This is part 9 of the Sasaeng Archives. You don’t have to but I do recommend reading the other parts first.
Basic Info:
During NCT 2018 promotions (at the beginning of the year) a Twitter account became quite well known for their photos taken of Nari at times when she didn’t have a schedule. Because of this, the accounts constant praise for Nari, hatred when she had any form of skin ship with her members and even more disturbing messages, the account started to gander attention from fans who quickly reported it to SM Entertainment. Whilst SM Entertainment never did post any official statement, fans noticed that NCT’s security was heightened for their schedules (particularly for SMTOWN 2018) and the account was shortly taken down by Twitter due to the number of fans who reported it.
Nari has never been a particularly active user of social medias and hence she was never aware of the situation. On top of this she was immensely overworked at the time and was suffering from lack of any proper rest and high levels of stress. At the time NCT’s management and the members agreed to remain discreet and keep the issue from Nari (unless things escalated further) in order to prevent her from suffering any more health issues related to stress.
Taeil
Taeil only found out when the extra security was hired and he genuinely didn’t know how to react. He was in shock. How could someone act this way towards a person who is so kind and generous, let alone a minor? Taeil is one of the members who has worked with Nari the longest and he still sees her as a little sister even if the two of them are very goofy and act the same age around each other. He appreciates Nari’s respect for him as the oldest member a lot and because of this he felt like he needed to do more to keep Nari safe and look after her.
Johnny
The thing about Johnny (that I will never get tired of mentioning because he never seems to be able to forget) is that he first met Nari when she was literally a child. He watched her grow up from being the shortest trainee to being one of the tallest female idols ever and despite how mature she’s become he will always hold onto that image of a small scared girl from outside of Seoul who came into the practise room at only 9 years old. So when he saw a so called ‘fan’ who was quite a few years older than himself harassing his little princess he wanted to go and confront that sasaeng himself. Of course this wasn’t an option so once Johnny's anger dispersed (slightly) he decided that instead he would do his best to keep Nari happy and motivated because he felt that this was the most helpful he could be towards the girl whilst everything was sorted.
Taeyong
This is a man with a lot of emotions and love for Nari but also one of the few members who Nari has opened up to. Because of his leadership position amongst the members and his understanding of Nari he was extremely hurt and angered when told that this was happening to his little princess. Taeyong probably went and discussed the situation with Jaehyun in order to understand his own emotions a bit better but once he had sorted through the shock that came with the situation he became a very protective mother. He was almost definitely the least subtle member when it came to looking out for Nari but luckily Nari was used to him being rather observant and attentive with her health and safety so she didn’t pick up that anything was dramatically different. Taeyong still holds onto this worry even to this day poor bubu (on the bright side he got many opportunities to snuggle with Nari since the two were often placed together with Jaehyun or Johnny during schedules).
The rest of the members are under the cut
Yuta
This man has no clue what to do. He is mad at the world and the sasaeng for invading the life of not only his member but also of a minor. He would become infuriated and would most likely need to take a break from looking at anything on social media for a while because otherwise he’d just end up exploding. However he would also become somewhat mad at himself for not being close to Nari and hence not knowing how to comfort her. He was mad at the managers for making the decision to keep the info from Nari and the younger members but he also understood their rationale and eventually just ended up being disappointed that he couldn’t do more for the girl.
Kun
NOT HIS CHILD!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay but badass angry Kun is such a concept and he is 100% a protective dad. Kun was one of the more verbal members when it came to discussing safety measure and potential responses with their managers. There were many moments during these talks when he wished he could yell at his managers but he managed to refrain himself, instead continuing the rational discussions. Even once proper safety measures were put in place this didn’t do much to calm Kun’s stress and he remained extremely vigilant and on edge when it came to Nari’s health and safety during their promotions.
Doyoung
Doyoung is another mad one. More than anything he wanted to confront the sasaeng about how disgusting their behaviour was. But of course he isn’t able to do that, and because he isn’t even able to address the issue due to Nari’s health he instead decided that the best thing for him to do would be to distance himself from the girl for a little while. Doyoung has a pretty good understanding of his own emotions and he knew that the more time he spent with Nari the more protective he’d feel towards her and hence his anger might end up getting big enough that he would let something lose. He cares about Nari’s health above everything else in this situation and so he trusts the other members to look after Nari whilst he attempts to deal with his emotions alone so as not to cause Nari anymore stress.
Ten
Ten’s initial response would be disbelief. Surely no one is despicable enough to act this way with a minor, right? However, once he gets a grasp on the situation he’s more devastated than anything else. Ten currently lived in the same dorm as the other Dream members and even though he doesn’t always act the most mature he genuinely tries his best to be there for his younger members. So when he realises that there is a creep obsessed with his little princess he wants to do everything he can to stop anything else from happening. However. Ten’s also quite logical and he realises that he can’t really do much about the situation so instead he focuses all of his efforts into making sure Nari is happy, smiling and laughing at every minute she’s not sleeping. He isn’t ashamed to make himself look stupid if it’ll get a laugh out of the tired girl.
(yes this gif was entirely necessary)
Jaehyun
Jaehyun manages to take the information pretty well. Of course he’s angry and emotional but in all honesty he was already very concerned for Nari because of her health. He knows just how tired, overworked and stressed Nari is. He’s made it his mission to become a hyung that Nari feels comfortable opening up to. He’s known her for so long and he knows how hard it is for Nari to share her burdens with other people. He’s the most attentive older member when it comes to monitoring Nari’s emotions and health and he’s constantly checking up on her whenever he can, constantly bringing her out for meals and buying her drinks. All he wants to do is take away her pain, and he would do it in an instant if he could.
