[NEWS] 100822 The Return of the Dark Idol : Jaebum, Dramatic title makes you want to click it.

CREDITS: VOGUE (SOURCE); JINASTAR @ ITSJAYPARK.COM (TRANS).
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The Return of the Dark Idol

Park Jaebum has returned. After 1 year since he'd left Korea. He is the main character of a legend made from the Korean fandom's history, himslef, and his fandom's fantastically overlapping chemical reactions. I met him in Naksan. Will this main character of this dramatic life be able to call on the cheers of the public again?

Last August 7th, Park Jaebum stood on the stage of 'Summer Week & T' that opened in Naksan. When he sung 'Count on Me', the audience all screamed their support. There was a fan that held up a placard that said "Jaebum-ah, I waited for you". Park Jaebum has returned. He performs in front of his fans. It is an occurence that has happened for the first time in the year since he'd left Korea last year because of his Korea-degrading comments. He is the Park Jaebum, who, near the start of this year, his ex-management company JYPEntertainment (a.k.a. JYP) has made withdraw permanently. However, he has actually gained a bigger commercial potential since he'd left 2PM. 'Count on Me' had sweeped up all the music charts. Recently, he'd signed a contract for a CF, and finally signed a contract with Sidus HQ, which one could call more influential than JYP. Also, according to the Jaebum met in the press conference before the 'Summer Week & T' concert, he is in the situation where he could make "my music, my dancing, and my hairstyle however I want". There was never a case like this where an idol had such a passionate fandom like this and enjoyed so much freedom. People who put up hateful replies and comments and idol-phobes won't be able to understand this. However, Jaebum seems to know the reason for this. "It's not because I did things well, or because I'm amazing. I think it's all because of the fans. Really... I can't express this through words. How thankful I am. I promise I'll pay back all this someday." His way of speaking was so calm that it sounded indifferent, but it was different from the forced customary way of exaggerating one's love for fans.

In reality, Jaebum's fans showed such a tremendous reaction to the 'Nothing on You' video he'd posted on YouTube, which made the musical copyright holder, Warner Brothers, exceptionally suggest making a remake of the song in Asia, and 'Count on Me' had a crucial part in getting Jaebum to come back. In mathmatical values, it is 1<6. notebook=""> revealed that a significant number of Jaebum's writings to be mistranslated, and Jin Joong Kwon (T/N: progressive critic of culture, university/college professor, and philosopher) criticized Korea's peculiar patriotism, going as far as saying "The public has to apologize to Jaebum". It is reasonable that one criticize an idol star for spewing out his discontent while having trouble adjusting to Korean life during his 10's. However, it wasn't something that should lead to a banishment-like departure. For his 'personal life problem', there wasn't that was revealed for sure. We're talking about Korea, in which for a celebrity, they have to be ready to face minihompy-hacking and paparazzi. As long as the existence of the 'serious personal life problem' is not confirmed, there is no reason for Jaebum's fans to be embarrassed about liking him, or ostracize him.

On the other hand, it is clear why them (the fans) have chosen Jaebum instead of 2PM. JYP opened a conference between 2PM and their fans after informing them of Jaebum's permanent withdrawal. In the conference, 2PM attacked Jaebum. In 2PM's shoes, it is reasonable that they hate Park Jaebum who put the team's reputation in danger. JYP might have thought that words from members, rather than their own announcement, might soothe and persuade the fans more. However, the conference was something that a company that puts idol fandoms as their 'customers' should have never done. Especially for a group like 2PM, which the main reason for their popularity was because of the unique fantasy of the idol fandom. JYP tied the dance group 2PM and ballad group 2AM in the same group under the name 'brother groups'. The first reality show they appeared in was M.Net's , where the 2AM/2PM-to-be trainees were rounded up and put into a training camp. Also, the point where 2PM started making its main fandom was when MBC Everyone's was aired. 'Again & Again', which was released after that, took 1st place in real-time music charts right after being released. In , they played together like mischievous children, and showed their characters in that time. The reason Jaebum has the iconic meaning of being 2PM's leader was because he excelled as 'Leadja' who regulated the relationships between members on camera. Where idols' solo activities have become to be known as normal, 2PM had shown the ideal male community fantasy. This was similiar to how had gained full support from female students, and how g.o.d. had gained explosive popularity through MBC's . In reality, fans compared them to the characters of , and talk circulated that the old fans of Shinhwa and g.o.d. were eying 2PM. At this, the owner of JYP, Park Jinyoung, positioned himself as their 'hyung' through pictures that he posted on the internet. The idol group that was funny if the members were just gathered in one place, and had good relationships from the CEO to the idol members. They were the first classic idol that had appeared after Shinhwa and g.o.d..

