Fromis_9‘s Saerom faced some online backlash when, in the girl group’s latest live broadcast, the member commented on how she “wants to go home as soon as possible” because she is “sick of it.”
Prior to realizing she is on air, Saerom can be heard making this comment to her fellow groupmates.
I’m dead sick of it. I want to go home as soon as possible.
— Saerom
The comment soon caught online attention and caused a significant misunderstanding. Following the broadcast, netizens assumed that Saerom is potentially complaining about being “sick of” doing live broadcasts.
- “If she’s saying she’s dead sick of doing live broadcasts, then I’d be baffled. To hear that coming from a group who stole the opportunity from others, only to end up a flop even under HYBE’s care?” (1,006 Upvotes)
- “I can’t even, LMAO. Right after she said what she said, they noticed the broadcast is on air and sh*t got really quiet. LOL. If they had been talking about something else, they would have laughed it off. Don’t you think so? Seeing from how the other members laughed at the comment, the sentiment must not be exclusive to Saerom, either.” (651 Upvotes)
While the real meaning of the comment remained unknown, the backlash continued and the consensus leaned toward the member “having an attitude problem.”
- “If you’re so sick of doing live broadcasts, then you should go practice singing… Your live singing and dancing both suck. You seem to be at the company building all the time. If not to practice, then why are you there? To hang out? And look at all the make-up you’re wearing. Doesn’t seem like you want to go home, to me. You don’t even show up on Weverse anymore either.” (380 Upvotes)
- “I feel bad for the Korean male fans who bought their albums, LOL. After dedicating their lives to promoting fromis_9 despite the obvious flop, spending all the money on this fraud of a group with school bullies and busting balls for #1 on music shows, they hear Saerom say she wants to go home because she’s sick of them. Haha.” (372 Upvotes)
- “Quit being an idol if you’re so sick and tired of it. She must have forgotten those fans literally pay her rent. I get it, though. She has been at this for six years and still not making a name for herself. I’d be frustrated, too.” (325 Upvotes)
Not too long after the unexpected criticism, Saerom addressed the issue in an update to fromis_9’s Weverse.
In addition to explaining that she had actually been quarantining after member Seoyeon tested COVID-19 positive on February 4, 2022 (KST), Saerom also apologized for “causing such a big shock.”
Hello, this is fromis_9’s Saerom. I decided to leave this message for flovers because I wanted to explain in detail a comment I made at the beginning of yesterday’s live broadcast.
I had come out of self-isolation right before the live broadcast started and I was catching up with the other members whom I hadn’t seen in a while. The members and I usually spend most of our time together. So when I first went into quarantine, I liked having all the time to myself. But soon, it became frustrating not being able to go outside. This is why I said that I felt ‘dead sick of it.’ I also want to note that while the recommended self-isolation is seven days right now, I had to remain in quarantine until Seoyeon tested negative. And because Seoyeon and I share the same same home that is our dorm, I have not been able to ‘go home’ for a while. I said that I wanted to ‘go home as soon as possible’ not only because I missed home but also because I was worried about Seoyeon, too.
I see how, without context, what I said could have led to a misunderstanding. I should have been more careful especially since it was the first broadcast for flovers in a while. I’m sorry for being thoughtless and causing such a big shock. Going forward, I promise to be more aware and I promise to be on air more often!
— Saerom
In response to the Weverse update, fromis_9 fans are sending Saerom a flood of supportive messages asking her to disregard the malicious online backlash.
- “I hope her agency sues the malicious commenters.”
- “I did think she might have put her foot in her mouth. But it sounds like an honest misunderstanding caused by the timing of things.”
- “Oh, what?! She was in self-isolation? Wow… The hate was insane though. People these days are so ridiculous.”
- “Yeah, duh. This makes much more sense.”
- “She got literally thousands of comments about it. I hope those of you who commented earlier and added to the backlash apologize and reflect on what you’ve done. Seriously.”
- “I bet a lot of the people who left hateful comments for her won’t even bat an eye at this update. Can we all stop hating and realize what we’re doing wrong, please?”
- “I got scared by the thousands of comments piling up when none of us knew what she meant for sure… Like, people. Back off if you don’t know what’s happening for sure.”
Koreaboo
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