WinWin
WinWin just wants Nari to look up to him like an older brother. Their relationship is similar to how Renjun and him are always teasing each other and looking after each other and because of this WinWin would almost be disappointed in himself for not being able to protect Nari fully. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself from putting at least some blame on himself for not being there for Nari more, no matter how much he knows he isn’t at fault, he’d still feel guilty. In the end, Nari might end up being the one to check up on WinWin from time to time since he’d been so distant which just makes the boy feel even worse and want to protect her even more.
Jungwoo
Jungwoo was new to the idol world and Nari had been an incredible support for him during the lead up to his debut. She was probably one of the best members when it came to helping him with his anxiety at the time. When he found out about the sasaeng fan his heart broke and his anxiety only got worse. He’d feel so incredibly overwhelmed because he couldn’t do anything to help Nari despite the numerous times she’d been there for him. The fact that his anxiety only increased in this situation lead to Nari looking after him even more and he would end up holding a lot of hatred towards himself for in his eyes ‘forcing’ her to help him when he wanted to be there for her.
Lucas
Lucas was also only just entering the world of being an idol and honestly he’d already spent a lot of time with Nari during both BOSS and Yestoday. Because Nari was an unofficial part of the Chinese line at that time, and he could talk to her quite easily, he found himself looking up to her as a performer and occasionally asking her for advice even though he was older. When he found out that someone was treating Nari in such an horrid way he just couldn’t understand how a person could act that way and still call themselves her fan. He would have trouble coming to grasps with the severity of the situation and he’d probably end up crying at least once because of how worried he was. This was part of his introduction to the idol world and he was already beginning to see Nari as a little sister so there was no way he wasn’t going to become emotional.
Renjun
Towards the end of 2017 Renjun begun to develop a crush on Nari, but even without these extra emotions Nari was still Renjun’s best friend and absolutely no one was allowed to mess with her (except the Dreamies of course). But the idea of a grown adult disrespecting her and creating such despicable posts online? Renjun could not deal with this. When he found out, he was honestly quite scary but eventually his anger died down a bit and instead he become overly concerned for Nari. He never wanted anything like this to happen to her and seeing this on top of her exhaustion created so much emotional pain for Renjun. He felt like he was constantly in a bad mood and the only thing that was getting him through was the support from his DREAM members.
Jeno
Jeno had three main emotions that’d he’d cycle through after he heard about Nari’s sasaeng fan. Anger, protectiveness and a desperate need for Nari’s attention. His initial response was anger because he couldn’t understand how someone would make such inappropriate posts about a minor, and to top it all off this was Nari, his sister from another mister. Jeno was definitely one of the most protective members from Dream, if Nari wanted to go out he’d be there to either join her or pout until she was convinced to stay at the dorms. He just needed her to be okay and wanted to make sure she was happy so he wasn’t going to stop clinging to her until he was 100% sure she was safe.
Haechan
After getting over the confusion and anger that he experienced when he first found out, Haechan would be filled with disappointment. How could someone just invade other peoples lives so easily? His normal happy mood became a bit dimmed by everything and he’d find himself laying at night thinking about why the world was full of these sorts of people. Sometimes he’d end up overthinking things, getting worried and texting Nari in the middle of the night to ask her what she was up to. Other times he’d end up texting Renjun to check that Nari hadn’t snuck out to go to the studio and this would often lead to lengthy chats between the two members about how much they hated and just couldn’t understand why people like this existed.
Jaemin
Jaemin was so excited to finally be able to work with his best friends again and then suddenly one of them was being stalked and harassed? Seriously he just couldn’t understand why these things happened and he wanted more than anything to have some words with the sasaeng. Since he couldn’t do this he almost became a bit overbearing with his concern for Nari. He’d be constantly asking her what she was doing and how she was feeling. At school he’d be out of his classroom and standing in front of Nari’s classroom before she even had time to register that class had ended. There was simply no way he was going to let anything happen to Nari on his watch.
00 line more like ready to murder this sasaeng line.
Mark and Jisung
In order to keep this from Nari, the managers and members also neglected to inform Mark, Chenle and Jisung. Mark didn’t notice anything on social media since he was also being overworked and didn’t have time to keep up with any news.
Jaemin, Jeno, Renjun and Haechan were all aware since they use social media frequently and they tried their best to keep the news from Jisung and Chenle, however Chenle did inevitably end up finding out on his own.
Chenle
When everything happened Chenle started to get really confused by some of the members changes in attitude, and whilst Jisung and Nari assured him that it was probably just coming from stress, he just couldn’t stop the nagging feeling that something more was going on. So of course Chenle just went and decided to deduce what was going on himself since no one seemed willing enough to tell him. When he found out though he was mad and upset. Not just at the sasaeng. He was mad at his members for lying to him, but he was also mad at himself because he understood why they had lied and he found himself agreeing to lie to Mark, Nari and Jisung as well. After finding out that Nari had these sorts of fans, Chenle and Nari’s relationship started to shift slightly. Whilst he has always been soft and cuddly with Nari, he started to become more protective, almost acting like they were the same age at times which meant there were a lot less moments of Nari babying Chenle.
The first of 3 drabbles depicting what happened when Nari got back to the dorms after the events in Too Close for Comfort and the 4th instalment in the Sasaeng Archives series. I encourage you to read the previous parts first.
