The Full Story Of "Chaesis" (IZ*ONE's Chaeyeon & ITZY's Chaeryeong) From Baby To 2020 Will Tug At Your Heartstrings

IZ*ONE‘s Chaeyeon and ITZY‘s Chaeryeong, often termed “Chaesis” by fans, are one of the most successful star sibling pairs in K-Pop. But just how did they get this far? Here’s the adorable (and sometimes heartwrenching) full story and evolution of Chaeyeon and Chaeryeong, from birth to now.

IZ*ONE’s Chaeyeon was born in Nonsan, South Korea on January 11, 2000. And ITZY’s Chaeryeong was born just over one year later in Yongin, South Korea on June 5, 2001.

Unsurprisingly, these two sisters have been besties since birth!

Rumor has it that Chaeyeon and Chaeryeong come from a wealthy family, as evidenced by their luxurious home. So, “Chaesis” probably had a very comfortable upbringing.

But whether they were wealthy or not, no amount of toys and gifts could compare to their true love: performing.

Pre-debut Chaeyeon (left) & Chaeryeong (right)

Both sisters got their start in the industry in November 2013 when they joined a TV idol competition, SBS‘s K-Pop Star 3. Chaeryeong once revealed that she and her sister joined K-Pop Star 3 after searching online to find out how to become an idol. After a phone audition with SBS, the pair made it into the show’s lineup.

At the time, Chaeyeon was 13 years old, while Chaeryeong was just 12. Despite their young age, they charmed the judges with their sweet singing, powerful dancing, and adorable faces.

Unfortunately, “Chaesis” were eliminated from the competition. Last year, Chaeryeong told fans that losing K-Pop Star 3 was traumatic to her, and sadly even made her nervous about singing.

But thankfully, their luck soon turned around, because one of the show’s judges was none other than J. Y. Park, the founder and co-CEO of JYP Entertainment. J. Y. Park liked Chaeyeon and Chaeryeong so much, he decided to sign them to his agency.

The pair continued their training until they got their next big break—the JYP Entertainment survival show, Mnet‘s SIXTEEN. The series pitted 16 of the company’s trainees against each other to win a spot in TWICE, and two of those trainees were none other than Chaeyeon (aged 14 at the time) and Chaeryeong (aged 13).

Both sisters worked to the bone to win. However, as you likely already know, neither of the sisters ended up in TWICE’s final lineup.

Shockingly, Chaeyeon was the first to be eliminated from SIXTEEN. Some of the criticisms she faced included not expressing herself well and not being confident enough in her image.

Chaeryeong was then eliminated in the finale, ranking #10 overall.

Losing SIXTEEN was the second major hardship “Chaesis” had gone through in their careers, and they were still barely teenagers at the time. However, they didn’t let that stand in their way, working even harder to debut.

Pre-debut Chaeyeon (right) & Chaeryeong (left)

Many SIXTEEN viewers expected Chaeryeong and Chaeyeon would eventually debut in a group together, but all that changed when Chaeyeon left JYP Entertainment shortly after SIXTEEN. The reason she ended her contract was unclear, but many have speculated that J. Y. Park didn’t want to debut two sisters in the same group because of the constant comparisons they’d face. If these rumors are true, that means Chaeyeon heartwarmingly changed her career path to ensure her sister would make it into a group.

After leaving JYP Entertainment, Chaeyeon joined WM Entertainment. And, in 2018, her new company sent her to the third competition of her career: Produce 48.

Competition on the show was fierce, but 17-year-old Chaeyeon’s talent pulled her through.

In the finale, fans were overjoyed to see her rank #12, making it into the finale lineup of IZ*ONE. Chaeyeon became the group’s main dancer, lead vocalist, and lead rapper.

While Chaeryeong was still training under JYP Entertainment, 18-year-old Chaeyeon got her debut in October 2018 with “La Vie En Rose”, which became an overnight sensation.

But Chaeryeong’s debut wasn’t far behind. Just three months later, JYP Entertainment announced that they’d be debuting a new girl group: ITZY, featuring Chaeryeong herself as the group’s main dancer (like her sister), sub vocalist, and sub rapper. Like her sister, she proved herself to be a true ace.

17-year-old Chaeryeong debuted in February 2019 with “Dalla Dalla”, and the rest is history.

Since then, “Chaesis” have been climbing the ranks as members of two of the most successful groups of their eras. This year, IZ*ONE broke the record for the highest-selling girl group album in its first week with a staggering 350,000 copies registered on Hanteo.

ITZY, meanwhile, became one of only 5 groups in history to achieve Grand Slam Rookie status, winning all the Rookie of the Year prizes in K-Pop’s five biggest award shows.