The strange case of Baekhyun
I didn’t want to write about it before because everyone was so over the collaboration and TaeDo jealousy. However, I asked my friend who knows EXO members better and who isn’t biased about Doyoung to give an opinion to help me sort out my thoughts.
It’s only my thoughts, not a real analysis. I can’t be sure about my reading. So keep it in mind.
The video in question.
- I’ve never seen Do behave like this with any of older idols. Fans united with “oh, he is so shy in the presence of his idol!” but I disagree. It looks staged and fake.
- Doyoung is a shy person and he takes a humble position in a new group of people. It makes people like him. He looks insecure, hesitating to do stuff, meet new people. However, his actions and his words about his experiences afterwards paint a different picture. He also often breaks the ice, initiates contact, builds connections. He is accurate in a new environment with a desire to not overstep, he first needs to get to know people to understand how he can approach them, how to behave with them. How far he can get loose with his real character. That’s why he is timid at first. It’s normal.
- What’s not normal is Doyoung not looking in the eyes, keeping a metre of distance from Baekhyun, and Baek glancing at Do with “why are you so weird right now?” question.
- Doyoung knows Taeyeon, Key, Changmin, Kyuhyun (a drinking buddy of the latter two) - idols older than Baekhyun. He isn’t shy with them, accepts easily he’s in Kyu-line. Look at this picture of Do with an older actor from the musical. Do poses as a maknae with a cute V sign, but his other arm is firmply on the shoulder of the man.
- Doyoung not wanting to get to know Baekhyun better is understandable giving their characters, and BaekTae friendship (Do wants Tae to be less dependable on him). Baekhyun is for Taeyong to be occupied with while Do is busy elsewhere.
- So why the theatre with hands on the face and a metre of fearful distance? I think Doyoung was afraid of the backlash from Baek’s fans and his own antis. So he did a preemptive measure with showing everyone how much he respects Baekhyun and how he is not worthy to be in his presence. Doyoung is accused of using other idols’ popularity and success to be noticed and get opportunities all the time. And here he has a collab with Baekhyun, a million seller.
- One thing I’ve noticed about Doyoung is that he often overdoes something. He tries too hard. Too hard to look cute and give fanservice, too hard to pretend he doesn’t know Jaehyun, too hard to show how shy he is around an idol. He overacts basically, he is bad at measuring how far he should go to not cross into fake territory, when it’s enough of something.
This is Doyoung when noone is watching.
Or when his friend takes a picture.
Waiting at work
With two older very popular seasoned idols (Taeyeon, Key).
With Changmin, Kyuhyun.
With Suho from EXO
Do had no problem with physical contact with Baekhyun before.
He is not a guy to become a mess before Baekhyun even if he looks up to him. So no, I don’t believe him.
