4 K-Pop Idols Who Almost Didn’t Debut Due To Heartbreaking Reasons

Number 3 continued thanks to the head of his agency!

The road to debuting isn’t easy, and many K-Pop idols almost didn’t debut due to heartbreaking reasons. Here are 4 of these idols.

1. Baekhyun (EXO)

It was recently announced that EXO’s Baekhyun would be enlisting in the military as a social service worker. It was also revealed that Baekhyun suffers from hypothyroidism and that this was why he ended up as a social service worker.

I decided that I should reveal (the medical condition), despite not having done so until now, because there are many people that would have asked ERIs (EXO-Ls) about why I am serving as a social service worker. There would be many people that are wondering about it, questioning if there was any special treatment or not. When I thought that I have to reveal this, thankfully, Dispatch asked about it, so I answered them!

— Baekhyun

EXO’s Baekhyun

Baekhyun also shared that he almost didn’t debut with EXO due to his hypothyroidism. Despite dealing with many hardships because of his health, Baekhyun asked fans not to worry too much about him!

As to the reason why I have not revealed it up to now, is because perhaps some biasedness would be formed against me, or that if I went through a hard time, it would be assumed that it was because of this, or if I appeared even a little bit down, ERIs might worry.

My debut with EXO was almost canceled due to this hypothyroidism. Even though there were definitely many hard times when I think about how the 20-year-old Baekhyun said without hesitation, ‘I want to debut even if I end up fainting and die on stage,’ and how the 20-year-old Baekhyun made such a promise, indicative of an impressive, maybe cringey, but amazing heart. I wanted to keep this promise to myself, and even though there were tough times, it was so enjoyable and happy, to the point where I forgot about (the medical condition) and did not want to make it obvious. I also plan to continue being happy in the future! Because I am a person who is more strong and overflowing with energy than what you think!!! Please don’t worry too much, and even if my face gets swollen or something in the future, I hope you guys think it’s cute!!!!!!!! ><

— Baekhyun

2. Jihyo (TWICE)

TWICE’s Jihyo became a trainee when she was only 8 years old, and her time as a trainee wasn’t an easy one. Jihyo was a trainee for over a decade, and she missed out on a lot of things due to it.

I lived a trainee life for so long that I barely had time to travel with my family. It makes me sad that I have no memories of my school days. I had to go straight to training after classes, so I was envious of friends going out to eat tteokbokki or hit a karaoke together after school.

— Jihyo

TWICE’s Jihyo

Jihyo was originally supposed to debut in a group called 6MIX, but this group’s debut got canceled. Once this happened, Jihyo thought about giving up.

Right before I debuted, I wanted to quit. Before TWICE, there was this team that I was a part of. When that team disbanded, I just wanted to give up.

— Jihyo

Thankfully, Jihyo got another chance to debut through the show SIXTEEN, the survival show that formed TWICE.

3. Suga (BTS)

Mnet‘s TMI News took a brief look at Suga’s journey to debuting in BTS, and it was quite a heartbreaking one. When Suga became a trainee and moved to Seoul, he struggled financially.

BTS’s Suga

He often had to decide between using whatever money he had on food or transportation. Not only that, but Suga was also selling songs at the time, but he often got ripped off.

Suga worked part-time jobs when he was a trainee due to his financial situation and so he could pay off his tuition fees. When Suga worked as a delivery man, he got into an accident that badly injured his shoulder.

The doctors told Suga that he shouldn’t do any activities that could strain his shoulder. Due to his injury and financial situation, Suga decided to quit his trainee life.

However, Bang Si Hyuk, the head of BTS’s agency, stopped Suga and told him that he would wait for his shoulder to heal. Not only that, but Bang Si Hyuk paid off Suga’s tuition fees so that he no longer had to worry too much about money. Suga continued his trainee life and eventually debuted in BTS!

4. Seulgi (Red Velvet)

Red Velvet’s Seulgi was a trainee for 7 years, and she revealed in an episode of Idol Party that she started having doubts about herself after around 3-4 years.

It was fun for the first 3~4 years, but then I came to a slump. I doubted whether or not this path was right for me.

— Seulgi

Red Velvet’s Seulgi

Seulgi began tearing up when talking about her trainee days and how tough it was for her and her family. Thankfully, Seulgi was able to keep going, and her mother was a big reason why.

I had a huge slump during the 4th and 5th years. At that time, my mom got me through, telling me, ‘You are going to make it. There is absolutely no question about that.’ My mom later told me that that was one of the most difficult times she ever faced as well.

— Seulgi