I'll preface by saying I'm not defending the companies. I'm validating idols' decisions and their voices.
I noticed there's a tendency for fans to become outraged and start putting that blame on the company whenever an idol makes a personal decision that the fans are unhappy with.
I remember when Ahyeon went on hiatus before debuting with BABYMONSTER. K-pop fans were shifting blame to YGE, even making weird suggestions that the company forced her on hiatus for plastic surgery. You could have seen it in some AKP threads. Extremely disturbing speculations that suggested the absolute worst.
Fast-foward to Seunghan's situation. Yes, I'm aware SM mismanaged the situation because there was a lot they could have done better, but they didn't force him out of the group. It was his choice to leave RIIZE.
Seunghan went on hiatus likely because it was a mutual decision between SM and him. It was ideal for his mental health. Now imagine the narrative if SM pushed him to keep working despite all the hate he was facing. Fans would run with the storyline that SM overworked him and failed to protect his well-being during a stressful time.
If anything, it looked like SM, RIIZE, and the real fans were all excited to have him back. It wasn't until further backlash that Seunghan decided to leave the group.
Now he's preparing for a solo debut. Again, it could very well be 100% his choice, yet some people are pushing the narrative that SM is trying to save face. But if they just let Seunghan sit in the dungeon, then what?
It's of course not as ideal as RIIZE being OT7, but Seunghan already made the decision to leave. We don't know how much SM may have tried to convince him to stay in RIIZE. Now if SM kicked him out of RIIZE and let him debut as consolation, then I'd take issue with it and I'd understand. But that's not what happened.
People are saying to continue boycotting SM, but for what? Just to hurt Seunghan's upcoming debut and the rest of RIIZE?
At some point, it does more harm than good because we're attributing everything back to the company as if idols aren't humans and artists who can make their own decisions.
