'Hit The Road': Seventeen's docuseries offers insight into heartbreaking effects of touring on Dino and Wonwoo
K-pop group Seventeen are airing out their struggles and celebrating their victories in their new documentary titled, 'Hit The Road'. The teaser for their documentary promises an emotional rollercoaster ride for the group's fandom, Carats, because it showed the members who are usually always energetic and smiling brightly in tears due to both physical exhaustion and dealing with the stress of being an idol.
Despite having shown bits and pieces of what their lives are like on other shows, Seventeen has never laid it all bare quite like this. The teaser gave fans a few glimpses of what was to come including showing the group's choreographer and performance team leader Hoshi, known for being a bundle of joy usually, needing to hype himself up before going on stage, telling himself, "You need to go on stage smiling."
Fellow member DK, also known for being one of the members who is always smiling and joking around, also revealed that he found his image of being "seemingly dumb" a little hurtful. Hoshi was also shown using an oxygen mask following one of their strenuous routines, as well as Wonwoo laying on the floor while his members rush to his aid, stating, "Make way! Filming isn’t a priority now! Make some room!" Group and hip-hop team leader S Coups also had fans bawling after a short clip showed him saying, "I hated myself during those times." While it was unclear what specifically he was referring to in that clip, it is commonly known that the position of leader is an extremely difficult role to fulfill within the K-pop industry for a wide range of reasons, including additional responsibility and needing to be the group's representative no matter what situations they find themselves in.
Carats have been showering the group with love and praise since the teaser dropped. One fan stated, "Thank u for making my life happy with ur smiles. u are precious for me. Thank u for ur hard work always. Thank u for everything. u deserve a lot and a lot. u deserve the world. I'm grateful,because I'm a carat,and support wonderful people like u. ilysm @pledis_17 #HIT_THE_ROAD," while another said, "I can't stress this enough, but seriously svt is one of the best thing that ever happened in my life."
Following the release of Episodes 1 and 2 on the group's official YouTube channel, fans are getting an in-depth look into the work that goes into creating Seventeen's music and performances. Episode 1 features Woozi, the group's producer and the leader of their vocal team, revealing how he rarely gets a moment of rest, instead of spending his time monitoring their performances. The artiste delves into the difficulties that go along with his responsibility in creating Seventeen's music, but as fans watched the episode they couldn't help but notice how much love Woozi had for his craft.
One fan shared, "The way he smiled unknowingly talking about his love for music and working with music... seems like his happiness is working hard / I leave my heart with relief knowing it is his happiness. I’m not worried anymore:)" while another said, "For woozi, thank u for working hard from the beginning until now." Episode 2 gave Carats a terrifying glimpse into the physical and mental toll touring takes on the members, with Dino suffering from severe stomach pains and fever that causes him to be absent from Seventeen's show in Makuhari, Japan, and Wonwoo collapsing backstage right before the show after a bout of dizziness and shortness of breath. Despite this, Wonwoo pushes through because he does not want to disappoint his fans, stating they're his "priority".
"Wonwoo is too thoughtful istg," tweeted one fan, while another said, "More than incomplete members, I think actual fans would be more sad to know that not only do they spend a lot of time to give us their best output, they also push themselves and their bodies just to please us. Lord that hurts so much."
Earlier in the episode, Carats got to hear about Wonwoo's inner thoughts, including his insecurities and how Seventeen helped him feel like he finally had a place where he belonged. One fan tweeted, "SEVENTEEN is not just a group they are a whole FAMILY wonwoo himself said that in seventeen he didn't feel out of place at all and the members always made him stand out even if he doesn't try to and they helped him to overcome his own struggles I'M CRYING," and another said, "We love you Jeon Wonwoo! we are also your comfort! #HIT_THE_ROAD #SEVENTEEN@pledis_17."
Following the two episodes, fans couldn't help but praise the idol group for their tireless work. "Touched by your hard work, what you always show is the best for carat. Carat always loves you SEVENTEEN," tweeted one fan, and another said, "I'm proud of you seventeen, my Kings."