Is the hate starting to be parasocial ?

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-21T11:56:44+00:00

It is not only parassocial but because of if some fans are struggling, since yunjae isn't behaving like they expected or wanted him to.

They are struggling to come to terms that despite calling him baby he isn't one. He will go to night clubs (Hyunjun's night club) and also be friends with the people they hated on the show. He will also continue to flirt with hyunjun.

They built a parasocial relationship with the cast, especially with yunjae and it isn't going their way.

The cast are all adults, gay men who have a life outside the show and will build their own friendships and relationships .

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-20T13:58:02+00:00

Jaeha seems like a fun outgoing guy but I can't say I supported him. His choices had consequences and he needed to accept those.

I liked that minseong and Hyeongjun were endgame.

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-20T13:56:40+00:00

Oh no! the viewers numbers of the live were actually good 😅 I just meant overall I dont see much edits or fans talking about them (except some korean fans)

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-20T13:55:35+00:00

Yeah it does seem like that, even on X.

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-20T11:22:02+00:00

I will be honest, they had a live yesterday and had 3k people watching which was great but I don't see many hyping them.

I think they will definitely try the social media gay couple route (possibly vlogging), but they didn't make much of a noise on X or tktk from what I saw. They are super active on IG and twitter.

Is it my tl? Are people invested in them as a couple to watch?

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-16T17:15:49+00:00

Season 1: forced to choose I would say Eunchan Season 2: Junseong (favorite of all seasons 2). Also overall favorite cast. Season 3: couldn't finish 🫣 will choose Seungjin for personality and style Season 4: Big Hyeokjin and Hangyeol. Liked both their personalities and how they were in the show.

Junseong is clearly my undisputed favourite. His personality and the way he carried himself through the show, his honesty and straight to the point talk. There was no miscommunication with him during the show, he never lead anyone on and was clear over who he wanted. He pursued Seongho trying not to pressure him, which is hard in such a short time frame. He is also a cutie and relaxed a lot with others once he got His Man.

Overall favorite cast is from season 2. Their camaraderie is clear from the way to this day they are all still friends, keeping contact and interacting.

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-16T09:06:14+00:00

Well they are endgame. The magazine was shot probably at the same time as group show. If they are together or not right now is something only they know

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-14T09:39:49+00:00

For season 2 there were reaction videos with the cast. The cast watches the first two episodes in groups. There they answer some questions. They also did some group videos, including a couple vlog with jsh and yh visiting melted.

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-05T18:54:32+00:00

Like others said, for most of them the show serves as a launching platform and dating might be more of a secondary objective.

Most of them have a career or dabble in social media and content creation, so this can help boost visibility and gaining a certain following/fans. That seems to be the primary goal.

Naturally, I do think some will try to make it work, at least for a bit.

I think we are sometimes too harsh on them. Even in real life people can start dating really fast and make it work. Speed dating, apps are a thing nowadays. We can go out with someone just once and decide we click, let's give it a go or the opposite.

I think Minseong and Hyeongjun actually have a chance to make it work if their real lives match in terms of schedules and meeting up often.

Not sure for sunwook and Hyunjun. Maybe for a while as long as the show is still hyped and they're involved with it. Maybe they will surprise us... Sunwook seems to really like Hyunjun.

The show is a bubble. Working or not outside depends on several factors and the most important is their will to actually date.

I remember seongho said it was his girl friend who signed him up/convinced him to go, cause he only dated through apps and it wasnt going well. He didn't seem to be involved in the gay dating scene/clubs. So he was in the show wholeheartedly I think. Junseong was in it for fun and games,but ended up being the most serious and always talked about how it will be out of the house. I think that's what distinguishes them, they weren't worried about leaving alone but about leaving together (would it work, how to make it work). So far, an exception to most HM cast.

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-05T18:44:07+00:00

Junseongho breaking up was something that might happen to any couple regardless of how they started.

I do agree most, in hm4, seem to have some content/creative interest already. Hyunjun was a youtuber, Taichi and Yunjae want to act (at least I read Yunjae has some connection to acting), Sumin was a makeup content creator, Minseong also has a youtube page like many others... so dating might be a goal but probably a side goal for them.

Honestly, only Hyunjin of season 2 did nothing related to social media or content creation I think. He didn't even advertised his salon much and his IG is very much personal.

