The controversy over ENHYPEN member Heeseung leaving the group is showing no signs of slowing down.
On March 12, producer El Capitan (Jang Yi-jeong) posted on his Instagram, "Stop sending me stuff about Lee Heeseung. You XXXX. The kid can be XX sometimes. If you're real fans, hug him before you throw stones. Why do you keep blaming me, you stupid XX," blasting a portion of ENHYPEN’s fandom.
As the backlash grew, he edited the post to say, "Alright, XX. Go play on Twitter."
El Capitan is a former member of the group HISTORY and is currently a producer under BIGHIT MUSIC. After Heeseung’s departure, some fans alleged El Capitan encouraged Heeseung’s so-called 'artist disease'—acting like an overly self-important artiste. The producer has worked closely with Heeseung, including on his self-composed track 'Highway 1009'. As a result, it appears angry messages flooded El Capitan’s personal social media.
Reactions to El Capitan’s remarks are split among fans, with some saying, "Fans are the ones hurt by the departure—how can you tell us to hug him?" and "Still, the swearing goes too far." Others defended him, commenting, "The delusions are out of control," and "You’re just taking it out on the wrong person."
Meanwhile, BELIFT LAB announced on March 10 that ENHYPEN will continue as a six-member group—Jungwon, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki—while Heeseung will leave the team to promote as a solo artist.