In a recent episode of Super Junior-D&E’s YouTube channel, fans were treated to a nostalgic reunion between NCT’s Ten and his former labelmates, Eunhyuk and Donghae of Super Junior.
As the trio reminisced about their shared experiences under SM Entertainment, unexpected revelations came to light.
Donghae and Eunhyuk’s Departure
Donghae and Eunhyuk, who departed from SM Entertainment to establish their own agency, ODE Entertainment, last year, shared candid anecdotes about their transition.
donghae: “i met ten when he was a trainee. he was so cute back then. he couldn’t even speak korean”remember when ten said his fav hyung and role model was dongahe bcs he took care him well ☹️♡ pic.twitter.com/jD9qWoh5uM
— jane十♡ (@tenacesthic) April 5, 2024
donghae and eunhyuk told that their fingerprint are being removed since they left the company.ten: “ah that’s too much. we’re still doing smtown tho.. so im gonna like this?”*act if his fingerprint aren’t detected* pic.twitter.com/JanDITUuPL
— jane十♡ (@tenacesthic) April 5, 2024
Amidst the casual banter, a seemingly innocuous question from Donghae sparked a viral moment.
When asked about his future plans within SM Entertainment, Ten’s response, “100% leaving,”sent shockwaves through the K-pop community, igniting speculation about his contractual status.
#ten: being in the same company with the hyungs…although they’re in different companies nowd&e: *reacts* we even did smtown together/why are you acting like thisten: kidding kiddingdh: are you not leaving (sm) later?ten: ah, i will leave. 100% 100%pic.twitter.com/fEDBkBsZdr
— ten pabo (@tenpabo143) April 5, 2024
Lost in Translation?
However, as fans dissected the exchange, it became apparent that the remark might have been lost in translation.
ten: since i was young, i wanted to be in the same company with hyungs, but now it maybe not same anymoredonghae: are u going to leave the company after this?ten: 100%.. 100% outeunhyuk: 100% left out from sm??ten: 😄😅😅 pic.twitter.com/CQjnvU3iFF
— jane十♡ (@tenacesthic) April 5, 2024
With Ten admitting to language barriers and a misunderstanding of the question, the viral moment took on a new perspective, highlighting the complexities of cross-cultural communication in the entertainment industry.
eh: you’re leaving the company, 100%?ten: 🙅😂#ten later clarifies that it’s because his korean language skills is not good 😂pic.twitter.com/fEDBkBsZdr
— ten pabo (@tenpabo143) April 5, 2024
Awaiting Clarification
As fans eagerly await further clarification from Ten or SM Entertainment regarding his contractual status, the incident serves as a reminder of the fine line between casual conversation and speculation in the world of K-pop.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE FANS’ COMMENTS:
Ten is truly the money maker to SM bucket by very low cost of company’ s investment. He’ like the gem of K-pop but been hind st the dorm for 8yrs. till it’s time to dig money fm him, coz no one now! He wld deserved better!!
It was not an accident lmao. He said it with his CHEST!
It can’t be cause he wasn’t good in Korean…He has been in the is us try for quite some time now so his skills would’ve been better. I doubt it was an accident but he said it with his chest!
act like i am surprised
So suddenly, yesterday SM announced the 40 towns realtime TEN FANCON in movie theatres across Japan as the ticket in real venue was in very high demand and no more ticket left. He’s truely the money maker with very low cost of maintenance for the company,maybe he deserved better.
Until official confirmation or debunking of the viral declaration emerges, the fate of NCT’s Ten within SM Entertainment remains uncertain, leaving fans on tenterhooks.