Former Idol Group Members Dish On Dating Amongst K-Pop Idols And The Reality Of Trainee Life
Former CLC members Seungyeon and Sorn recently reunited for a video with Ladies’ Code‘s Ashley Choi.
The girls gathered for a fun video titled, Truth or Drink, where they hilariously admitted they did more talking than drinking. The three had met and bonded as CUBE Entertainment trainees. While catching up, they spilled on K-Pop secrets about dating, trainee life, and the hardships of being a K-Pop idol.
Seungyeon, Sorn, and Ashley were refreshingly candid about topics that are usually difficult for K-Pop idols to discuss. Fans had sent in their burning questions and the trio did not hold back while answering.
Sneaking out of the dorms
One fan asked, “Have you ever lied to your manager about where you were?” The girls all laughed while confirming it had happened frequently.
All three recalled the times they would sneak out of their dorms to go to the club. Seungyeon clarified that it was only natural for their age,
Going to a club isn’t bad… especially in your early twenties, you’re curious. We’re at our prime age to play but we’re so restricted… it makes you want to go even more.
— Seungyeon
Seungyeon revealed that the restrictions K-Pop trainees and idols have on them often led to them wanting to rebel. The two former CLC members shared that it was too hard to sneak out with all seven members, so instead, they went in smaller groups.
The CLC members had lived with a female manager at the time, and her room was right by the door.
To sneak out of the dorm without getting caught, the members devised a plan to distract their manager. To leave undetected, the members who stayed in for the night had to help make noise to conceal Seungyeon’s and Sorn’s footsteps.
The girls would walk barefoot while carrying their shoes to make as little sound as possible. Once they successfully left the dorm, they texted the other members to tell them it was safe to turn the hairdryer and faucets off.
Seungyeon and Sorn were shocked when Ashley revealed that the five members of Ladies’ Code were once able to sneak out of their dorm together.
Ashley reasoned that their manager may have known but decided to let it slide.
Life as a trainee
The girls were asked what the most challenging part was about being a trainee. Seungyeon responded, “It was tough 360 days out of 365…” Ashley shared that despite that, the time the three trained together at CUBE Entertainment had been fun.
Ashley was grateful that her fellow trainees were kind, having moved from New York with no family or friends in Korea.
The three also appreciated the skills they learned as trainees, including Japanese, singing, dancing, and physical education.
One of the struggles of trainee life was the constant anxiety and fear. K-Pop idol hopefuls can train anywhere from a few months to a few years. Their skills are constantly evaluated, and there is always a chance that a trainee could be sent home if they are not meeting expectations.
They agreed that the hardest part was right before a group debuted. One may think that knowing you would be debuting would be a relief, but the former group members revealed that is when trainee life is the most difficult.
As the future idols prepared for their debut, the company took their phone, TV, and Wi-Fi away. Seungyeon revealed their daily schedule was strictly going to the company building, the gym, and then back to their dorm. They shared that they had no freedom and couldn’t even control when they were able to eat.
Despite the hardships they faced, they each revealed they didn’t regret spending half of their lives as K-Pop idols.
Dating fellow idols
The girls opened up when asked if they had ever dated a fellow K-Pop idol. Ashley shared, “I had a thing with someone for like a few weeks…” She hadn’t formally dated a fellow idol because she had been in a long-distance relationship for six years.
Sorn has also never dated a fellow celebrity, partly because she had also been in a long-distance relationship as well. Sorn revealed that although she is friends with male celebrities, dating them is tough because of her personality. She described herself a personality that made guys view her more as a friend.
When it came to Seungyeon’s dating history, Ashley and Sorn couldn’t help but laugh. Seungyeon prefaced, “Without love, I am nothing by a corpse.”
Seungyeon continued by disclosing that she had dated a fellow K-Pop idol but clarified that they met before they were celebrities. She shared there were other celebrities that she had dated, but left it at “I’ve experienced it… it’s not a sin to love!”
How idols date in secret
The last question they received was, “Have you ever received or given your phone number through Inkigayo sandwiches?” For those that don’t know, the music program Inkigayo used to have a sandwich that was popular among idols. A rumor spread that idols used to hide their phone number for fellow celebs in the sandwiches.
The girls hilariously wondered who would confess their feelings by hiding notes in the sandwich. Ashley said she had always wondered if the rumors were true, but had never heard of anyone actually doing that.
Seungyeon told a story of getting a phone number, but it had been a mixup. She said that a writer once handed her a folded piece of paper at a radio show. The writer instructed her to not open it until she got home, but her curiosity got the best of her and she opened it anyway. Inside was a number, but no name.
The writer called her out for reading it and told her to give it to her fellow CLC member Yujin when she returned to CLC’s dorms. Despite her heart fluttering when she initially received the number, it wasn’t for her!
The girls made it clear that if an idol wants to date, they will find a way regardless of dating bans or restrictions. Idols find creative ways to meet up, including using friends as a third wheel, using members of their team to help pass along their number, and allegedly hiding numbers in sandwiches.
The girls wrapped the video with the reminder that idols are only human. Seungyeon shared, “Without love, it’s hard to live in this world… You need love in order to work hard too, it goes hand in hand. They’re all people.”
To hear them spill more tea on their least favorite songs, first kisses, and whether they would choose to be a K-Pop idol again, check out the full video below!
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