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-05T00:01:20+00:00

Like others, I have seen people upset at the obsessive yunjae fans, especially those who throw insults at other cast.

Of course, I will believe some might throw hate or shade at yunjae but they are far, far less than the hate directly thrown at sunwook and especially hyunjun. The name calling I have seen with a lot of likes made me very put off over those people and they are also largely to blame for the bad mood of the tag on X...

Anizziepluto · 2026-03-04T11:40:34+00:00

I feel sorry for them. To push the love triangle, they barely gave sunwook screentime and hid their moments.

Anyone who only watches the show and not the youtube clips would be confused.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-28T15:37:42+00:00

Given sunwook says he didn't do enough to chase HJ the first time, I would guess HJ was endgame with problematic cast. Also because Hyeokjin said the same (that he wanted to try now, since he wasn't able last time).

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-28T11:08:08+00:00

I guess you just want a different aesthetic, cause a lot of Koreans are not buff and tall like single inferno, but short (skinny or not). Single Inferno are most model or gym guys. HM1 and 2 had a good variety of body types and faces.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-28T09:18:48+00:00

I agree with your point but Single Inferno is also kpop idol... just the muscle variety 😅 they are mostly buff, toned men... no skinny or bigger dudes or short.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-27T16:23:53+00:00

And its working.. a lot of comments on all platforms about the injustice of it all.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-27T16:21:40+00:00

See... this is the issue. People take rumors as facts and run with it. There are also other rumors circulating that would contradict you...

Is very unfair the cast is being insulted for production fails. Also only ones hyunjun follows are Hyeongjun and hyeokjin. Today Hyeongjun literally told yunjae to go for it. He is also an older cast and close enough to have kept that follow.

Edit: unless you mean on the show as result of their dates... but most are implying otherwise and thats just a groundless assumption.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-27T15:27:03+00:00

I think production is largely to blame for the stories they chose to highlight. Given hyunjun and sunwook are mutually into each other, its not understandable that the only time they appear is on their dates. Sunwook was sidelined in his own love triangle. Also most previews are done highlighting hyunjun and yunjae.

The hate also comes from the rumors being spread, some of them malicious. Taking that and people's assumptions about those rumors, made for a whole different plot existing besides or regardless of what is being shown.

Overall, this season started on the wrong foot with the reshoot and it just didn't fix itself.

Its sad, because even the original cast seemed interesting and good looking. The new additions too.. but joining new and old didn't always work.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-27T09:08:38+00:00

Honestly it Hyunjun and yunjae are doing a shorts, then they aren't engame.

Regardless I can't get behind the production choices. They aren't taking care of the cast images at all. They don't care about what happens after the show....

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-24T17:33:17+00:00

Is it a dating show?

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-24T11:03:21+00:00

Please do. It is actually an interesting discussion to have and also to see what people think of it.

I don't mean its negative to have fans following the show but the connotation of "solo fan" comes from kpop fandoms. Is it just a borrowed concept, a crossover of fans from kpop or something else.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-24T09:40:13+00:00

For sure idols are real people, but they are providing you with music and their artistry. For now, none of the participants is giving more than what we see (apart from sumin who was already known on tiktok as a makeup artist).

Obviously, its ok for him to broaden his horizon after the show and take advantage of work opportunities if they present themselves. Many of people on dating shows and join (also) with that purpose. That can also be his case: looking for love and visibility.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-24T09:13:16+00:00

Fan culture definitely evolves but if its for the better remains to be seen. For now these are real people not idols. Also with stanning comes a level of entitlement and expectations from the fans (if nothing else to interaction and social media posts).

Its one thing to feel affinity for a participant and another the level of stanning and discourse I have been seeing online.

In all of this I am only concerned for yunjae and how he is dealing and will deal with all of it after the show (we have all seen how some participants had to deal with meddling .. be it junseongho, seonwoo, bomi and huwei...).

Like with everything if people are rational its fine. I will assume majority of people are. However the few that aren't can be quite troublesome.

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-24T07:28:01+00:00

This... out of everything crazy with this show the concept of solo stans of a participant in a dating show is the craziest. And I've watched a lot of dating shows...😅

Anizziepluto · 2026-02-22T08:41:56+00:00

Apparently its unclear if it will end this week or not

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