~
The way Nari was reacting wasn't anything new. Renjun was used to Nari blank gaze. Only answering their questions with nods, gestures or maybe, if they were lucky, a single whispered word. He knew she wasn't purposefully closing herself off from them. She was still processing. Her brain was undoubtedly working in overdrive, trying to comprehend everything that had happened.
Renjun was almost happy that he wasn't the one comforting Nari right now. Knowing that he didn't understand what she was going through made him terrified. How was he was supposed to comfort his best friend?
He doubted Jisung had any idea how to properly comfort Nari either. But sitting with her in the living room just holding her seemed to be helping, even if it was only slightly.
Another yell made its way to the kitchen where Renjun was organising the food that'd been delivered to their apartment. As soon as he was finished with this he knew he'd have to go help Chenle in his attempts to calm down Jeno and Jaemin.
As soon as they’d entered the dorms Jeno had silently stormed towards his room. The bang as his door slammed shut echoed through to the living room where Jisung, still clinging onto Nari, had now seated the both of them on the sofa. Jaemin had instantly followed while Renjun dragged Chenle to the kitchen in an attempt to figure out what was going through the younger boys head.
As Renjun spoke with Chenle, Jeno and Jaemin didn’t emerge. Even as the food arrived, as Renjun went with Chenle to take the food back to the kitchen, as he prepared to plate the food, neither of them made an appearance. The only visible change was the bright television screen that neither Nari nor Jisung seemed to be paying any mind to.
It wasn’t until they’d placed the last of the food and snacks on the counter that a crash was heard coming from the direction of their bedrooms. One yell from Jaemin was all it took for Chenle to dash towards his hyungs. The following yells causing Renjun to press his hands to his forehead as he tried to withhold his own emotions.
“This is all my fault”
Jisung could barely make out the words that Nari muttered as he sat clung to her.
“What? ... Nari-noona, what are you .... I don’t understand?” his words came out disjointed as he tried to find the right thing to say. He was struggling to process that Nari somehow felt guilty in a situation where Jisung couldn’t see how anything could possibly be her fault.
“They’re fighting and it’s my fault.”
The muffled cry that Nari let out as her body became overcome by sobs shocked Jisung more than he could have thought possible. His arms wrapped around her as he tried to calm himself enough to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. He needed to help her and to do that he needed to think. To speak. To say something that would comfort her.
“It’s my fault. If I ... if I .... if I just hadn’t been there today. I shouldn’t have been there today. I shouldn’t be in the group. If I hadn’t been in the group nothing would have .... It’s my fault. I’m so selfish. I’m so ...”
There was no use in trying to stop the tears now. All Jisung could do was repeat “no” over and over between his sobs. He held on tighter to the girl he would always look up to, as if he feared she would disappear if he let go.
This is part 10 of the Sasaeng Archives. You don’t have to but I do recommend reading the other parts first. NCT 127 and NCT DREAM's Reactions
There are two types of reactions for each member, the first one is the reaction they had after initially hearing about the sasaeng grabbing Nari at NCT DREAM's fan sign. The second reaction is the reaction they had once they found out that the sasaeng who assaulted Nari at the fan sign was the same one who had stalked her in 2018.
Kun
Initial reaction:
Kun hadn't been able to see Nari much this year due to his schedules with WayV. However he did remember to keep up to date with his members activities whenever possible. As Kun kept up with Nari's activities throughout the year he was overwhelmingly happy that she'd finally been given a few breaks and opportunities to relax since she'd practically been working nonstop from the end of 2015 till her solo comeback in the beginning of this year (2019). He was finally starting to see Nari's health improve and see her taking her own health a bit more seriously. So when he was walking through the SM building and overheard a bunch of NCT's managers stressing over paperwork to do with Nari and a sasaeng all this relief that had been building up throughout the year was suddenly torn down. Kun's first instinct was to go over to the Dream dorms so he could see Nari with his own eyes instead of believing the staff who were telling him that she was safe at home. He instantly thought back to the sasaeng in 2018 which allowed him a bit of peace since they'd managed to deal with that situation extremely well back then, even if he hadn't thought so at the time. So instead of rushing to the Dream dorms, (also because he did not want to overwhelm Nari) Kun stayed in the studio producing music for longer than he normally would. He was constantly checking his phone for updates about Nari and how the situation was being handled.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
So all of Kun's initial attempts to comfort himself by thinking about how SM handled the situation in 2018 got thrown out the window in less than a second. Boy was this man mad. After hearing that the same person was responsible for both the incident at the fan sign and the posts in 2018 he would start catastrophising about all the possible things that could have gone under their radar over the last two years. He couldn't help all of the terrifying thoughts that were filling his head and with his emotions so high he'd end up getting mad at almost everyone, including himself for not looking out for Nari enough. Of course Kun is also a reasonable and rational person so whilst he was in a very emotional state he still made sure to find other ways of dealing with this anger instead of yelling at the staff for not listening to him back in 2018 (despite how much he wished he could do so).
