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WayV Lucas on 'hiatus', SME responds with his statement after gaslighting allegations

Lucas on hiatus, says he is reflecting on his actions after three alleged fans accused him of gaslighting

Lucas is a part of not one but 3 groups under SM Entertainment. He is a member of NCT and its Chinese sub-unit WayV, as well as SM’s supergroup SuperM that includes members of SHINee, EXO, and NCT. Other than that, Lucas has also been very popular as a brand ambassador for international luxury brands like Burberry.

Despite all of his successful ventures, an alleged girlfriend of Lucas broke Twitter on August 23 when she posted a thread on the social media app that had all the "evidence" proving how Lucas had been gaslighting her over the past few months. OP (original poster) said that she was his fan before they dated but soon after they broke up, all the issues started.

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SM Entertainment responds

Two days since the scandal first broke fans had constantly asked for clarification from the label. Initially, SM Entertainment has refrained from commenting on the controversy but as the controversy kept spouting the agency has finally given its official statement. In the statement, the label gave out their response to the scandal and said that it is with regret that they inform that they have canceled all promotional activities as well as the release of Lucas' sub-unit collab with Hendery of WayV titled, 'Jalapeno' which was scheduled to be released at 6 pm on August 25th. SM also added, "Lucas is deeply reflecting on the fact that he has caused great hurt and disappointment due to his wrong actions." They said they also feel a strong sense of responsibility for the lack of artist management on their part and are deeply apologetic for causing concern to so many fans.

Lucas posted his own apology to his personal Instagram account that was included in the official statement from the label. In his post, Lucas said, "I sincerely apologize to those who have been hurt by my wrong actions. If given a chance, I would like to express my apology directly to the people involved. I am sincerely sorry to the fans who have given me a lot of love and support through this incident." He said, "I want to make sure that this does not happen again, and I am going to stop all scheduled activities and have time to reflect."

In the past, many idols have paused to reflect on their actions despite them being innocent. Many other idols have also given out apology statements for allegations that were later proved fake. Fans of Lucas hope this apology is similar to those and wish for SM Entertainment to examine the incident in more detail.

Lucas accused of gaslighting

OP accused Lucas of exploitation even after they had broken up as she claims that he started asking her to book hotel rooms under her name, buy him what he needed and told her that he could not use his credit card as he was famous.

After all, this and more was posted, fans did what they do best and investigated all the evidence only to find out that the voice notes from Lucas were posted by him on a social media site. Pictures of conversation were also not deemed as accurate evidence as those too could be fabricated. Many claimed that the sleeping photo of him that OP posted was taken in WayV’s dorm.

Second alleged victim speaks up

Another girl has spoken up claiming to be Lucas’ ex-girlfriend and has a similar story to tell. Only her evidence seems tangible. She accused him of manipulating her emotions and trying to make a fool out of her. She said she met him at a fan sign and they connected. Soon after she claims they started seeing each other casually and he made demands for luxury items from her, badmouthed his friends and group members to gain her sympathy.

She says that she was going to stay silent about these things but after seeing the first victim, she had felt the need to speak up. Even after all this, SM Entertainment has made no comment about this and has declined from giving a response or statement. Lucas is set to release ‘Jalapeno’ on August 25 with Hendery, another member of WayV. 'Jalapeno' was going to be promoted with a special live broadcast. The broadcast was abruptly canceled due to the scandal.

A third alleged victim comes forward

After this on August 24, a third victim came forward to accuse Lucas. All these stories overlapped but fans were curious about the authenticity of the evidence and wondered if all three of them were the same person.

Fans state that it is very likely to have fake chats and fabricated text conversations. Not one of the three victims had a picture with Lucas as fans said that one would take photos with their lover. Other photos released by the second victim could also be acquired from friends of Lucas, “sasaengs” (Korean stalkers), or corrupt staff. It is the agency’s responsibility to clarify the entire situation. Fans claim SM Entertainment has failed to do.

More drama in this ongoing controversy

While the previous allegations have not been confirmed nor denied, Lucas has been receiving major backlash from the public as the accusations continue to build. His largest Chinese fan club also announced their resignation in light of the scandal, adding to the severity of the ongoing situation.

The OP who first posted the exposé is now glad she did so. She has provided additional screenshots of conversations with Lucas and records of him trying to reach out to her and clarify as she laughs at his fans who ‘debunked’ her evidence and claimed it to be false.