BFFs Sejeong & TWICE’s Jihyo Reveal Their Regrets From Their Time As Trainees

In a recent appearance on the reality show On & Off, BFFs Sejeong and TWICE‘s Jihyo revealed their experiences and regrets from their vastly different trainee days.

Former Gugudan member Sejeong and TWICE’s Jihyo have more in common than just incredibly vocal prowess. The two stars are also very close friends who take care of each other well, with Sejeong once revealing that Jihyo traveled with her to help her out of a rut where she felt like giving up.

Recently, the pair reunited on tvN‘s On & Off, where they spent time singing, dancing, cooking, and more. On top of having plenty of fun, they also sat down for a heart-to-heart in Sejeong’s attic room, where the two revealed their trainee experiences.

One of the longest-standing trainees in K-Pop, Jihyo explained to Sejeong how she first joined JYP Entertainment in 2005, long before the company had even debuted hit second-generation groups like Wonder Girls and 2PM. At the time, Jihyo was shockingly just eight years old.

The main vocalist went on to reveal that she has several regrets from her trainee years. The first, she explained, is that she feels like she wasn’t enthusiastic enough about her training. Given that she started training so young, Jihyo admitted, she only really went to her vocal and dance lessons because she had to, not because she wanted to.

[Training to be an idol] wasn’t something that I desperately wanted to do. I wish I had been more enthusiastic about [the lessons].

— Jihyo

On top of that, Jihyo revealed that she wishes she had more time to spend with her friends back then. Unlike regular children who spent most of their time playing and having fun, Jihyo says she didn’t get to hang out with others much because of her training regime.

Sejeong, on the other hand, had an almost opposite experience. “I’m actually thankful that I didn’t begin my training that soon,” Sejeong told Jihyo on the show, given that she was already in her 20s when she joined Produce 101 under Jellyfish Entertainment.

I only trained for like a year and a half before making debut and I was in my 20s then.

— Sejeong

That said, she did experience a small regret once while she was training. Since idols are expected to keep up a clean image after they debut, Sejeong realized she wouldn’t be able to experience going to a club once her trainee years were over. “So, I went to a club once,” she explained.

However, while she did have “lots of fun” while she was there, the loud music had a longer-lasting effect than she expected. The next day, Sejeong realized she couldn’t hear properly—and naturally, it was a scary experience.

I thought to myself, ‘What if I can’t do music anymore?’

— Sejeong

Of course, we now know that everything turned out okay and Sejeong’s hearing came back well. Ultimately, Sejeong is glad she went clubbing a handful of times in her youth. She revealed that after getting to experience it back then, she’s “no longer interested in going” now.

And, despite the difficulties of training and idol life, both stars shared that they’re happy with where they are today. Jihyo told Sejeong, “I think I’m very happy that I have a job that I enjoy,” adding that she’s glad she’s satisfied with her petition. Sejeong agreed, vowing to work harder to achieve more in the future.