MidnightMarathoner

Happy 1 year anniversary 🎉

I totally get the point about actors who regress over time—naturally, they're going to lose a chunk of their fanbase (if the fanbase was based on actor's acting skills) and might even stop getting good roles (hopefully no bad actor keeps landing gigs). But when I talk about Bogum, I’m referring to someone who’s been popular since Reply 1988 (I haven’t watched the series, but that’s the general understanding). He’s had a strong fanbase and was considered a good actor even a decade ago.

So when I say it’s not a big deal to praise him *just* for improving, it’s because that’s exactly what’s expected of him. Comparing him to those who’ve declined doesn’t really prove anything. To use a work analogy: if someone starts slacking after a decade, their career naturally slows down—unless they actively work to improve. But someone simply getting better after ten years? That’s the bare minimum. Praise the performance, sure, but not the fact that they're improving—that should be a given.

That said, I get we may have different takes on this, and that’s totally okay.

I completely understand why IU said this is one of those dramas you’ll keep coming back to. The acting, direction, and storytelling are all top-tier, and the plot is genuinely heartwarming. Shows like this are rare—really hoping we get more like it in the future.

Exactly! Like sure, praise an actor when it’s due—but acting like being ‘better at 31’ is some kind of revelation? Be serious. Most Korean actors actually peak in their 30s, so him evolving now isn’t groundbreaking, it’s expected. Bogum’s been in the industry for over a decade—of course he should be getting better. That’s literally his job. It’s like clapping for a coder who becomes more efficient after ten years of work… that’s not a flex, that’s the bare minimum. No shade to Bogum or any other actor, but the way some fans will dig up the most random detail just to hype up their faves is wild.

I get what you’re saying, and I kind of agree. While I love it when actors promote their work even after it airs—it keeps the excitement alive—it can also lead to people forming a false sense of attachment. Feeling connected to the drama or characters is totally fine, but when that attachment shifts to the actors themselves, that’s where it gets tricky. The way some fans start idolizing actors like they personally know them is wild—they’re essentially strangers, but people convince themselves they know everything about them.

Exactly!! It’s so funny how some haters love to dismiss Lovely Runner just because it’s a romcom—as if a drama has to be a dark, gritty thriller or make you sob uncontrollably to be ‘award-worthy.’ Making people feel joy, giddy excitement, and butterflies? That’s not easy to pull off! And let’s not forget, this was BWS’s first drama as a main male lead and he carried it effortlessly. KHY has already proven her range time and again. They both ATE. The nominations are well-deserved, and if anything, overdue 👏

The way some people on X were genuinely confused about BWS and KHY getting nominations—like sorry, are talent, range, and putting in the work not part of your vocabulary? Must be exhausting being that clueless 😂

I am hoping the same. But I won't be surprised because I have seen too many baby gurl edits of the Squid Game men.

I don’t think it’s a case of hacking, to be honest—because from what I understand, it’s extremely difficult to hack into someone’s personal database or gallery without high-level tools or access. What’s more likely is that over the years, people’s various social media accounts have unintentionally overlapped. Even if someone tried to keep a personal account separate from a public or reviewer account, it only takes a bit of digital footprint—like mutuals or linked platforms—for others to connect the dots.

That’s probably what happened in the case of that Twitter user. I can’t recall the exact account since it was a quoted post and I wasn’t able to track it down later, but their identity seems to have been pieced together through connections rather than any actual breach.

The other incident I mentioned—where someone’s professional LinkedIn account was being used to threaten them—involved a YouTuber with hundreds of subscribers. She had shared it on her story just a day or two ago. Similarly, there's an Instagram creator who has been openly supporting KSR since the beginning. He’s been making edits for quite a while now, and unfortunately, his account came under mass-reporting attacks.

Thankfully, it didn’t get taken down, and he managed to get it verified. But in order to do that, he had to upload a real photo as his profile picture. That in itself led to a new wave of harassment—people on Twitter and Instagram started circulating his image and mocking his appearance, saying things like he wasn’t “worthy” of speaking against KSH.

It’s genuinely disturbing how far some people are willing to go just to defend a celebrity.

Yep, it’s honestly so disheartening to see people resorting to leaking others’ photos—including AI-generated ones—over someone they don’t even know personally. This is exactly why I always tell my friends I could never bring myself to stan an actor or idol to that extent. The last thing I’d ever want is to lose myself in that kind of blind loyalty.

