d probably get lost there even with a GPS. And the sweet pull of their own gravity, which made my eyebrow raise instinctively in question.

Oh! And that scene in the second hotel—the huge surprise that there was only one set of pajamas on the bed? And the shock that there are two bedrooms. And while I’d love to believe it’s just a matter of habit of sleeping together, I think we’re dealing with something else here. You see... getting one bed for the two of them is a certain standard behavior from their company. I don’t know about others, I don’t follow other groups’ content, so I won’t pretend to be an expert. But I find it hilarious that the boys were more shocked by two almost luxurious bedrooms with big beds and nice views than by a cramped room with two uncomfortable beds but in a shared space. It’s even funnier when you remember: THEY ARE MILLIONAIRES. And yes, they just got out of the military, but they are MILLIONAIRES. A crappy pillow? Zero complaints or surprise. Two rooms? "Wait, separately?!" You can see their managers are really making sure the fame doesn't go to their heads.

Yeah, keeping their egos in check and all that.

But that’s not what I’m here for. My thoughts on Are You Sure?! need to settle nicely in my head before I can say more about it.

I came here today to laugh with you at what’s happening in the media and the fandom regarding Jungkook x Winter.

Let’s start with this: THE RUMOR IS NOT NEW. It’s something that has been regularly popping up for months. It reached the Jikook bubble long before D-whatever-her-name-is, the Jimin stalker. And it stayed with us because Winter turned out to be a better way to annoy us than Ms. Stalker, whom the entire Jikook side of the internet almost unanimously ignored.

But you see, when you’re sitting in a bubble, it’s easy to lose touch with reality. It’s easy to forget the context when we’re bombarded with questions about details. While we focus on proving that the alleged tattoo could be a) a plaster for a wound, b) a photomontage, or c) an AI-generated photo altogether, a much better proof is playing out in the background—proof that this is all just a game of creating a smokescreen.

In our fan bubble, we’re talking about Winter and Jungkook, while at the same time... Oh! Is that Bang PD pulling financial scams? Oh my! And you know what? I really had to try hard to find information on this topic in my part of the world. It’s not discussed on fan accounts; it’s not discussed in the context of our little bubble. That is not the main topic that pops up when you type "BTS scandals 2025" into a browser.

It’s funny because it should be. Bang PD is the father of BTS’s success, even if only by chance. He gathered them, invested in them, and kicked their butts until they debuted. He gave them the tools to become global stars. Him, or the people he paid and selected. Because no, even the most brilliant 19-year-old Namjoon wasn’t the main decision-maker regarding producers, songwriters, managers, and so on. Today? Maybe the boys have more to say (which we don’t know unless they tell us), but back then? It was Bang PD, and very personally so, if we are to believe that BTS was supposed to be their last shot before fading into oblivion.

So, we have a financial scandal, with literal police raids on the company headquarters, with charges involving millions. Add to that the conflict with Min Hee-jin (the ADOR one) and the power struggle. Fraud, embezzlement, withholding investment information, and so on... And we are talking about the fact that JK (known for his love of Western music AND girl groups/soloists) was at a concert of one of the top groups, and that is supposed to prove his romance. That, an AI-generated tattoo (cute, by the way, might consider getting one like that under my raccoon on my shoulder), a few random jewelry matches, and what? Umm... Nothing?

Let’s skip the fact that if such things were evidence of anything, sorry, but Jikook would have been proven about 5 years ago, and no one would have any doubts anymore.

But let’s focus. Let’s try to list the reasons why an alleged romance heats us up more than financial charges, and let’s try to detach this from Jikook or any other BTS ship.

First – it gives a breath of fresh air. I know, I know! It sounds stupid, but let me explain. BTS as a whole has never had a REAL dating scandal. The closest was Taehyung, who was caught on a romantic walk with a BlackPink member, but frankly, we got "breakup" proofs too quickly for the scandal to really blow up. Then came the military service, which made the topic die down completely. At a time when Jikookers are screaming for justice for Jikook, Taekookers scream that they are persecuted, and the fandom prefers to believe in the unbelievable Taekook just to avoid believing in the "sus" Jikook, a scandal involving a woman fell on fertile ground. And I don’t think this stems from our need to undermine or invalidate other bonds in BTS. Rather, I think it’s a matter of novelty and difference. It’s simply more interesting than a 10-year-old dispute about the same thing.

