"I Didn't Know It Was Like That"... Idol Breaks a Sweat After Posting Pepero Photo

Photo of Pepero products posted to celebrate Pepero Day
Turns out to be condom products similar to Pepero packaging
Eric "I didn't know it was like that" explains with a nervous sweat

Group The Boyz member Eric (left) and a photo he posted on the 11th, giving Pepero to fans in celebration of Pepero Day. The Boyz official Instagram, online community

Group The Boyz member Eric experienced an unfortunate incident on November 11, 'Pepero Day,' when a photo he posted featured a condom product instead of Pepero.

On the 11th, several online communities posted a thread titled "Idol's Big Disaster Posting Condoms Thinking They Were Pepero." The author, A, shared a photo Eric posted for his fans, saying, "Eric writes handwritten letters every year on Pepero Day and tweets them along with Pepero, but this year, the Pepero he bought was like this. Oh no, what should I do?" The revealed photo showed a box resembling a Pepero product along with a heartfelt handwritten letter.

The issue was that the product was not Pepero snacks but condoms. This product was created by Barun Saenggak, a company dedicated to developing content for proper sexual culture, in collaboration with GS25 to promote healthy sexual culture. The outer packaging closely resembles actual Pepero, carrying a message to help people naturally encounter various products encouraging healthy sexual life in their daily lives. This product was sold only temporarily until today, the 11th.

Group The Boyz member Eric. The Boyz official Instagram

Upon realizing this later, Eric deleted the post and personally explained to his fans. He began by saying, "Honestly, I’m so embarrassed and ashamed right now that I plan to hide in a mouse hole for a week." He continued, "After work today, I went to the convenience store in front of the dorm and picked it from where Pepero was displayed outside, but I didn’t know. I really didn’t know what it was or that it was something like that," he explained again. Then he apologized, saying, "There were many Pepero options, but since it said 'Dear.', it reminded me of The Boyz’s fan song 'Dear,' and I thought it would be perfect to write 'Dear. TheB' in the blank space, so I chose it. Sorry if it surprised anyone." He ended the post with, "Well then, I’m off to hide in the mouse hole."

Netizens who saw the post responded with various comments such as, "It really looks like Pepero to anyone," "It’s dizzying to think it was shared at work," "It’s understandable to be confused," "I almost bought that too," "Barun Saenggak’s unexpected marketing," and "Now that Eric bought it, I kind of want to buy it too."

Meanwhile, Barun Saenggak had previously produced condoms disguised as tomato ketchup and hot sauce in 2019. This product was designed to change condom packaging so that teenagers would not face negative perceptions when purchasing or carrying condoms. Photos of these products caused a big sensation on various social media platforms but were used only for campaigns and were not actually sold.