Former Teen Top member C.A.P (Bang Min Soo) revealed the negative reality he experienced during his idol activities.
On July 10th, the Youtube channel “All About Jobs” released a new video titled “Unbelievable experiences you will get when being a celebrity, Part 3”.
Regarding the job of an idol, C.A.P said, “Many people say it’s a job that sells hope, simulated romantic relationships, and love. In my opinion, that’s not the image of an idol I have, but fans love that and they support idols for such things. However, many idols have no hopes and don’t even know what love is. Then how can they give love and hope to fans?”
He further explained, “No matter how many people love you, you can’t feel it directly with your skin. It’s different from the love you receive from people next to you. However, even if I date a non-celebrity, that woman will gain stress and harm because fans will somehow manage to find and send hate comments to her through SNS”.
He continued, “Many fans are so immersed in simulated relationships with idols”. Revealing that fans didn’t like it when he visited tattoo shops, C.A.P said, “I’ve been bothering a close tattooist for years. One day, a woman came to get a tattoo on her thigh and then suddenly reported it as sexual harassment. The tattooist suddenly became a criminal”, emphasizing, “If the fan culture is too extreme, it can harm people around idols that much”.
C.A.P mentioned other absurd things he faced. He said, “I once got slapped by a woman in the middle of Cheongdam Intersection. I was smoking after having a drink and was about to take a taxi, a woman suddenly approached and hit me. When she was about to hit me again, I grabbed her hand and tried to record a proof video but she took away my phone. I couldn’t use force to take my phone back. She complained of wrist hurt and a bruise then threatened to call the police. Thankfully, the taxi driver arrived and said he could be the witness and testify for me. The woman then returned my phone and left”.
Regarding the reality of the entertainment industry, C.A.P said, “Many people tried to approach me and asked me to do business together because Teen Top was famous. To be honest, our team is famous but I’m not and there are celebrities who are more famous than me. That’s why I had to wear a mask in public places and even at private meetings. It was very uncomfortable”.
He confessed, “Being an idol and an entertainer, you have to be outgoing. You have to show the selective image that the public want to see. But I couldn’t do that”, adding “That’s why I terminated my contract and abandoned the 14 years of my idol career. I felt empty at first, but now I’m really happy because I can say and act the way I want.”