Ten
Initial reaction:
At the time of the fan sign Ten was doing some recording for SuperM alongside Lucas and after finishing his recording he was seated in the studio waiting for Lucas to finish before they would both head back to their dorms. As he waited he decided to browse through social media. He almost immediately came across the numerous trending topics to do with NCT and Nari in particular. Upon seeing this Ten asked the manager who was with him at the time if he had any idea what they were about. His manager was quick to explain that he was still contacting NCT's other managers and so he didn't know everything but he told Ten what he did know at that moment. More than anything Ten was concerned for Nari and he immediately attempted to text and call the girl. When neither of these options worked he instead tried to call Jeno but was once again met without a response. The failure to contact any of the DREAM members would only increase Ten's concern and irritability in that moment. He wouldn't be able to think about anything else. He'd be constantly checking his phone and refreshing it as he waited to hear back from one of the members.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Finding out that the sasaeng fan was the exact same man who had caused Ten so much stress back in 2018 was not something he wanted to hear. Of all the members in WayV Ten would be the most obviously annoyed, at least initially. He wouldn't stop hounding their manager for information until he had a full blown police report about the incident. He was especially worried that he wouldn't be able to do anything to help with the situation as he would be heading off on tour with SuperM. He hated the thought of leaving the country if there was even a small chance of Nari being hurt.
The rest of the members are under the cut
WinWin
Initial reaction:
WinWin only found out later after all the initial stuff had been dealt with on the day of the fan sign. He would honestly feel a bit hurt that none of the other members had mentioned anything to him, especially since he was particularly close with Renjun. However, after processing through everything that had happened to the DREAM members he understood the situation a lot better and didn't remain hurt for long. Instead, he held a lot of anger towards the sasaeng. Unlike a lot of the members who were annoyed at the staff and management for not preventing the situation, WinWin's anger was almost completely directed towards the sasaeng. He just couldn't believe someone like that would call themselves Nari's fan.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
WinWin remembers everything that happened in 2018 very well, especially since it was the first time he'd really had to comfort Renjun as the boy cried out of fear for Nari's safety. Hearing that it was the same person in both of these cases honestly stumped WinWin a little bit. Unknowingly, he was a bit overwhelmed and unsure how to react so he ended up becoming a bit irritable. Even when Renjun rang him in tears telling him about how Nari had stormed off and wasn't answering her phone, WinWin found himself initially telling off Renjun for what he said to Nari before he was able to control his emotions enough to help him brainstorm where Nari might have gone.
Lucas
Initial reaction:
Coming out of recording to find Ten desperately trying to call Jeno was definitely not what Lucas expected on any day. Lucas was quick to ask Ten what was going on and after hearing everything Ten knew at that moment Lucas was beyond devastated. Lucas still holds vivid memories of the first time he saw the so called fan's account back in 2018. He also remembers how helpful and supportive Nari was during his debut. So hearing that there was now another sasaeng bothering Nari filled him with sadness and concern for the Dream members. Lucas didn't really know how to react but luckily Ten was able to comfort him somewhat as they waited for more news from their manages and from the members.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Lucas didn't find out that the sasaeng was the same person from 2018 for quite some time due to his schedules with SuperM. So when he did hear about it, it was with Mark as Ten and Taeyong were talking to their manager about the restraining order against the fan that had finally been approved. Lucas was more shocked than anything else, not quite believing that the same person had managed to get through security at a fan sign.
Xiaojun
Initial reaction:
Xiaojun heard about everything through their manager and he was not impressed. Along with Hendery and Yangyang, Xiaojun hadn't gotten many opportunities to interact with or get to know Nari yet. However unlike Yangyang and Hendery, Xiaojun already new bits and pieces about Nari from his members since they'd often light-heartedly tease him for being a fan of Nari before he even joined SM Entertainment. He couldn't believe that people could be so deluded and cruel to act like this towards Nari, in front of a whole crowd of fans to top it all off.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Finding this out kind of gave Xiaojun an alarming understanding of how far fan culture can go. He also realised how easily things like these were forgotten and covered up since he'd known about NCT and Nari back when everything was happening in 2018 and he hadn't seen anything about the sasaeng back then.
Hendery
Initial reaction:
Much like Xiaojun, Hendery found out through their managers. Unlike Xiaojun, Hendery had had a few interactions with Nari thanks to Kun and even though there weren't many it was enough for him to gain respect and appreciation for Nari as both a person and an artist. Hearing about the fan sign Hendery became quite concerned for Nari and his instinct was to directly ask her if she was okay. However right as he was going to ask Kun for Nari's phone number, Hendery realised that Nari was undoubtedly overwhelmed by everything and so he just decided to let the people she was closest to help her for the moment. He made a mental note to ask her how she was doing if he ran into her at the company.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Hendery's reaction didn't really change much after hearing about this but he did feel a lot more disheartened. The fact that these people could remain this way for so long just hit him really overwhelmingly, especially after hearing WinWin's angry rant about the despicable sasaeng.
Yangyang
Initial reaction:
Yangyang felt a bit out of place as he heard from their managers about the fan sign. Yangyang was only just starting to form a friendship with Nari through his friendship with Renjun. But even though he didn't know her that well boy was he mad. As they were getting to know each other they'd found few commonalities but Nari had told him that he reminded her of her little brother. Without even knowing her that well Nari had been incredibly generous, understanding of his personality and Yangyang was furious that someone would ever hurt her. Yangyang would want to talk with Ten or Kun about everything so he could get a better understanding and try and figure out something that he could do to help. In the end he'd decide to text Renjun to make sure that Nari was doing okay after the small break the Dreamies were all given.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Like Hendery, Yangyang's reaction didn't really change much after hearing about this. However instead of feeling disheartened Yangyang just felt more anger towards the sasaeng.
This is part 10 of the Sasaeng Archives. You don’t have to but I do recommend reading the other parts first. Link to WayV and NCT DREAM's Reactions. Mark and Haechan's reactions are with DREAM. (I also recommend rereading Comfort Zone before reading these reactions, but once again this isn't necessary for the reactions to make sense).
