SS501 singer Heo Young-saeng loses 16-year fan over birthday cafe snub

A devoted fan who has followed SS501 singer Heo Young-saeng since elementary school has publicly announced the end of their fan activities, drawing widespread attention online.

On Thursday, the operator of "Forever Young," a fan page that has supported Heo for 16 years, posted a lengthy message on social media announcing the closure of the account and explaining the reasons behind the decision.

At the end of the post, the operator wrote: "I loved him so much — the way he danced and sang on stage with sparkling eyes, someone who clearly loved performing. Thank you for being my idol for 16 long years, since I was in elementary school. Oppa was truly everything in my life."

According to the post, the operator's weariness set in while preparing a birthday cafe for Heo, whose birthday falls on Nov. 3.

A birthday cafe is a fandom tradition in which fans rent out a cafe, decorate the space and hold events around their favorite star's birthday.

"It turns out the urban legend that running a birthday cafe leads to quitting fandom is true — I find that quite surprising," the operator wrote to open the post.

The operator said it had been three years since the last birthday cafe was held for Heo, and preparations began for a new one. Three months in advance, the operator emailed Heo's team to ask whether he would be able to attend, and received a reply to the effect that, since many fans were organizing events at various venues, it would be difficult to visit any one specific birthday cafe.

Other fans continued to inquire with Heo's team about a possible visit afterward, but no positive response was given.

"I was hurt by how Young-saeng's team handled things as relayed by other fans, but I told myself he must have his own reasons and decided not to make an issue of it," the operator wrote.

Then, the day before his birthday, Heo's team sent word that they had rented a cafe themselves for him to meet fans on his actual birthday.

The operator was disappointed at not having been consulted in advance, but still went to the venue with printed materials and commemorative cup holders prepared for the birthday cafe. At the venue, the printed materials could not be displayed due to objections from Heo's team, and only the cup holders were distributed to attendees after permission was granted.

During the two-hour fan meet, Heo made no mention of the cup holders the operator had separately prepared. Near the end of the event, he reportedly said, "Thank you so much for organizing the birthday cafe. But you kept asking me to come."

"I was completely taken aback," the operator wrote. "If you say something like that in front of all the fans gathered there, what kind of person does that make me look like?" The operator added, "I only communicated indirectly by email because I didn't want to be a burden, and I feel deeply wronged."

"I have no choice but to be disappointed by the way he responded — dismissing and embarrassing me like that," the operator continued, announcing the end of fan activities. "I know that in his own way he was trying to express gratitude as best he could, but I'm worn out by the fact that this was his best."

The intent behind Heo's remarks has not been confirmed.

Online reactions to the post were mixed. "It seems like he's lost the basic empathy an artist should have," one commenter wrote, while another said, "We'd need to hear both sides, but calling him out publicly like this was too much." A third remarked, "I'm surprised he still has fans."

Born in 1986, Heo made his debut in 2005 as the main vocalist of SS501. He has since pursued solo activities, musicals and work with the project group FIVE O ONE.