Second – we see that the boys aren’t getting any younger. Oh, I know. Jin is better at being eternally young than Dorian Gray, and Jimin can look 30 one moment and 18 the next. Not to mention JK, who just always looks the same as the moment "IDOL" dropped, with the only difference being the circumference of his biceps. But Western stars have accustomed us to expecting them, at a certain age, to pick a side in the dispute about having a family. We wait for marriages and settling down because the motif of eternally sighing over an unattached star clashes with our traditional model of entering adulthood. Most of us don’t care, but people like to be confirmed in their beliefs. So when a 35-year-old superstar has never been with anyone, something grates against our conviction that he is perfect. It’s not without reason that we put those who form harmonious, long-term relationships on pedestals, and we tend to have an ambivalent attitude towards those who destroy such relationships. We talk about them the most, but mostly to say, "yeah, he’s hot, but..." Besides, nothing heats us up as much as proper drama in another human’s life. Romance can bring the most happiness or the most hurt. Strong emotions are grist for the gossip mill.

Third – if JK has a girlfriend, it means... he is within reach. It’s a small thing. Logically, it has no connection whatsoever. I mean... How much does it realistically change whether you, me, Kate, Sophie, or Nicholas have a chance with him? Realistically, it’s so marginal it makes no sense to calculate. But if we live in a bubble where "no, never," and BTS with an average age of almost 31 is a group of seven virgins with no experience, then even a small sign towards "they aren't asexual" gives us some hope. I say "us" in the sense of us, fans. And since the idol model in Korea is "ideal boyfriend"/"ideal girlfriend," wanting to think of them that way, we also want to think we have a chance. Some relationship, ungrounded by any court paper, suggests that yes, even the youngest member of the group is ready for a relationship. You can’t maintain interest based on the "perfectly unavailable" image for too long. Eventually, you have to signal that it’s a lack of a good candidate, not a lack of interest in the idea of a relationship at all.

Fourth – fear. Every turmoil in the parent company can potentially reduce BTS’s chances in the market. And I’m not saying fans will turn away from the group because there was a jerk in the company. I’m saying investors or promoting brands might turn away. Take Dior, for example. I wouldn’t want the association path for my company to be so short: Dior > Jimin > BTS > Hybe > Bang PD > corruption. So, I’d probably find a slightly smaller idol, but without such baggage, instead of investing in Jimin. Consequently, Jimin would have less space to promote, less space to exist in the media, and this leads to a smaller return on investment like a solo album or a group album. If you don’t remind people of your existence, you disappear from their memory. Today’s crowd has the memory of a goldfish. This is the fear that resides in the decision-makers of the label themselves. That’s why the lack of unequivocal confirmation or denial works in their favor. A rumor will always sell better than a complicated corruption scandal. It’s a smokescreen behind which you can hide anything, no matter how big, if you have the talent to keep a poker face (all the greater since it concerns someone we’ve learned to perceive as "unsullied"). Any fan who isn’t as crazy as I am probably won’t dig deeper, as long as they believe it doesn’t "directly hit" their idol. Unfortunately, fans also tend to avoid such topics in their narrative because understanding the scandal would require effort. And truthfully, we don’t know many details, which makes talking about it difficult. So the big guys don’t talk because they don’t know what to say, the little guys don’t know it’s happening, and in the end, the whole fandom, instead of talking about Bang PD being in trouble, talks about JK having a tattoo in Winter’s honor after a few weeks of dating.

