My idol, you're the one who brought me here and I love T1. I can't thank you enough. You are an example to follow, an honest and resourceful person. I'm proud to follow you.
Happy Birthday ❤️🥳 I wish you many happiness.
#HAPPY_FAKER_DAY
#Faker #페이커 #이상혁 #T1WIN

Some anti-fans resorted to violent attacks. One instance is when an antifan pretended as a fan and gave the idol a drink laced with glue, making the idol vomit and hospitalized. One squirted a mixture of vinegar and soy sauce at one idol's eyes.

Idols confessed that some of their fans felt like a prison because they were always being followed, watched, and would try to share everything about them. Some asked to be allowed at least the bare minimum of living as a human being.

There were instances that fans sent fan letters written in blood and some with hair, nails, and other things. Some female fans shaved their heads in order to follow male idols in the bathrooms.

Some fans broke into idols' dormitories and stole boxers, rampant with male idols. Some gate-crashed family events like weddings, and when the idol got upset, the fans threatened them, 'We really don't know what we'll do next.'

There are a lot of fans that intrude on idols' daily lives, called sasaengs, and these people operate in an organized network. To gather information, some work at credit card companies to get idols' personal infos.

A lot of idols suffer from eating disorders to keep their weight or cope with depression. One idol only ate salad and fruit to lose 15kg. Another just ate four quail eggs (without the yolks) and milk to lose 8kg in a month. One became meatphobic because of fear of getting fat.

There were a lot of car accidents due to excessive schedules. One idol died as he was rushing to a recording event. Another accident involved a manager speeding to get the idols to their next event, resulting in a fatal crash.

One idol suffered a waist injury, but a fan event scheduled for later that day was not cancelled, and he was only taken to hospital after the event had finished.

Most idols push themselves too far physically. One idol dislocated her shoulder after a dance performance on Inkigayo, but she completed the performance holding her hand back to prevent further damage.

Fainting is a very common occurrence in the K-pop world, and the probable cause is the crammed schedules and strict diets enforced by the company.

Idols who try to write their own songs or do their own choreography do it on their own time. They still have to perform all their events, making them even busier.

One idol confessed that his group took 15 hours to film a 33 seconds video and did it in one go without rest. Another pointed out that he had never had more than two consecutive days of rest.

Most idols are overworked, even on so-called company vacations. One idol was sick but was forced to serve as MC for the company events, and only was able to see the island when he snuck out of the hotel at 2am.

Managers abuse their power, often punishing and shouting at idol-hopefuls for minor infractions. One former trainee confessed that several of the trainees self-harmed in order to cope with the pressure.

Management shows favoritism early on, promoting a few of the members more, causing jealousy and dislike towards the more popular members and anxiety over individual fame.

Most management lacks care for trainees. One former trainee confessed that she was told to push through training despite pulling an inner thigh muscle during dance class.

Trainees live in a boarding house with about 30 other trainees, made to go on a strict diet, and attend regular weigh-ins. Many trainees still attend school while training, but most of them drop out due to the very tight schedule.

Lessons and trainings can last to 15 hours a day. A former trainee confessed that they used to have lessons from 12am to 6am.

International trainees have to experience even more difficulties as they not only have to learn Korean alongside other languages, but also endure the effects of loneliness, culture shock, and racist bullying.