It is widely acknowledged that the journey to become a K-pop idol is extremely harsh,
therefore, there are many trainees who had to leave before they got the opportunity to
shine for various reasons.
Here are 9 idols who almost debuted in famous groups and are considered “the lost members”
of those groups.
1.
Kim Chaehuyn - the lost member of aespa aespa is undoubtedly one of the most successful
Kpop groups belonging to the 4th generation.
In fact, the four members of aespa had to overcome many talented trainees to eventually
debut with the group, and among those opponents is Kim Chaehuyn.
This 20-year-old girl used to be a trainee at SM Entertainment for almost 4 years.
This was proved by videos of Chaehuyn practicing with Karina, Winter and Ninging revealed by
SM.
However, she decided to leave SM Entertainment for some unknown reasons.
Rumors have it that she left because she was unsuitable for the concept of the new group.
Nevertheless, Chaehuyn did not give up and continued to pursue her dream.
In August, 2021, Chaehuyn participated in the show Girls Planet 999 held by Mnet.
Throughout the show, Chaehuyn impressed the judges and Kpop fans with her pretty visuals,
decent vocals and spectacular dance performances.
Eventually, she ranked 1st in the show and debuted in the group KEP1ER with the center
position.
2.
Jang Hyunseung - the lost member of BIGBANG
Famous for his sexy and captivating stages with HyunA in the group Trouble Maker, Hyunseung
is regarded as one of the most unique and talented artists in the Kpop industry.
Some Kpop fans might think that his style suits that of the legendary group BIGBANG,
and in fact, that’s the truth!
BIGBANG was originally a six-member Kpop group, with the participation of Jang Hyunseung.
He even featured in one documentary about the debut process of BIGBANG, but he was removed
from the group in the final test.
In “The Big Bang Documentary”, the former CEO of YG Entertainment - Yang Hyun Suk revealed
that he decided to cut Hyunseung from the group due to his incomplete facial expression,
and his position was replaced by Seungri.
However, Hyunseung did not lose his hope, he set his heart on joining CUBE Entertainment
and became a member of BEAST in 2009.
Fortunately, despite his initial failure to debut with BIGBANG, he still obtained numerous
achievements with BEAST and HIGHLIGHT with many hits such as “Fiction”, “Shock”,
“On rainy days”, etc.
3.
Shownu - the lost member of GOT7
Before joining StarShip Entertainment, Shownu used to be a trainee of JYP Entertainment
for around 2 years and almost debuted with the group.
However, due to some unknown reasons, he had to leave the company and became a back-up
dancer for a while before finally joining the show “No mercy” and debuting with
MONSTA X in 2015.
Until now, many netizens still wondered why he lost his position in GOT7, as he can be
regarded as a well-rounded artist with excellent vocals, performing and songwriting skills.
Fortunately, both MONSTA X and GOT7 attained innumerable success and Shownu would not have
any regrets at all.
Up till now, he still kept close contact with GOT7’s members, especially Jinyoung and
JB.
FYI, the two groups once had a collaboration on the KCON 2015 stage in Los Angeles.
This stage stunned Kpop fans for the overwhelming talent and fantastic performance of both groups.
4.
Hansol - the lost member of EXO and NCT
Hansol used to be one of SM Rookies trainees, however, he left SM entertainment after 6
years of training.
Prior to that, he even participated in one MV of Lay (EXO), became a back-up dancer for
Taemin (SHINee) and released the song “Switch” with other SM Rookies members.
Many netizens think that the main reason why he left was that he could not wait for his
opportunity to come.
Having been a trainee for a long period of time, Hansol should have been ensured a position
in SM’s new group, however, the company continuously let him down despite his hard
work and talent, debuting 3 NCT sub-units without him.
At that time, Hansol was already 23 years old, therefore, he decided to leave for J-Flo
Entertainment and became a member of NewKidd.
The group debuted in 2019 and released several songs like “I’ll be there” and “COME”.
Unfortunately, they have not gained many noteworthy achievements and still struggled to find their
way to success.
5.
S.Coups - the lost member of NU’EST
Before becoming the leader of SEVENTEEN, S.Coups used to struggle a lot to find his position
in this harsh industry.
As a trainee of Pledis Entertainment, he was originally planned to debut with NU’EST,
but eventually got kicked out of the group.
After that, S.Coups and Woozi almost debuted with Tempest, nevertheless, the plan was canceled.
Eventually, luck was on his side as he got the opportunity to thrust into the limelight
as the leader of SEVENTEEN.
