PLEDIS MISTREATMENT TOWARDS HANJIN
i've been thinking about this since yesterday when @hanjiinist spoke about this topic so i decided to share my thoughts/opinion about this one.
so letโs talk about the issue of pledis gatekeeping or better yet hiding hanjin in the basement, because itโs honestly been too long. itโs already been almost two years since debut and they still couldnโt manage to treat him fairly. i just want to speak about it here and hope (really hope ๐) that pl3d!s eventually makes progress on this issue.
at this point, itโs becoming more and more obvious that pl3d!s is limiting hanjinโs opportunities especially when it comes to his lines, solo or duo gigs on variety shows, and overall screentime. letโs talk about his vocals and the unfair line distribution. despite debuting in a group thatโs supposed to highlight vocal strength and musicality, hanjin has consistently received the least amount of lines. and when he does get lines, theyโre often just repetitive adlibs, background harmonies, or single words.
i didnโt witness their debut days in real time since i became a fan during the post-summer beat era, but looking back at their debut stages, it was already clear that hanjin barely had any lines and honestly, i understood. heโs chinese and at that time, he wasnโt fluent in korean (?), so it made some sense (?). even during summer beat, while the line distribution still wasnโt perfect, i accepted it because i knew he was still learning and he was improving.
but after those two eras, i genuinely expected things to change. i hoped their second comeback (last bell) would give him more lines especially since by then, he had improved significantly in speaking , singing and understanding korean. yet pl3d!s still chose to give him mostly adlibs, lines shared with another member (โneowa na saigaโ part), and those repetitive fillers like โlalalala-lastโ and โdadada-dance.โ yes! that was all he got in the TITLE TRACK.
hanjin stans have called out pledis for this blatant mistreatment, but the company remains completely unbothered. then when try with us came, we hoped things would change again and guess fvcking what? more repetitive lines AGAIN ๐คฌ
(note: not counting now playing and go back, where he actually had decent parts but even then itโs frustrating and fvck pl3d!s)
i totally understand why hanjin stans are disappointed. weโve been speaking up about this for a long time, but pl3d!s keeps ignoring it. weโre not asking for favoritism we just want what hanjin deserves. he has so much potential as a vocalist, and the fact that he still doesnโt have a tws:tudio of his own speaks volumes. heโs one of the few members without it, and it hurts to see that.
itโs so disappointing to witness this level of talent being constantly overlooked especially when fans can clearly see what hanjin brings to the group. instead of giving him the support and platform to grow, pl3d!s seems content with keeping him in the shadows. he has zero presence in variety shows (solo/duo/trio gigs) or promotional content, which is a huge issue for a rookie group still building their identity. every member matters and yet hanjin is repeatedly pushed aside.
this isnโt just a matter of line distribution or screen time, itโs a consistent pattern that shows the company is actively gatekeeping his potential. thatโs not just sad itโs unacceptable.
still, with all that i said, i want to take a moment to genuinely appreciate hanjin. even with all the limitations placed on him, he still manages to shine. whether itโs through small moments on stage or quiet presence in group content, he continues to leave an impact. we see him, we support him, and weโll keep showing up for him. we just hope pl3d!s will finally do the same.