After everything EXO-Ls have been through this year, I think we all deserve a drink. Amidst fighting antis and haters we somehow managed to get married, have a baby and now we are going to the military for the third time! I mean, we just had a kid! Can we get a break please? The Korean government says no. And so EXO’s Suho (Kim Junmyeon) is leaving May 14th to serve his compulsory service. Although we knew it was coming, the sting is still there. And while he is not the first member to enlist, this one hits different. There is a sense EXO is truly on hiatus now. We are losing another member and yet another amazing vocalist. But perhaps what hurts the most, what leaves us with the most dread is realizing EXO will be losing their leader.
First, let’s talk about just not having Suho in a performance. Suho could easily be a main vocalist. It’s the same with Xiumin. That’s just how special EXO is. Not only does Suho sing with heart pounding feeling, he also handles high notes really well. He has a lot of control over his voice without sacrificing any of the soul or emotion that goes into a song. Moreover, you truly get the feeling that he enjoys singing and being on stage, and therefore he is exciting to watch. Suho is part of the reason EXO was able to carry on as six, especially after losing D.O. who actually is a main vocalist. But now to not have Suho there, and to have to sing his parts in songs as well, that is a huge blow.
Suho is like a shield for EXO; he is the one who normally ends up taking the bullets. Whenever things go wrong, Suho always gets hit with the blame. If any EXO member experiences a slight discomfort, netizens are quick to viciously attack Suho. When Kris, Tao, and Luhan left the group, Suho shouldered that blame. He blamed himself for the members leaving, feeling as though their loss was a reflection of his failed leadership. Netizens were even quick to “blame” him for Chen getting married and having a family. Why didn’t Suho stop him? If that’s Suho’s doing, can he set me up with one of his hot friends too? Regardless of whether or not something is actually his fault, he takes on a lot of EXO’s burdens and carries these burdens along with the members.
It takes a very strong and selfless person to take on the brunt of all that negativity. But despite all this toxicity, one of the admirable things about Suho is that he is very kind and gentle. He’s like a soft little bunny rabbit. He is always caring, encouraging, and comforting. There are many examples of Suho uplifting his members. During EXO Arcade, Suho was on a team with D.O., Kai, and Sehun. Suho’s team lost and Sehun was very upset about it. But Suho comforted him, and Sehun calmed down.
They lost the next game too, by the way.
In addition, Kai and Suho did a collaboration with some of the Stranger Things cast members, Caleb and Gatin. This could have been very awkward. Caleb and Gatin are both American teens who don’t speak a word of Korean. Kai speaks zero English. They all could have gotten away with just awkwardly standing next to each other in silence. But they all seemed quite comfortable with each other. I would contribute that partly to Suho. Caleb and Suho were teamed up together, and my heart was warmed by how Suho took care of Caleb. He made sure that the food they ate was vegan for Caleb. Suho asked Caleb, in English, how his trip to Korea was going so far. That really impressed me. Suho wasn’t just being superficially nice, he was actually taking a personal interest in this Western kid who is almost half his age, comes from the other side of the world, has a completely different cultural background, and who speaks a different language. I was so touched! Please hug this man if you see him.
However, while Suho is very gentle, he’s also not afraid to speak his mind and go to war when he has to. Suho is always there to protect his members and stand up for them. The EXO members have all been quite outspoken when it comes to their opinions on their company, SM Entertainment, both what they appreciate, as well as their frustrations. Perhaps none more so than Suho. And while we hope SM and EXO continue to maintain peace with each other, if EXO has to go to war with SM, Suho is definitely someone you want in your corner. Not many people who stand up to SM end up keeping their heads. When Kris, Tao, and Luhan left EXO and filed lawsuits against SM, they ended up losing those lawsuits. Baekhyun expressed his opinions to Lee Soo Man, and was scolded for three and a half hours.
It’s hard to go against SM and win. But with Suho on your team, you actually stand a chance. Suho doesn’t mince words when it comes to SM. He gives his opinion, good or bad, and dares them to say something. And apparently, nobody has scolded Suho for airing SM’s dirty laundry since he continues to call them out with no repercussions.
I love the fact that he wants to say more, but only stops because he says he’ll be the director of SM in the future.
Even Lee Soo Man has taken notice.
Suho definitely has this bossy aura where he knows his worth, he has ambitions, and he’s not afraid to criticize those in power. Suho openly expressed his frustrations on national television over SM downgrading him to a regular room, instead of allowing him to stay in suite room as was the case in the past. SM calls this “minimalism” which is such a meme. Where do you think you get your money from, SM? You know what, I should calm down.
Then, a month or so later, this happened…
The best part is, after dragging SM on national television and getting a suite room, he then said it’s not that big of a deal after all. If this isn’t straight gangster, I don’t know what is.
To be honest, however, this criticism can be a bit awkward, even to simply watch. Some EXO members are more comfortable expressing their frustrations than others. But as the leader, Suho is the main one to go to SM and speak on behalf of his members. For the members who are on the more timid side, it is good to have someone who is more outspoken as a representative. Someone who can voice their opinions so eloquently and confidently and fight on their behalf. And again, it puts Suho in front of the firing squad in lieu of the others.
EXO-Ls have four emotions. Happiness, crying, fighting, and hating SM. We all have frustrations with EXO’s management, as well as all the toxic fans that are always trying to drag EXO down. But perhaps we can rest a bit easier knowing that EXO sees what is going on, perhaps better than we do. Not only that, they have a leader who has no fear of SM or any ugly keyboard warrior. They have a leader who is willing to fight for EXO’s best interests. As frustrating as things may seem, at least they have Suho to help fend for them.
But EXO feels a bit more exposed now. Their guardian and shield will be gone for 21 months. What will they do without his presence? Let’s not think of that. EXO is a very resilient group and they will survive their enlistment era. They have gone through worst. What I love about Suho, and EXO as a whole, is that we can see their growth and evolution. Boss chick 2020 Suho is not the same as circa 2012/2013 Suho. Through his trials and experiences, Suho and the rest of EXO have grown. They have grown musically, emotionally, and career wise. We can see that in the quiet confidence they all possess, a confidence that was not there in 2012, 2013, or even 2015. It is exciting to see how EXO has gone from being green rookies, to really cool sunbaenims that a lot of younger artists look up to. Someday, EXO will again stand on the stage as 9. Until then, pass the soju please.
BONUS: Here’s an older clip of Suho and RM complaining about their kids at the PTA meeting: