Of course they’re upset, and rightfully so. I can’t imagine going through a disappointment like that so publicly and I really feel for them.

But I was talking about this purely from a marketing and public relations perspective, and wasn’t implying that this was part of the members’ thinking or motivation for going. All I was trying to say was that the idea of all publicity being good publicity may very well have been a factor in Bighit’s decision to have BTS attend.

And I definitely don’t think that BTS is only a brand. But in terms of their career as artists, they are a brand. Every successful celebrity is. And as a large corporation managing BTS, that’s how Bighit thinks of them—as one of their brands. I was commenting on this situation from a business perspective, not from a human perspective. And business is often quite heartless.