“Another win”: NCT’s Taeyong seen with a vape in now-deleted official photo has fans rolling out meme-worthy content

K-pop idols’ lives are constantly under scrutiny, but for NCT’s Taeyong and his fans, social media is witnessing a unique take.

On February 28, NHK’s program Venue101, posted behind-the-scenes photos of NCT’s latest appearance on the show as part of their comeback promotions for Ay-Yo. While all the members looked great, Taeyong’s photo created the buzz as hawk-eyed fans noticed the artist holding a vape in his hand.

Rather than criticism or negative comments, fans wondered how such an image would make it to a media company’s Instagram. They also began posting memes and joking around.

Some fans found out about the vape company and soon noticed that it had sold out. The group’s fandom, NCTzens, made humorous comments about the situation.

NHK deletes NCT’s Taeyong’s photo with the vape after fans bring it to notice

The saga of NCT members caught with a vape in official photos continues. In the past, Johnny was apparently seen holding a vape when he posted a selfie. Sometime later, fans noticed Taeyong teasing Johnny with a no-vaping sign at the airport. The clip is currently going viral on Twitter.

The clip’s virality is because a photo of the NCT leader chilling with a phone and a vape in his hand began trending on social media. NHK’s official Instagram post had behind-the-scenes photos of the NCT 127 members, who guested on their show Venue101 recently for Ay-Yo promotions.

Upon finding the vape in the NCT leader’s hands, the fandom naturally went into a frenzy. As it caused much buzz on the internet, NHK deleted the photo from their account. However, fans already had the picture saved.

Though agency officials might believe that the mistake would cost Taeyong his reputation, the NCTzen fandom had a completely different reaction. First, the fans sold out the vape that the NCT leader held in his hands.

Second, they posted hilarious tweets commenting about the color of the vape, the fact that fans had sold out of that particular product, and the leader's speculative reaction to discovering that his vape product was no longer available on the market. Some fans even tweeted about whether Taeyong could do vaping tricks better than them.

Meanwhile, the NCT leader is the fourth member to be caught under smoking or e-smoking conversations after Johnny. Back in October 2020, fans noticed a pack of cigarettes in Lucas’ shirt pocket. Prior to that, he also accidentally flashed the pack during a livestream. A few months later, in December 2020, Jungwoo was caught smoking too.

However, just like finding the situation funny during Lucas’ time, fans reacted similarly to Jungwoo’s smoking scandal. The same pattern can be seen with Taeyong today. This pattern stems from fans acknowledging that their favorite idols are also adults and don’t need to be told what’s right or wrong.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

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