ENHYPEN at the 30th High1 Seoul Music Awards (Image via Getty Images)At the beginning of July, ENHYPEN member Heesung landed himself in trouble for uttering the n-word while singing along to SZA's Love Galore. This video was posted on the band's official YouTube channel, and it divided the K-Pop idol group's fan base.When black fans voiced out against the ENHYPEN singer for using the racial slur, they began to face death threats and even racist abuse online. The group's fandom essentially turned aggressive within themselves, yet there is no word from ENHYPEN's agency, BELIFT, or Heesung.BELIFT is part of HYBE Corporation. The corporation also owns other agencies, including BTS' BigHit Entertainment and Pledis Entertainment, among others.What intensified the rising dissent online was the claim made by several fans that the racist abuse resulted in a fan's suicide.Also read: #WENDY_OUT_SNL trends as fans of the Red Velvet singer demand her release from the SNL Korea castWhy did #WeLovedEnhypen begin trending?The deceased fan's final message was reportedly posted by her father after her death, and screenshots of the same have not gone viral. As a result, the hashtag Protect Black Engenes had been trending until July 5th, when a Twitter page called Engene Protection Team posted a thread.In the thread, they asked supporters to tweet #WeLovedEnhypen to show BELIFT how much support ENHYPEN would lose by staying silent. This thread appeals to fellow fans about how much they loved the band, much before its debut and introduction through I-LAND.Most of us were fans of ENHYPEN prior to their debut. We watched their struggles on the survival show, I-LAND and continued following their journey as artists. We supported and encouraged them in every way that we possibly could.— ENGENE Protection Team (@ENbackup_) July 4, 2021#HEESEUNG pic.twitter.com/LlVohlLSio— ENGENE Protection Team (@ENbackup_) July 4, 2021We streamed their music videos, and voted for them at award shows. pic.twitter.com/peqGNqZse5— ENGENE Protection Team (@ENbackup_) July 4, 2021We made fan art of them to express our love for them. pic.twitter.com/dzweFxdKTz— ENGENE Protection Team (@ENbackup_) July 4, 2021They were artists that inspired us and motivated us. We are their fans, but in return we have been completely ignored and abandoned by them. We urge other Black fans and allies to use #WeLovedEnhypen , to show BELIFT the kind of support they will be losing.— ENGENE Protection Team (@ENbackup_) July 4, 2021This handle wrote about the letters that they had written for their idols, the merchandise they bought, and the memberships they carry to show their love for ENHYPEN. The group also claimed that they felt utterly abandoned and ignored by the band now.Also read: BTS take over Twitter trends after announcing their participation in a Louis Vuitton showThe page then urged both Black fans and allies to use #WeLovedEnhypen to show Black Engenes support.Why are fans divided over the hashtag We Loved Enhypen?The hashtag brought on a new force of Enhypen fans who claimed that people were just overreacting to Heesung singing his favorite song. Many believed that it was just an accident, not something that needed to be blown out of proportion.was on weverse just now being miserable and i found this and it sums up everything that happened so perfectly so please save this and post it a lot. also here’s the link to all the evidence of racism toward black engenes https://t.co/3P6LOZUGNM stay safe guys❤️:( #WeLovedEnhypen pic.twitter.com/OdbGDO4bPn— 𝕒𝚕𝑜ꫀ | 방탄 (@purplealoeplant) July 7, 2021#WeLovedEnhypen it’s so easy for non-black fans like myself to move on from this or ignore the situation, but we have to support the members of the black community who are suffering. don’t ignore this issue just bc it doesn’t directly impact you— belle 💛 #PROTECTBLACKENGENES (@velvetdeobi) July 7, 2021this whole situation was made a mess by non black engenes. all black engenes wanted was an explanation and apology, but instead nb engenes decided to use this as an opportunity to show their true colors and be racist as hell to black engenes 😐 #WeLovedEnhypen— 🦕 (@sunghoondilf) July 7, 2021Yall, sign this because Belift needs to make a statement. I can't accept the apology because I'm not the one who it hurts. #WeLovedEnhypen#PROTECTBLACKENGENESBELIFT Lab: BELIFT, TAKE ACTION - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/Syj7bh2pVy via @Change— a_laurel_ (@a_laurel_m) July 7, 2021if you think black fans are overreacting, imagine being slapped and slapped over and over again until you finally snap, and suddenly everyones somehow surprised that youre so upset.its that ×1000000 and yet some of you STILL punch down like nothings wrong w kpop#WeLovedEnhypen— dj 🤘(.◜◡◝) check 📌 (@jenoloft) July 7, 2021i get heesung said the n word. but y’all don’t gotta body shame him. like cmon now 😐 #WeLovedEnhypen— mo ✿ (@v4ryu) July 7, 2021This is not me trying to invalidate anyone who has been hurt by this situation. The company handled it terribly and all the anti blackness that has been going on is absolutely disgusting.As I said I'm simply saying this bc it helped me feel more comfortable again— Mika || Han Jisungs waist fan club (@stoopidstan) July 4, 2021see this is what i mean #WeLovedEnhypen BUT it doesnt change the fact they ignored the situation after so many attempts for clarification https://t.co/PRKIyi4rkb— . (@kpopimo) July 7, 2021Idk what to say about this but people have been saying similar things for the past few days #WeLovedEnhypen pic.twitter.com/Ml4mg78vs1— ʟᴇᴇʟᴇᴇ🤠 (@YOON1K93) July 7, 2021However, the n-word is a term that has for years been used to oppress the Black community, and it is only recently that they have reclaimed the word. Evidently, its usage belongs to them and their culture.Other fans must understand where the Black fans came from when they voiced out against Heesung.Also read: Show Must Go On trends after BLACKPINK Lisa shares a neon sign, fans wonder if it's a sign at something biggerDid a Black Engene leave suicide note on TikTok?Instead, Black fans faced online abuse and racial abuse, allegedly leading to the death of a fan. This death was what had started the Protect Black Engene trend on Twitter. The constant bullying and online abuse they face have come to the forefront.screenshots from tiktok explaining the situation. pic.twitter.com/Qa0uwGOVCX— Black Engenes (@blackengenes) June 29, 2021and invalidated. you will all hear us and understand how serious this situation really is. protect black engenes.— Black Engenes (@blackengenes) June 29, 2021we’re not sure if their death is confirmed but there’s definitely a high chance of it already being done, sadly. this is why we have to take action now. we have to stop this before more damage is done.— Black Engenes (@blackengenes) June 29, 2021The bullying was reportedly also prevalent on the fan interaction app Weverse. Black fans were also reported to be victims of extreme racial abuse on the app.It was alleged that Weverse curbed the use of hashtags that asked for protection against abuse while posts that were racist were not even moderated.It must also be noted that the death of the fan has not been officially confirmed. A few from the community had claimed they had seen the final words from the fan and posted about it on TikTok.Screenshots of the same were then shared on Twitter. But nothing is confirmed as yet.