Of course, it could be just the fans' fantasy. However, this fantasy, the hopeful anticipation that this idol community that had provided the reason to 'be a fan' could rise to the top, had put 'Again & Again' and 'I Hate You' on the top. The only thing that was left was making a 'daebak' out of the next album and performing a coronation. 2PM was an opportunity to resuscitate the idol group that the fandom raised and reflect the emotions of fans. Jaebum's withdrawal was not 2PM's other members' fault. However, former H.O.T. member Kangta had said on MBC's , "I thought that when we broke up, my fans would decrease to about 1/5ths of the original number, but that wasn't the case". Fantasies shrivel up as soon as it breaks. The reason Shinhwa is counted as a 'legend' in idol fandoms is because they kept up the group for 12 years, breaking through many complicated problems in that time. Also, JYP emphasized 2PM's 'loyalty' after Jaebum's withdrawal. The album title at that time was '1:59', which portrayed 2PM as incomplete, and fans kept foretelling Jaebum's comeback. The story where the broken-apart 6 members wait for the leader who had become the unwilling outsider. There was not a more perfect idol fantasy than this.

However, after the conference, the fans' fantasy completely broke apart. The company and members weren't a community that kept together until death. Members were just employees that could be fired on circumstance, and fans were 'customers' that could just leave if they wanted. In that moment, the dream about idols went over to Jaebum. Putting the forced withdrawal and conference as his starting point, he took not only 1/7ths which was his share, but all the fantasy the idol fandom put into 2PM. The fact that Jaebum had recorded over 40 thousand album sales, which is a measure for the mass of the fandom, was impossible to attain with just Park Jaebum's personal fans from his 2PM times. In their point of view, the identity of 2PM had lead not to the remaining six, but to Jaebum. There is a reason that 2PM appeared in dramas and variety shows with the public awareness they had after revealing 'Without You', meeting with the public masses outside of their fandom. However, Jaebum could still communicate directly with the fandom who still supported him, and through this, 'Nothing on You' became a hot issue on YouTube and set a stepping stone towards his return. In the shoes of his fandom, he is a sort of fantasy idol. He is an idol that communicates with his fans, and is raised by his fans, and even while signing a contract with a giant management company still had the freedom of choosing his own music. An idol that does the music he wanted to do and still says "The reason I could come back was because of the fans" was a thing that the people who had 'fan-ned' since the H.O.T. times could only dream of.

Ironically, Jaebum became the most idolistic idol through his withdrawal from 2PM, and fan and idol alike became one entity. However, this honor can only be held in fandoms. 'Count on Me', although it'd had significant success, could not go up on the KBS ranks. This was because his management had requested, upon processing the public's emotions, that he be excluded from the rankings. In the press conference, there were still questions that asked him about his relationship with 2PM, and his antis spewed out attacks with the fact that his fanmeet prices were high. Jaebum, as if he knew of this atmosphere, looked slightly nervous through the whole press conference episode. He showed an extreme politeness, gathering up his two hands and bowing down to everyone who said hello to him. As of this moment, Jaebum's place in Korea is just carrying out activities with his fandom's support, but not so much that he could mould himself into the public masses. If this whole thing is a situation in which a idol from recent times has to earn both their fandom's and public's support to become a top star and consider getting commercials and going into other countries, he cannot be considered as fully returned to Korea.

Also, while his powerful fandom is his biggest strength, it can be the reason why he could be distanced from the public. As fandoms respond with more and more enthusiasm to Jaebum, the public questions whether if Jaebum really has that much reality. This could turn into anticipation for Jaebum at first, but it could also easily turn into treating him like foam, with a large volume but no substance. He could be told off with 'he's testing a lot of areas' (T/N: in the negative sense) if he appears in a regular movie or drama, rather than a dance movie like , which is being filmed right now, and if his music that he releases doesn't gain much, musically and publically, he could also be criticized as 'foam'. The fact that Jaebum could have taken up activities in Korea with the song 'Nothing on You' which took top place on Billboard charts is important. 'Nothing on You' was no doubt, a great song, and the song's sophisicated image went in sync with Korean-American vocalist and bboy-origin idol Jaebum. the thing that Jaebum needs right now is patting down his musical territory as a musician that does trendy music through operations like this. Also, Jaebum had never stood up as a solo on stage before the Naksan festival, and had never choreographed a stage dance other than breakdancing. In a situation like this, doing an activity that isn't carefully thought through with only his star abilities that put his fandom as a base is just jumping into an unverified territory.

The current Park Jaebum is the main character of a tragic legend in the idol world. The differences in temperature between the fandom and the public clearly exist. When he breaks through that and approaches the public, Park Jaebum can be considered as returned to the Korean society, rather than just the idol's world. Interestingly enough, he instinctively knows who had put him in his place right now, and what he has to do from this point. He said that "I want to work with many musicians". He has revealed that he is going to supplement his musical abilities through communicating with many artists like Kim Johan. The recent song from Brave Brothers 'I Want to Cry' that he participated in was a R&B track that had a luxurious feel to it, and could also accentuate his singing ability. The dark idol, who had lived the most dramatic of lives in idol history, and still cannot act as much as he wants. Would he be able to receive as much cheers from the public as much as from the fandom? After the clock of idols stopped at 1:59, the unheard era of idols has started.


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Kekekeke*
I know it's a LONG one.
But I'm also reading it.
^^

Jannica.