Coffee Shop’s apology for using popular Idol’s face in AI is causing even more backlash

Recently, fans discovered a photo of a popular coffee shop idol and attracted a lot of attention online.

In the photos, fans were shocked to find NCT’s Jaehyun posing as a model for Blissway Coffee.

These photos received more than three million views online with fans reporting the company en masse for using their face for AI to promote their brand.

someone used ai to create an add for their coffee brand what the heck https://t.co/m8QZq0VXUa

— rini ｡◕ ̫ ◕｡ | 주먹밥를이 (@tyongisacat_) April 7, 2026

isn’t it a copyright violation and should be reported 😠 https://t.co/l2nqlZ8eq5

— yve 🥃 (@alwaysjae0214) April 8, 2026

Report to kwangya this cafe for using Jaehyun’s image to edit it for their brand https://t.co/QOFZd8sJPH

— 🌹+🍑=❤️ MayLowkeykalat (@MayLoWrites) April 8, 2026

Not long after, the brand posted an apology online.

“Hi, I did mention this to someone who just contacted me…First of all, it wasn’t something I looked closely at, so I deleted it soon after. I apologize again for any inconvenience I may have caused. Since I didn’t proceed with any malicious intent and the celebrity was someone I was interested in, I think I was completely resemblancna. sorry.

Since I received it on request, I never even considered that it could be similar. I apologize again for causing the inconvenience. If this was done intentionally, I am undeniably guilty, but since it is not, I would be grateful for your understanding. I immediately proceeded with the deletion and reviewed the case again.

Because of my age, I didn’t realize that this was a very famous celebrity. I didn’t think much when I posted it. I didn’t even realize they looked alike so I deleted the image. I will discuss this internally tomorrow, delete this account and create a new one in the future. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience at this late hour.”

— Blissway Coffee

However, fans weren’t buying that they didn’t know who he was.

• “What is this? It’s happening at a current cafe and not a birthday cafe event?”
• “How did they manage the AI ​​so that a specific celebrity shows up?”
• “A famous person I’m not interested in? What do you mean? Does that even make sense?”
• “How is that even possible? Unless they specifically named a celebrity, are you saying that a specific idol’s face comes up when you drive AI? LOL.”

NCT