To be honest, I don't blame just S.M. Entertainment. 

Yes, not JUST the agency. I think it's both S.M. and Kris's fault. If you're reading this, you're probably judging me, but I honestly don't care. This is MY opinion, MY logic, MY comprehension on the situation, and most of all, MY blog post. So if you're going to bad mouth me, let me just say that I don't give a about what's going to come out of your head because I have my own beliefs and we don't all think alike. 

I love EXO as much as the next fangirl. I have been of theirs for a LONG time, and although I didn't love them the MINUTE they came out, I loved them a long time ago and I still love them now. They're my ultimate bias group, and even though groups like B.A.P and Got7 are slowly tiptoeing into my land of K-Pop kings, EXO still rules the place. I do so many things a a fan: I buy their merchandise, I buy their albums, I like and save pics of them, I watch all of their videos, I watch their fancams, I use EXO "language," I write fanfiction about them, I listen to their songs every single day, I cheer for them on every award or concert or whatever even if they don't win or not as awesome as I expected. 

So normally, hearing about Kris's decision to terminate his contract with S.M. Entertainment should fire me up and blame the company, right? I mean, S.M. has had so many of these issues in the past: Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun of DBSK, Hangeng of Super Junior. You'd think they learned to treat their artists better. Lots of fans right now are probably going "F*** you, S.M!" or "S.M. YOU SCREW OVER." And as an EXOtic, a part of me wants to do that, too. But there's another perspective you should view this from to get a bigger picture. 

Don't you think the company WANTS to treat their artists well? I mean, the artists bring in the money, bring in the consumers, and give the company a good name. And judging from their previous experiences, S.M. has plenty of reasons to want to improve. I think the thing that's going on right now is the idea that you have to work hard for your goals, you should never be satisfied at just being at the level you are, and that you should always strive to improve. 

S.M. Entertainment has a lot of competition in the K-Pop industry. They may be a big name, but big names don't come from just anywhere. The artists created the hype surrounding the company, gave the company its financial support, and live their dreams through this company. Just being an S.M. artist shows that you are a determined, hardworking person because S.M. isn't the easiest and nicest company to work for. Competition in the company is far more fierce than the competition outside. Competition to be the best, competition to live your dreams, and competition to achieve. So naturally, even after you have left the trainee days and entered the world of K-Pop stars doesn't mean your workload is going to lessen. In fact, I'm pretty sure it's going to increase. 

Being a K-Pop star is way harder than what normal people think. Most just think that you just have to learn a dance and a song, record some songs, and do promotions. In reality? The work NEVER ends. 

Learning and perfecting a dance takes at least a month to memorize and create. Each day, a typical eight hours of practice. A diet to make sure you don't get too fat and ugly. Learning a song is even harder and recording an album? Not everyone can do that. You need more than just singing ability. You have to be able to make that song YOURS, and becoming your song is harder than just singing it. This is why I have respect for all the artists who write their own songs, because it shows that they care about what they present and that they have a say in their concept. And it also shows just how educated somebody is, and how creative they are. It shows that they are real artists with something to say. 

Promotions, what a joy ride. If you're a hugely popular group like EXO, promotions are probably the hardest part. Promoting includes performances, appearances in programs, fan greets, and photoshoots/interviews. EXO does lots of promotion, as you probably saw with their twelfth win with Growl and all the advertisements they've been doing. Huge masses of girls go to see EXO practically everywhere, swarming masses of people sticking cameras and phones and pens their faces. Screaming your name, which starts to sound awful and never ending. People would think that somebody would enjoy the popularity, but in truth, popularity is like a Frappucino from Starbucks: refreshing at the moment, but slowly stales and dulls in flavor. 

Living as a K-Pop star isn't that fancy either. It makes sense that financially EXO would have problems because a) they have twelve members b) their company also needs a share in profit c) their living costs sky-rocket. There are twelve members, just feeding one member per month should amount to over 1,000,000 won per month. That is 12,000,000 won. They also have to pay living expenses like their clothing, skincare, medical expenses, and send money home to their parents. They also have to share their profit with the company, and they have to pay for many other factors. All in all, having a twelve-member group is expensive as hell. So no wonder they would have financial problems. It's not that the company doesn't give them enough or doesn't distribute the money fairly; money is usually distributed individually, so the more number of programs you attend the more you earn. For example, if you are an actor in a drama, you are going to earn more than your members, who are not participating in a drama. Sometimes, groups decide to split the money equally amongst themselves, but it's up to the group to decide. We don't know anything about EXO's profit distribution outlines. 

Kris himself also has to take some of the blame. If he feels that the company has violated his civil rights or whatever those damn news reports state, then it is actually his fault. I'm not siding with S.M., but he probably knew about the whole incident with Super Junior and DBSK before he signed with the company. He actually signed in 2008 or 2009, when all this happened. Surely he knew about it, and if he saw this then it was his decision whether or not to continue on at S.M. with the possibility of this happening to him or leaving the company. He chose to stay, because he wanted to live his dreams. That means he should have the determination and the persistance to go on. Backing out right now and attempting to terminate his contract shows that this persistance has worn thin. If he thought that being a daesang idol was going to make his life easier, boy was he wrong. At the height of your popularity is when you get the least amount of rest. 

Speaking of popularity, EXO has recently come back. Not that long ago, even. Kris's timing is especially bad, because not only will this make their comeback less spectacular, it will blacken the company's name and highlight even worse fan activity. "Overdose" is a wonderfully crafted concept, both visually and musically. I'd hate to see it go to waste and get overshadowed by this conflict. 

I love Kris, I love EXO, and I love S.M. Even though I feel like this conflict is such a failure of both Kris and his company, I will support whatever happens. I'm just really disappointed, because I thought it was always going to be one. I thought S.M. was smarter now, and that Kris was a stronger person. I'm not so sure anymore. Although I'll support EXO in the future, I'm not so sure the EXO I'm seeing now was the EXO I fell for. I love them all. I treasure the fangirling moments, the merch, the feels. 

No matter what happens, we will always be supporters. Because that's what fans do. They support. Fans shouldn't be wreckless. Fans should respect, because that's how they get respected. Fans should never get too blinded, because then they lose sight of what they truly fell for. Fans can only pray for the best. The best light to end this darkness. 

We are One,

Aren't we?