Since the first gen of the K-pop era, writing fan fiction about idols has been a long part of the K-pop fandom culture. But do idols ever read some of them? THIS star "spilled the tea."
Do K-pop Idol Read Fanfics? Former U-KISS Alexander Lee Says They Used To Check AUs About Them
In the fandom culture, fan fiction, hereinafter AU (Alternate Universe), became a huge part of fans' experience ever since the first-gen era of K-pop.
In particular, these are fan-written fiction stories featuring K-pop idols against the backdrop of various world settings and characters, and usually differ from their usual positions as singers and dancers.
Through the years, fanfics and AUs were shared exclusively among fancafés and online archive sites. However, due to the continuously advancing technology, these stories became accessible among the public as fans' started sharing them via social media platforms as well.
Due to its popularity, K-pop idols can easily see such stories as well, but do they even try reading some when it is about themselves?
In a recent broadcast, second-gen star and former U-KISS Alexander Lee revealed that idols are aware of fanfics' existence.
In fact, he and his co-members used to read lighthearted ones just for fun. He narrated:
“I read some fanfics. I was curious. People were like, sometimes me and my members, fans would show us. They’d send us and we were like, check some, and we would read it just for fun."
He also confirmed that idols aside from them were reading fanfics, praising the creativity of K-pop fandoms.
In fact, EXO Baekhyun also confessed that he reads fan fiction about him in a radio show in 2022. The "Bambi" singer shared that it was really hilarious he was tempted to text the author of the fanfic to remind them that it was just "that" – no more than fantasy – yet it will never fail to make them laugh.
Are Idols Aware of Fans 'Shipping' Them? Alexander Lee's Hilarious Reaction After Reading 'Smut'
Alexander Lee also revealed that they were also acutely aware of fandoms "shipping" them with their co-members.
The "shipping" culture is also a branch of fanfics, wherein these stories are written featuring K-pop idols that they want to end up romantically, regardless of their gender.
Commonly, "ships" are created based on the chemistry and interactions of idols in real life and are used as the basis to make an alternate universe that will favor fans' imaginations.
The genre of these AUs usually ranges from "fluffy" to "smut," the latter means that there were scenes that are NSFK or inappropriate for children!
Hilariously, Alexander Lee happened to read a "smut" starring him, and he honestly stated that he didn't enjoy it as it shocked him.
The former idol continued:
But the one that I did not really enjoy was the smut one. ‘Alexander walked into the room where Kevin and Eli were bla bla bla’. And then Alex was like jealous, and I’m like, ‘woah-ho!’”
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Written by Eunice Dawson.
