On September 8, EXO's Chen released the song "Your Moonlight" as the OST for the Korean drama "Do You Like Brahms?" Since it's release, former fans of the idol have left numerous negative reviews on the song.
Though the track was praised as a beautiful song by international fans for its orchestral piano instrumental and Chen's soulful voice, Korean "fans" have spammed the Melon page of the song with negative reviews. As of now, the song has 1.7 stars out of five stars.
Here are some of the negative comments fans have left:
"Jongdae, why are you only doing selective promotions?"
"He ruined so much. Take responsibility for the repackage album and fan meeting that you ruined. Why are you selectively promoting, father of a child?"
"Haven't you gotten the message?"
"You ruined the group's promotional activities but are a pro at being selective with your promotions, father of a child."
Korean netizens appeared to side with Chen's former fans. Many have left comments asking Chen to leave the group and have sympathized with the fans. Some say that it is his responsibility for leaving the group after betraying the fan's trust and that he will ruin EXO's reputation in the long run. "The fans aren't doing this for nothing," one Korean netizen said. "Chen just seems selfish and irresponsible at this point."
There are some fans, however, who think it is harsh that people are terrorizing his Melon page just because he refuses to leave the group.
Things escalated further when EXO members Chanyeol and Sehun shared screenshots of them listening to Chen's song and promoting it to their Instagram stories. Fans said that they felt betrayed by the two members.
To express their disappointment, these fans trended "EXO Disband for Deceiving the Fans" rose to the top of the real-time trend chart in Twitter Korea. Many were shocked that the hashtag was used by EXO fans themselves. Some fans used the hashtag to call out how disappointing the members are, with many saying there were going to stop being a fan of the group.
This has led even more people to petition for Chen's withdrawal from the group. Many believe that the EXO hate train will stop only if Chen leaves the group and that their position to keep him on as a member just makes things more complicated for them.
Still, some fans have chosen to protect Chen. Alongside with the "EXO Disband for Deceiving the Fans", many trended "Protect EXO, SM", and the hashtag too rose on the real-time trend charts. Many people have stated that it is understandable that they are disappointed by Chen, but the EXO members are a family who will always support one another. Some also praised SM Entertainment and the EXO members for their choice of supporting Chen to the end.
What do you think of the situation?
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Back in January of this year, Chen surprised fans when he announced he was engaged with his pregnant girlfriend. At the time, Chen allegedly denied that his girlfriend was already seven months pregnant, but announced three months later than she had given birth. Since then, his wife has given birth to a baby daughter.
Despite the backlash Chen received from the sudden news, SM Entertainment announced on February that after discussions with the group, the members decide to push through as a group with all the members.
