UGH, that's so wild and concerning as hell -- i knew when i got into kpop that idols were on tight, tight work schedules, and the 9muses documentary just further confirmed that actual abuse is involved, so i guess i sort of already knew about this in the back of my head but just......yikes. it's not surprising but it is horrifying. and of COURSE sm would make it a thing of "oh, they're just being selfish/greedy when they originally promised us this thing" omfg becoming a kpop idol is LITERALLY LIKE MAKING A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL. and this on top of the invasive behavior of fans and the extra horrifying stuff sasaengs do? honestly, the cult of celebrity in america is fucked-up and unhealthy, but the kpop industry makes it look downright tame. that's scary as hell.

(plus the ways scandals work -- here in the usa, something like being caught in a relationship would just be a saucy bit of news that would fuel public interest in someone, but that kind of thing could RUIN AN IDOL'S CAREER. it's so, so genuinely frightening. and makes me extra mad about internet haters, like, these people get enough hell from everyone who's supposed to be on their side, you don't need to make it worse with snide comments.)