S.coups’ hard work and efforts now finally pays off, he has attained innumerable success
with SEVENTEEN and pursues his lifelong dream.
After almost 7 years in the music industry, SEVENTEEN is now one of the most famous boygroups
owning many best-selling albums with the overall sales number of over 1 million versions each
album.
6.
Timoteo - the lost member of EXO
Timoteo used to be a trainee of SM Entertainment.
Rumors have it that he almost debuted in SHINee under the stage name Moongyu.
However, he didn't make it into the final round as he was cut from the lineup due to
some unknown reasons.
After that, Timoteo continued training with the hope to debut in EXO but ironically, he
lost his position to another trainee, who was Baekhuyn.
Timoteo then decided to leave SM and became a member of HOTSHOT in 2014.
However, HOTSHOT did not have many noteworthy achievements in this harsh industry.
The last time they released their music product was in November 2018 and in March 2021, HOTSHOT
announced that they were disbanded and each member decided to separate paths and looked
for new opportunities.
Until now, Timoteo still maintains close relationships with Taemin (SHINee), Kai (EXO) and Jimin
(BTS), these four are also known as “The Parkas friends.”
7.
Heo Chanmi - the lost member of SNSD
Heo Chanmi is regarded as “the most unfortunate trainee in the K-pop industry”, as she continually
lost her opportunity to thrust into the limelight.
It is known that Chanmi almost debuted with SNSD and even participated in the recording
of the group’s famous debut song “Into the new world.”
However, she was omitted at the last minute.
In fact, she used to be one of the most talented trainees of SM Entertainment.
Her vocals are highly regarded, some said that she was on a par with Jessica, Tiffany
and even the leader of SNSD, Taeyeon.
Until now, many Kpop fans still wonder why SM cut such a promising factor from the group.
After that, Chanmi joined MBK Entertainment and became a member of Co-Ed School and F-ve
Dolls but left within a short period of time.
Her next destinations were Pledis Entertainment and Duble Kick Entertainment.
Many fans expected that she would have a chance to debut, however, they could neither find
her in the show “Finding MOMOLAND” of Duble Kick nor the girl group PRISTIN of Pledis.
In 2016, Chanmi competed in the show “Produce 101” yet still failed to debut.
Now she works as a solo artist for FirstOne Entertainment.
8.
Soyu - the lost member of 4Minute
Initially, Soyu planned to debut with 4Minute but she was removed from the group at the
last minute due to her lack of certain skills.
On the show Mnet’s “Beatle Code” on September 1st, 2011, Soyu revealed that although
the final line up for 4Minute including her was all set up, somehow the company told her
to debut in the next round.
Soyu thought it was because her vocals and dancing skills were incomplete so she decided
to leave for Starship Entertainment.
She then became a member of SISTAR in 2010.
Although failed to attain her initial goal, Soyu would have no regrets as SISTAR is regarded
as one of the most successful girl groups of gen2.
Soyu also succeeded as a solo artist with her first solo music product “Some”released
in 2014.
This song hit the top position of many Kpop charts, paving the way for her successful
career.
9.
Kim Jihun - the lost member of BTS
You may have all been familiar with the 7 members of the worldwide superstar BTS: Jin,
Jhope, Jimin, V, RM, Suga and Jungkook.
However, few people know that this group originally has eight members, with one person being removed
from the final lineup: Kim Jihun.
Jihun attracted the attention of recruiters and finally became a trainee at BigHit Entertainment
at the age of 18.
Nevertheless, he did not get the opportunity to debut with BTS.
Jihun shared in one interview with Vice Asia that despite training hard everyday from dusk
till dawn, it seemed that he was going through a slump and his skills were downgrading so
the leaders cut him from the group.
Jihun painfully accepted the tragic truth and decided to leave the harsh entertainment
industry.
He now works in the field of medical care for soldiers in Korea, which is in stark contrast
to his initial dream of performing on the stage and being a celebrity.
He also owns a Youtube channel called Bitoon with roughly 150,000 subscribers, where he
shares his own thoughts about many aspects of life.
Looking back at his memories as a Kpop trainee, Jihun shared that he still had deep regrets
for not being able to debut with BTS and even suffered from severe mental illnesses.
Nevertheless, Jihun said that he was still grateful for the memories he had had with
BTS’s members and wished them the best luck in the future.
Despite failing to achieve their original goals, some idols still find their way to
pursue their dream in the harsh K-pop industry.
Let’s wish them all the best to continue on the path they chose.
So, which case makes you feel most regretful?
Comment down below to share your thoughts with us.