So, to sum up: Everyone finds it convenient today for JK to have a dating scandal with Winter. From the label authorities to fans on almost literally every side. Even I, as a Jikooker, have an interest in this in a sense. I have something to read, I have something to be mad at, I have a reason to say "Hold my coffee" and write a post. It evokes emotions.

cards | knight of swords rx, strength, queen of pentacles, king of pentacles, eight of wands, five of wands, the moon rx, the world rx, knight of swords, six of cups

for overall changes at the company, it doesn’t look like anything crazy happening, even if things feel tense or unorganized right now after the doc. there may be rushed decisions, miscommunication, or people acting impulsively behind the scenes, but things are being controlled or managed as much as possible given the public perception. so changes can happen, but they’re more contained and dealt with for example issues come up, but leadership tries to keep everything steady and under control rather than letting it fall apart or get leaked/become public. something about realizing they have to cater a bit to their greatest assets? like kissing ass so their artists don't expose them? something along that.

for nicole, it looks like she’s staying where she is. she's presented as the queen and king of pentacles here, very stable, very established energy. that’s someone grounded in their role, secure in their position, and not really going anywhere anytime soon also, feeling randomly that she's in it for the money? or could get a higher/better paying position? if anything, it can even point to her being more solidified in her position rather than leaving (unfortunately) like someone is backing her? definitely more than just a translator

so i believe something will be happening soon with Bang PD. i don't know if he's leaving the company or not, but it feels he might? there might be conversation around it right now, but the energy here is a bit confusing, it's either it'll happen soon or like a temporary leave? like even a sudden decision related to his role. maybe something around travel? his situation feels a lot less stable than nicole’s and more subject to change surprisingly

media literacy once again kicking kpop stans asses 😭

and before someone else tries to get smart with me karina posting a dumb ass picture without second thought is not what's being discussed here. she can get lashings for being careless and disengaged from the political climate without it turning into a whole ass conspiracy about her being an alt right bigot cozying up to incels.

the way this has been blown absolutely out of proportion is absolutely the work of plant accounts funded by hybe's pr agency that specializes in astroturfing and targeted smear campaigns (same agency behind the witch hunt against amber heard by known rapist j*hnny d*pp)

50% of the tweets dragging aespa with the most engagements come from accounts created this year, with less than 50 followers, and whose first posts on the platform have been about this scandal specifically. does hybe think we're as stupid as their bootlickers?

and what's more, international fans suddenly becoming experts in south korean politics and equating their political parties with the US system is disingenuous at best and outright malicious at worse just to try and get a "moral high ground" that justifies their hate boner against karina. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic party candidate, is not a "liberal" - he is just as conservative and misogynistic as the PPP (the "red" party karina is being accused of supporting), just more covert with his affiliations.

Lee Jae-myung's son himself has harassed karina to the point of leaving rape threats in comments about her, and was fined 5 million KRW for sexually harassing her. like holy shit. you cannot make this shit up. and yet becky from iowa who bootlicks hybe will tell you karina is the equivalent of Andrew tate for posting one photo that was deleted an hour later. while the South Korean democratic party is closer to your average western moderate right wing party still run by the same corrupt and bigoted men as the ones on the PPP.

Korean women who are actually informed about this situation have come forward to defend karina against this disproportionate hate train.

i will never forget the court documents that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that hybe has vested interest in undermining and smearing aespa's reputation - and has repeatedly been caught doing so, both against them and plenty of other kpop groups they consider a threat to their idols.

anyway. this entirely fabricated "scandal" conveniently overshadows the real news: Bang Sihyuk is being accused of securities fraud and lying to shareholders, persuading them to sell their shares to a private equity fund managed by a frontman linked to him, from which he allegedly earned over 300 million USD through an undisclosed profit-sharing agreement.

It really sickens me to see how people went from hating NewJeans to full on supporting them just because Jungkook posted about them supporting silently, while I do think that it's such a great thing for other artists to support each other during these trying times but what also sets me off is that fact that before Jungkook other many female artists were also showing their full support to NewJeans but they were called "company pleasers" or "they have no idea how much Min Heejin manipulated those girls" and there was only really few support from them but the moment Jungkook talked about it everyone switched their flip and started praising him instead of talking about the mistreatment of NewJeans.

Now, i'm not saying praising him is wrong but when you put all of your energy to praise him on how "great" of a man he is then that defeats the whole purpose of him and millions of other artists even speaking OUT about their mistreatment.

I am happy that because Jungkook spoke up about this, many more people are supporting NewJeans but i'd also like to say to NOT forget the real purpose of why he spoke out. On X app all i could see was Jungkook trending but the news about NewJeans was no where to be found and that kind of bumped me out because whole reason Jungkook even spoke out about this was to bring some light towards mistreatment of NewJeans.