There are two types of reactions for each member, the first one is the reaction they had after initially hearing about the sasaeng grabbing Nari at NCT DREAM's fan sign. The second reaction is the reaction they had once they found out that the sasaeng who assaulted Nari at the fan sign was the same one who had stalked her in 2018.
Taeil
Initial Reaction:
When Taeil heard Mark lose control over his emotions during their Vlive his mood instantly changed from playful to concerned and on edge. He couldn't recall a moment from their career when Mark, or any of the members, had sounded so distraught on a live. After all, they'd all been trained by SM, they knew how to act, what to say, what to avoid saying and they only ever made conscious decisions to ignore their training (cough* Chenle *cough). Hearing Jaemin's dismal tone as he struggled to speak over the phone only brought his mood further. When he heard from Jaemin what had happened to Nari it was like his heart had sunk into his gut. As he sat in the car, Taeil's jaw would unknowingly begin to clench as he listened to their manager explain the discussion that was currently happening between NCT's staff. Taeil wouldn't have a clue what to say or think in that moment. He was overwhelmed by crushing shock that was quickly mixing with anger and disdain directed towards the sasaeng.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Hearing from his manager that the man at the fan sign and the man who'd forced SM to get extra security for Nari back when she was still a minor was the same person made Taeil angrier than he thought reasonable. His anger was initially entirely directed towards the sasaeng, but the more time he was given to think about everything, the more his anger drifted to be focused on their managers. He knew that their managers felt guilty for having mismanaged the situation back in 2018, just like the current staff felt guilty for the fan sign, but he still held anger towards them. The longer he spent thinking about it the more he realised that no one could have predicted these specific things to happen and so instead he eventually turned his anger back towards the so called fan.
Johnny
Initial Reaction:
Unlike Taeil, Johnny heard about the fan sign from their manager. It was a pretty relaxed ride home for the members in the second car until their manager asked Haechan if he would be okay to stay over at the DREAM dorms for the night. Of course Haechan agreed but he also questioned their manager for asking this. Like Haechan, Johnny was curious and paid attention as their manager replied "The DREAM members have asked if you and Mark would be okay to come over because there was an incident at their fan sign today and their manager says that they aren't in the best state right now." Of course this reply concerned Johnny a lot but after listening to their manager describe what he'd heard about the fan sign Johnny would be torn with rage. Whilst still in the car Johnny found himself gripping onto his seat to stop himself from lashing out since he really wanted to punch something, anything in that moment. When their manager dropped them off at the dorms, telling the members that he'd head to the SM building to help deal with the situation (after dropping Haechan and Mark off at the DREAM dorms), Johnny came very close to losing his composure. He knew there was nothing he could do but he just wished there was nothing to sort out in the first place.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
When Johnny was told by NCT's managers that the police suspected the same person responsible for threatening Nari's safety and causing his members so much stress back in 2018 was also responsible for physically assaulting Nari at the recent fan sign, Johnny remaind surprisingly calm. He was able to hold himself together enough to comfort his members and listen as they aired out their frustrations. He'd spend a while genuinely believing he was okay until his emotions built up enough that he ended up calling his mom and telling her everything that had happened. He wouldn't be able to stop talking as he explained how much he hated this part of his job and how much he respected Nari for dealing with it so well. How much he wanted to protect her from these things since she'd already been given the short straw in almost every way possible in her career. Thanks to his long call with his mom Johnny would end up feeling a lot better and he was even more encouraged than before to cheer Nari on in all she did.
The rest of the members are under the cut
Taeyong
Initial Reaction:
When Taeyong heard about the situation, more than anything he was frustrated. He wasn't quite angry or disheartened but his emotions had settled somewhere in between. He knew that the things Nari dealt with from both fans and haters were the most disturbing, degrading and hateful out of all of their members. He also knew that even though Nari was a mature adult she still remained relatively childish in certain aspects of her personality, similar to the other DREAM members. Because of this he felt as if he'd somehow failed her for letting this happen to her, even though there was nothing he could have done. He took on bits and pieces of guilt and couldn't stop himself from thinking that he should have done something more to protect Nari. Once back at the dorms Taeyong would probably spend a few hours just laying on his bed with a blank face as he thought about how Nari, and all his members, didn't deserve this kind of treatment.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Taeyong only found out about the results from the police investigation two days before he had to go to the US with SuperM. Taeyong was not happy about this at all. The only time he'd ever seen Nari actually scared was back when they were trainees and Nari had come to him saying that she couldn't sleep. This situation was already scary but finding out it was the same person from last year some how made the situation even more terrifying. Taeyong wanted nothing more than to give Nari a massive hug and reasure her that he was always here for her to come to if she was overwhelmed. But he couldnt help constantly reminding himself that he was about to travel to the other side of the world. Taeyong felt tremendous guilt that he couldn't be there for Nari when she needed the most support. He'd end up calling their managers for constant updates on both the situation with the sasaeng and Nari's health.
