On Thursday, January 25, NCT's Haechan went live on Instagram to spend some time with his fans and shared his thoughts on several topics while interacting with the comments.
Naturally, the topic of his thoughts on NCT's newest unit, NCT WISH, which is scheduled to debut on February 21, was also brought up. He started by saying that this was just his own opinion, and he wasn't sure if the other members of NCT felt the same way.
He then added that he felt disconnected from the new members because of the age and professional gap between himself and the younger members of the Japanese unit. He stated that as he entered his eighth year in the industry, it was difficult for him to see the new unit as his teammates. However, he also expressed that NCT WISH is the maknae of the group, and they have worked hard to build unity.
So, although he doesn't feel close to them now, he hopes that will change over time. When his live broadcast hit the internet, fans differed in their opinions. While some felt that he was being unfair to the group and supposedly disrespected him, others expressed that it was normal for Haechan to feel this way.
Fans defend NCT's Haechan while netizens criticize the idol for expressing his breakup with the newest sub-unit, NCT WISH.
In October, SM Entertainment officially revealed NCT's last and final subunit, following the end of the survival show. NCT universe: the beginningwhich was organized to select members to create the Japanese unit.
The members, Sion, Riku, Yoshi, Jaehee, Ryo, and Sakuya, released two singles before their debut, We go! And raise your handTheir official debut is scheduled for February 21.
However, since the announcement of the unit, fans have expressed that it may be difficult for the current members to integrate well with the new unit due to the age gap and differences related to experience in the industry. After Haechan's live broadcast on January 25, many felt that it wasn't just fans' thoughts, but that the members themselves might be feeling the same.
Here's what the idols had to say about NCT WISH:
“This is really a personal opinion. But I've been doing this for 8 years now. They're debuting when I'm celebrating my 8th anniversary. So it's not the easiest to see them as teammates yet. Like, I don't feel all that close to them now.”
Haechan then added that his current opinion might change in the future.
“But they are the maknae members of NCT, a group we worked hard to build. So, I feel affectionate towards them. I really want the best for them. However, I'm kind of curious. I mean wouldn't it be okay if you didn't see them as part of the team?”
He also added that NCT, at first, also felt separated, but they became closer over time with the help of fan support.
“When NCT first started, they started out as separate teams. The fanbase consisted of different groups of fans for each of those teams. That was the intention as well. So, while I think it would be cool if you liked it, it's up to you guys.”
Haechan concluded his thoughts by expressing that regardless of his personal opinion, he hopes fans will continue to love and support NCT WISH as they work hard to achieve their debut. However, netizens disagreed with his opinion and expressed their dissatisfaction with his alleged ideology of not seeing them as teammates.
Fans quickly defended him, saying that he never meant anything bad towards the subunit but merely expressed his honest opinions about how he feels about the group.
Since NCT members spend years together, it's naturally difficult for them to bond with their new teammates. Therefore, they called out netizens for distorting his words and praised Haechan for being honest and real about his feelings towards fans.
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