A K-Pop girl group idol caught attention by honestly sharing her pre-debut days of obscurity and financial struggles, drawing sympathy from fans and netizens.
Recently, OH MY GIRL‘s Hyojung appeared as a guest on Cao Lu‘s YouTube channel and opened up about various stories.
She recalled the time she first lived independently after about five years of living in the OH MY GIRL dormitory. “Back then, I had almost no money,” she said. “I started my first solo living in a 7-pyeong officetel studio. It was such a small space that the bed and the kitchen were right next to each other.”
However, she did not remember those days as all hardship. Hyojung reminisced, “I really liked that space. I was very happy.” She added, “Whenever work came my way, I worked hard with gratitude. I also tried not to spend money extravagantly.” She continued, “Thanks to the money I saved little by little, I was able to move into a 24-pyeong apartment on a lease now,” warming hearts.
Her debut process was not smooth either. Hyojung said, “Looking back, 21 years old is not that old, but back then, it was considered a late age in the girl group market.” In fact, she was often eliminated from auditions because of her age. “Several companies told me, ‘We don’t hire people over 20 years old,’” she revealed. “I kept failing auditions and began to think, ‘Am I really no good?’”
In the end, with a mindset that it was her last chance, she participated in a joint audition where many agencies gathered in one place. “I thought if I didn’t make it here, I would have to give up on becoming a singer,” she shared about her desperate feelings at the time. But unexpectedly, the results were amazing. She said, “I received love calls from as many as nine companies right then,” surprising everyone.
Notably, Hyojung revealed that WM Entertainment, the company she most wanted to join, was present at the audition. “It was the company where seniors B1A4 were, so I really wanted to join,” she said. “For the second audition, I only tried three companies including WM, and WM offered me to prepare as an immediate debut member,” she recalled.
Hyojung ultimately signed with WM Entertainment and, after about 10 months as a trainee, successfully debuted as a member of OH MY GIRL. She laughed, “I really thought it was my last chance, but my life changed.“