Yuta
Initial Reaction:
Like Taeil, Yuta was in a playful and positive mood when he heard Mark's cry of disbelief. Yuta was quick to make eye contact with their manager as his first instinct was to stop the live so they could deal with the situation as best they could given the circumstances. However Yuta's clear train of thought was interrupted when he saw the sheer amount of distress that was prevalent within the comment section of the Vlive. Despite this sudden influx of concern, Yuta was still able to focus on the immediate task of making sure Mark was okay. The overwhelming tension in Mark's reactions only acted to make Yuta more concerned for Nari. Despite this Yuta was able to keep a level head as he knew an emotional reaction was not what any of the members needed in a situation like this. Yet as soon as Yuta heard Jaemin explain what had happened at their fan sign Yuta's focus on helping his members was completely shattered by the rage that began to overtake him. He remained silent and frozen, tension building up as their manager further clarified everything that Jaemin had said. His previously tired state after the long day of schedules had almost completely disappeared as Yuta instead fond himself eager to get out of the car and run off his anger.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Yuta was well beyond infuriated when he found out. Right before the managers texted the members to inform them about the police report he'd gotten a text from his sister that contained a picture she'd taken of his display in a shop window she'd walked past. Because of this all Yuta could think about was his own little sister and how unfair it was that people had to deal with scumbags like this sasaeng. Yuta wouldn't be in the mood to talk to anyone as he blasted music through his headphones and tried to come to terms with all the horrible things Nari had gone through at such a young age.
Doyoung
Initial Reaction:
Along with Johnny, Taeyong and Haechan, Doyoung found out about the incident from their manager whilst in the car ride back to their dorms. Unlike Johnny and Taeyong, Doyoung's initial reaction wasn't anger or frustration. Doyoung quickly began throwing questions at their manager. He wanted to know exactly what happened, what the reaction was, who was involved and how their management planned to deal with the situation. It was only when the answers began to get vaguer that Doyoung's anger began to build. He'd request that SM get a restraining order for the fan and wouldn't accept any excuses or mediation. Doyoung would feel a serious amount of responsibility to make sure that the situation was dealt with properly. He would struggle as he spent a lot of time over the following hours in deep thought, analysing the situation as best he could despite his emotions constantly interrupting his logical train of thought.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Doyoung was enjoying his time at the dorms just watching dramas and enjoying some time to himself when the message got sent through. Because of this he didn't actually find out until he heard the ruckus Johnny and Haechan were making that seemed to be a bit more emotional than their normal reactions whilst gaming. Initially Doyoung wouldn't want to interrupt them, wishing for them to sort things out themselves, but after a few minutes he'd make his way into their room with the hope of helping them sort out whatever was going on. However when he found out the reason for their emotional yelling match he'd find himself in a state of disbelief that was almost instantly overridden by rage. Doyoung would remain relatively quiet in his rage but he'd be quick to act. After talking with Haechan and Johnny, he'd drop Haechan off at the DREAM dorms whilst he and Johnny went on to the SM building. Doyoung would end up letting out his anger as he spoke to their managers and Johnny would have to step in and remind Doyoung that the managers were clearly already feeling incredibly guilty alongside their current stress.
Jaehyun
Initial Reaction:
Another member who found out in a really shocking way after their Vlive was abruptly ended, Jaehyun was initially focused on making sure Mark was okay. Jaehyun managed to remain very calm as he took Mark's phone from him and talked to Jaemin. In fact, unlike the rest of the members, and even the staff and managers, Jaehyun remained calm after hearing about everything that had happened at the fan sign. He was able to thank Jaemin for telling them and remind the younger to take it easy once they got back to the dorms and let the managers look after everything. Jaehyun helped the managers organise for Mark and Haechan to stay the night in the DREAM dorms and even packed Mark's things for him when it became obvious he wasn't going to be able to do these things himself. Despite this, as soon as Jaehyun got a moment by himself after the chaos had died down, he ended up taking out his anger on his innocent bedroom wall. The whole time, unbeknownst to Jaehyun and everyone else, his anger had been slowly building up until all his emotions ended up exploding at the thought of his little sister being hurt. After punching the wall and letting out a yell of frustration Jaehyun found himself collapsing onto his bed as he began to silently cry, his hands raking through his hair.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Jaehyun felt like he'd had a bucket of ice cold water dunked over him after he read the text detailing the current information given to their managers by the police. A sense of dread and almost terror seemed to encase him as he sat in his room. What could have happened in that time he thought Nari was safe? Surely Nari would hate him for lying to her back in 2018. He'd wanted to tell her about everything but there never seemed to be a right time to do so, and all Jaehyun could think about were the constant excuses he'd come up with to keep Nari in the dark. Jaehyun could physically feel the pain of his guilt and couldn't do anything to stop his anger from mixing in with his emotions as he tried to think of a way of explaining to his little sister that he was just trying his best to keep her safe.
Jungwoo
Initial Reaction:
Jungwoo was sitting directly next to Mark in the car as they did the Vlive and drove back to their dorms. Hence, Jungwoo got very startled when Mark suddenly cried out "WHAT?!" in the middle of their Vlive. He remained shocked and concerned for Mark as the older members tried to talk to him after cutting the live short. After hearing about what happened to Nari at the fan sign Jungwoo was visibly stressed but remained silent as Jaehyun and Taeil talked to Mark and their manager about him going over to the DREAM dorms for the night. Throughout the car ride home Jungwoo wasn't really sure how to react to everything so he remained silent and let Mark talk to him. Jungwoo was mostly concerned for Nari and wanted to let her know that everyone was supporting her.
Reaction after being informed about the police investigation:
Jungwoo holds really strong memories of the incident back in 2018. He continues to blame himself for reacting in such a way that ended with Nari looking after him as his anxiety worsened during his debut. Hearing that the same person was still the cause of so much pain for his members over a year later felt like a stab in the gut for Jungwoo. Unlike the last time when he'd wanted to help Nari but been unable to, he now had the opportunity to do so. However, this time he didn't know what he should say, if anything. Jungwoo was stuck, desperately wanting to comfort Nari but not knowing how.
