Ah, it made me think about my dance team. The member who was closest to me allegedly spread rumours about the instructors and the company. It first started when she admitted that she hung out with the leaders of the team, both of them left the team because they didn't want to dance anymore. That angered our instructors as the matter was really badly handled.

I do understand why the other members are unfollowing Kris. This is all about group dynamics, loyalty to SM. I still do not understand the meaning behind loyalty. Why are my instructors calling me loyal, why is loyalty so important, why did I have to be forced to cut ties with the team member that I liked so much? However I had to try and understand. This issue really brings all the memories back, ah the unpleasant memories...

I find it hard to contact this member now, because she admitted to me that she wanted to join the preprofessional programme, but only to lose weight. That seriously angered me. We, as dancers, dance because we love dance, we sacrifice so much to dance, if you wanted to lose weight, you could attend more lessons, professional dancing is about commitment, passion, sweat and tears, it's not about looking good and cool. Dance looks easy because we endure hardships to make it look easy. I improved in dance because I woke up early to train, and slept late so I could stretch. This is why I am flexible, not because I'm young and nice and obedient. Don't ever doubt the hard work of dancers, singers, or idols. We are dedicated people.

I hope that you get a better understanding of the situation through my experience. It's different from the EXO issue in many ways, but it's about a member leaving. Kris was also irresponsible in a few aspects as it was reported that this was unexpected. It seems like he did not discuss it with anyone and just filed the lawsuit. As much as I understand his reasons, and SM should consider his health and his personal life, but the actions that he is taking affects the group dynamics, affects the members and even SM's reputation. Yes, SM is 'bad' and stuff, but there is a reason for their actions.

That being said, I am not saying that it's all Kris's fault. SM really should have considered the plight of their artists and not mistreat them just because they are willing to be trained. It's the fault of both parties, and I feel that they should really negotiate for a better solution, but the damage is done.

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Let me talk about my experience in the team.

I feel that I have to act in a way, gain my instructor's approval. As a kid, they really impacted me and are charismatic adults. However, I have to act a certain way for fear that they will think that I will do something to destroy the dynamics/foundation of the group. This group is a team that my instructors have set up, precious to them, but many people have impacted the group negatively, so they are really protective. However this has caused me to act differently, for fear that I will be removed from the team and to ruin my dreams for dance and my chances to dance.

Same for SM. There are probably many people talking bad things about SM after this issue. It affects SM's reputation and might destroy SM. Even after they have established themselves as a good company, one of the 'Big 3', there are still many issues that will be affecting SM. Hence the idols will need a persona, a facade to protect SM's and their group's reputation, so the idols will not risk ruining their dreams, the things they work so hard for. However SM is not doing this for no apparent reason. What would SM do if BoA didn't work hard and backed off after SM put in so much effort in her? (They really spent a lot of money on her debut and training) What would SM do if they allowed anyone to tarnish its reputation without fighting back?

There are still many things that I don't understand about the Korean entertainment industry, but I tried to explain it according to my interpretation. I feel that the team is a lot like SM, hence I start to understand more about SM training and the reason it has to be brutal.

You might not understand this, because it does take some personal experiences for me to understand SM training. I still hope you get a better understanding and not jump to conclusions about SM.