I genuinely can’t understand how people are so willing to try and ruin someone’s life over fandom-related matters. What’s even more ironic is that if the same person had been making viral edits in praise of their favorite idol, they’d be showered with praise. But the moment they choose to offer criticism—even if respectfully—it’s like a switch flips, and they go full-on destructive.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are moments when exposing someone is entirely valid. I remember a viral clip where a woman confronted a man who left a vile, rape-related comment under her post—she tracked down his real account and reported him to his workplace. That was justified. But weaponizing personal information over fandom loyalty? That’s just delusional.

I also reached out to a few people who had received threats, just to offer some support. Most of them said they refuse to back down, which I really admire. But it’s heartbreaking to see that one of the users on Twitter actually had her real photos leaked—and now the replies on her tweets are filled with cruel comments about her appearance. I can only hope she has the strength to get through this and not let that venom affect her sense of self-worth.

At the end of the day, our mental well-being has to come first. I’ve decided I won’t be returning to this space unless something major unfolds—and I’m definitely done personally supporting any of his upcoming works. That said, I’m so grateful to have met such thoughtful, like-minded people here, and I’d absolutely love to stay in touch with you all. Bye for now 👋

Agreed. I actually ended up messaging one of the commenters from yesterday/today and poured out everything I’d been holding in. After that, I made the decision to step away from this issue entirely starting last night. I’ve come to realise that no matter how much I say or how rational I try to be, it’s unlikely to make any real difference—and instead, it’s only taking a toll on my mental well-being. Especially after hearing from 2 or 3 people I follow on social media that some of his fans have tracked down their personal and even professional accounts like LinkedIn, and are now threatening to circulate AI-generated edits as well as their photos from other platforms—it all just feels too toxic.

This isn’t the kind of environment I want to be a part of. I truly hope I cross paths with some of the like-minded folks from this comment section in a more respectful and thoughtful space. Take care, and goodbye for now 👋

Ahh, it's all good. A part of me had already been avoiding Threads for the past few days because I saw their delusion from day one. So it’s not like I didn’t know I was willingly stepping into a little slice of *delulu is solulu* territory.

Wait, is this an even bigger hate moment than Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us? https://www.threads.net/@seung847/post/DH-gkrLKlN5?xmt=AQGze_qxHer6CRV0uKfSUAzNIRMgs6zOevSsXJVaDrx1IQ
Bro’s acting was absolutely top-tier 🤌🏻. And before any KSH minions start crying in the replies saying I am a cyberbully/keyboard fighter, kindly remember that parodies and spoofs exist for a reason.

This thread also reminded me that there are still good people on the app: https://www.threads.net/@bloomblings/post/DH-lYm5vifW?xmt=AQGzmDR6axrFJwc7kwhanHLMn6hB6g14CXUXHg-4LGnJfg

You really shouldn’t have sent me to Threads because what the hell did I just witness? I just saw someone claiming that all high school girls want sugar daddies and that Sae Ron should be *grateful* for getting a rich, young, and good-looking guy. Absolutely disgusting 🤢🤮.

"Yeah, I figured it out just from her username and warned people not to engage. She’s probably just a koreaboo who got into a fight with some guy and is now projecting. No surprise she’s out here typing stuff like ‘Indian men behind every user’—major clown energy 😂

Hey you're backkk 👋

Lol 😂 I completely agree! Honestly, the best thing to do is just ignore these accounts. If they start spamming the comment section and becoming a nuisance, just block them. Engaging with them is a total waste of time and energy.

I really hope you're right because, honestly, there’s no way they could ever repay 12 billion KRW (about 8.2 million USD). On top of that, suing them for such a ridiculous amount has only made more people—especially those who were neutral—turn against him. A lot of folks are calling out the hypocrisy of claiming to respect the deceased while simultaneously dragging their family into a lawsuit for an amount they could never afford. There’s also growing suspicion that this is just a way to shut them up. My only hope is that *Garosero* doesn’t back down, even if the president gets impeached tomorrow—otherwise, I have no idea how the family will move forward.

Oh, trust me, they 100% did it to drag her down. Because there’s just no way they actually thought a bunch of shippers were some kind of existential threat to their project. Like, “Hey shippers, here’s a gift for you—she’s delulu for me! Now be good little minions and handle this for me, will ya?” The audacity.