The second of 3 drabbles depicting what happened when Nari got back to the dorms after the events in Too Close for Comfort and the 5th instalment in the Sasaeng Archives series. I encourage you to read the previous parts first.
~
To Chenle it was as if the world had shut down.
Nothing seemed to be working in his head. He couldn’t figure out anything. Was he upset? Angry? Sad? Surely he should be but he honestly couldn’t tell what emotions were going through him at that moment.
He couldn’t smile. Couldn’t laugh. He wasn’t able to crack a joke or make fun of any of the members in a situation like this. It almost made him feel like he had somehow become a different person.
“Chenle-ah, what’s going through your head?”
Chenle had listened and followed his hyung as he brought him to the kitchen. But even after hearing the concern is Renjun’s voice Chenle still couldn’t find an answer to how he was feeling.
“It’s okay to be upset. But I want to help and I can’t if I don’t know what you’re thinking.” Renjun leant himself against the counter as he stared at Chenle. Chenle could see the remnants of tears on Renjun's face. Somehow it wasn’t the clear sign of his hyungs distraught emotions that caused Chenle to react for seemingly the first time since he left the fan sign.
“Why? Nothing happened to me though?” Chenle asked.
Renjun let out a sigh before looking down towards the ground. He knew that despite the nonchalant tone of voice Chenle had questioned him in, the boy was genuinely confused, and this made Renjun even sadder than he already was if that was possible.
“Chenle-ah. We witnessed our friend getting harassed and then watched as the perpetrator got dragged out. Even just what he was saying was enough to make me angry.” Renjun stared at Chenle, who was quick to shift his own gaze away from his hyungs.
Renjun watched on intently as Chenle’s eyebrows furrowed before slowly releasing into what he could only describe as one of the most dejected expressions he’d ever seen on his members face. He was sure Chenle was finally coming to grasps with the taxing situation that had passed today.
“It’s okay. You can talk about it later. Just make sure that you don’t keep it to yourself okay?” Renjun said in an attempt to comfort Chenle as best he could.
The subtle nod and struggle to smile that lasted less than a second prompted Renjun to pull Chenle into a hug. Chenle’s tendency to believe that he was overreacting to situations was quite similar to Nari’s own flawed perceptions. Renjun only hoped he could show both of them that their reactions to what had happened today were completely normal, and nothing they should be ashamed of.
~
Chenle could feel his emotions beginning to de clutter as he helped Renjun unpack the food that had just been delivered. He’d need to thank Renjun later for everything he’d done to help him understand what was going on in his own head.
The packet of chips Chenle held in his hand suddenly feel to the floor.
What was that? What had happened? Were his members okay?
“YAH! JENO-AH!”
Chenle instantly recognised Jaemin’s voice as he yelled out following the sudden crash that had shocked him. He could hear Renjun call out his name but his feet were already sprinting in the familiar direction of Jeno’s room.
The third of 3 drabbles depicting what happened when Nari got back to the dorms after the events in Too Close for Comfort and the 4th instalment in the Sasaeng Archives series. I encourage you to read the previous parts first.
Warnings: swearing
~
This is all my fault. This is all my fault dammit.
Jaemin, Renjun, their manager … they'd all tried to talk to him on the ride home and as the group made their way up to their dorms. Yet Jeno's lips had remained tight shut, his jaw clenched as he refused to speak. He didn't want to cause a scene. His members didn't deserve to be placed at the receiving end of his anger. He refused to cause them any more stress.
These thoughts were the only things making their way through Jeno's head as he ignored everyone and beelined for his room the second they were home. He needed to let out his anger somehow and he couldn't bear the thought of Nari and Jisung reacting in the same way they had the last time he'd exploded.
The sound of his door slamming closed escaped his conscious as he sat on his bed, his hands running through his hair, gripping to the fragile strands as he stared at the ground in front of him.
How dare they. How dare they scare Nari like that. Nari, who was always so supportive and kind. Nari who already went through so much hate. Nari who'd been through so much. She didn't deserve to have this happen to her by people who dared call themselves her fans.
"Jeno."
Jeno's head snapped to the side when he heard Jaemin's voice intruding on his chain of thoughts. He didn’t notice Jaemin entering the room. Nor had he noticed him close the door. Just like he hadn't noticed how uncomfortable Nari had become at the fan sign. He should have been paying attention. He should have been watching and looking after her.
"What I wouldn't give to …. wow he was a piece of shit."
Jaemin's voice now came from beside him on his bed. Jeno could hear the underlying anger that persisted through Jaemin's tone.
Jeno let out a disgusted laugh that held absolutely no humour in it. "Understatement of the century. How can someone end up like that? That piece of shit. He calls himself a fan and then he assaults Nari in the middle of a fan sign. He doesn't even count as a human. He just …. "
Jeno let out a sigh of frustration as his hand moved to run over his face before joining his other hand, still clenched, in his lap. He couldn't deal with this. He couldn't deal with the idea that Nari had been hurt. Right in front of him.
"Still … it's happened. There's nothing we can do about it now."
Jaemin hung his head, his words accompanied by a sigh. He wished so much that he could do something more. Something that would stop this from ever happening to Nari, to his members or to anyone ever again. Hell, he wished he could go back in time and stop it from happening in the first place. But Jaemin knew thinking this would just cause him to become even more emotional. There was no point in dwelling on these things. It was better to just let it out so they could all move forward. After all, this certainly wasn't the first time they'd had intense interactions with sasaengs and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. Right now all he wanted to do was help Jeno get through his own emotions because Jaemin absolutely hated it when any of his members were anything other than happy.
"Nothing we can do about it?"
Jeno's voice came out muffled as his gaze remained on the ground, his arms dangling between his legs. But despite the almost inaudible response Jaemin could clearly hear the disgust within his friends voice.
"Are you SM now? Nothing we can do about it …. Do you even hear yourself? We can file a lawsuit and … and we can make sure that piece of shit gets locked up … that he never sees the light of day ever again. We can …. We can … ahh!"
Jaemin found himself in a state of shock as Jeno abruptly stood up from his spot on the bed, knocking over the drink bottle that lay beside his bed, creating a loud crash as he did so. But Jeno didn't seem to care and Jaemin's emotions were quickly mixing together as his concern grew.
"YAH JENO-AH" Jaemin let out as Jeno kicked the drink bottle across his room.
"WHAT!? It's true! We never do anything when these things happen and it just keeps getting worse! What were the security even doing today?! NOTHING! They didn't do anything! They didn't even notice until I'd helped her and then …. And I didn't even notice. What was I doing?! I should have been paying attention! I should have done something. If I'd been paying attention… If I'd noticed sooner then she wouldn't have had to go through that. Why is it always Nari? Why does she always go through the worst of everything. I should have done something!"
The more Jeno let out his frustration the more Jaemin felt his heart breaking at his friends words. He understood exactly what Jeno was thinking. Of course he did. He put blame on himself as well. But he knew that logically, neither of them were at fault. No one except the sasaeng was.
"Jeno-ah," Jaemin's voice came out softer and more defeated than it had been before "There is nothing we could have done."
Looking over at his friend, Jeno could feel how broken they both were.
Their sudden silence that somehow felt even more suffocating than the earlier anger was interrupted by Chenle as the younger member burst through the door.
"What is going …"
Chenle's voice trailed off into nothing as he looked towards the pair of friends who had been screaming less than a second ago. Was that the expression he'd held a moment ago? He certainly felt as drained and defeated as they both looked.
"Hyung..."
Was Chenle talking to him or to Jaemin, Jeno couldn't tell. But the desperation in his voice was clear as day. It was undoubtedly the most crushed tone he'd ever heard from Chenle in all his years of knowing him.
"I'm sorry."
Jeno's cry came out muffled and broken, yet it seemed as though it were being projected through a speaker. It encompassed the room and Jaemin couldn't even remember walking over to his friend. He quickly sensed Chenle walk over and place a hand on Jeno's back as Jaemin desperately hugged his friend.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for yelling."
~
I may (emphasis on may) add an extra drabble about Mark and Haechan coming over but idk because I kinda really like the finality in this ending. We’ll see.
Saesang Disrupts NCT Dream Fan Sign and NCT 127 Vlive
NCT’s Nari has recently made headlines in Korean forums and on Twitter due to a sasaeng assaulting her at NCT Dream’s recent fan sign.
On September 27th NCT Dream held a fan sign in Incheon to celebrate their recently released mini album ‘We Boom’. Whilst member Haechan was unable to attend due to clashing schedules with the groups subunit NCT 127, members Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung were all present when a sasaeng managed to get through security and assault Nari.
Fans who attended the event report that an hour into the fan sign a male sasaeng fan managed to grab a hold of Nari’s wrist in an attempt to pull her towards him whilst getting his album signed. Security quickly proceeded to take the man away, however, fans wrote on twitter that the man continued to scream as he was being dragged out of the room.
After the incident occurred fans wrote to say that staff helped comfort and look after the audience of fans whilst the managers and NCT’s Renjun helped Nari backstage before she came back a while later to continue the fan sign event. Many posts from attendees report that Nari continued to smile and thank fans for their support during the rest of the fan sign.
Less than half an hour after the conclusion of NCT Dream’s fan signing event members of NCT 127 held a Vlive that was abruptly cut short after member Mark let out a distressed cry when talking on the phone with NCT Dream member Jaemin.
This caused much concern for Nari amongst fans who are currently gathering over various social media platforms to spread words of encouragement to Nari and call for an official statement and action from SM. Whilst SM is yet to release an official statement they have been quick to take down the few videos and images taken from the fan sign.
IToo Close For Comfort | Comfort Zone | Articles: Saesang Disrupts NCT Dream Fan Sign and NCT 127 Vlive | Home / Conflicted / Eccedentsiast | Articles: SM Statement and Instagram update | How Can I Love The Heartbreak? | NCT's Reactions to Nari's Sasaeng Fan (2018) | NCT’s Reactions to Nari’s Sasaeng fan (2019) | Finally...💚 | I'll be your Home
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complete timeline under cut
2018
During Promotions for Empathy Era: NCT's Reactions to Nari's Sasaeng Fan
2019
September 29th: Too Close For Comfort | Comfort Zone | Home / Conflicted / Eccedentsiast | Article: Saesang Disrupts NCT Dream Fan Sign and NCT 127 Vlive
October 1st: NCT’s Reactions to Nari’s Sasaeng fan (2019) | How Can I Love The Heartbreak?
October 2nd: I'll Be Your Home
October 3rd: Articles: SM Statement and Instagram Update | NCT DREAM Vlive announcing THE DREAM SHOW
