Where Is She Now? The Trainee Who Was Suddenly Cut From LE SSERAFIM

LE SSERAFIM has five members–Chaewon, Sakura, Yunjin, Kazuha, and Eunchae–but another talented performer almost made the cut.

(From left to right) LE SSERAFIM’s Kazuha, Chaewon, Sakura, Yunjin, and Eunchae | *@le_sserafim/Twitter*

Haruka (who now goes by Ruka) is a former Cube Entertainment and Source Music trainee who was originally part of LE SSERAFIM’s pre-debut lineup. In the group’s documentary, The World Is My Oyster, she can be seen dancing with the members during rehearsals. Unfortunately, being part of the pre-debut team wasn’t a guarantee.

Haruka | HYBE Labels/YouTube

The period before album preparations in which the members are fixed takes a good amount of time. That was the toughest period of all. It’s hard enough being chosen as part of the debut team, and in the process of preparing for the debut, it’s not enough that you were chosen.

— So Sung Jin, CEO of Source Music

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Ruka was escorted by staff members back to the dance studio after a group practice and informed that she hadn’t made the cut.

| HYBE Labels/YouTube

Afterward, Ruka’s former teammates, who were visibly upset, consoled her. This moment marked the end of Ruka’s time with LE SSERAFIM, but not her journey to becoming an idol.

| HYBE Labels/YouTube

In 2023, Haruka changed her stage name to Ruka and became a contestant on R U Next?, the BE:LIFT Lab and JTBC survival show that created ILLIT. At the time, fans were thrilled to see her again and hoped that she would finally debut. Unfortunately, Ruka’s idol dreams were once again dashed in Episode 6, during the second round of eliminations.

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In her R U Next? video profile, Ruka talked about her time with LE SSERAFIM and how not making the cut had impacted her. She took the experience in stride and said, “Now I want to meet them once I debut.”

| HYBE Labels/YouTube

I was training to debut with LE SSERAFIM and when I left, I wondered a lot if being an idol was right for me.

— Ruka

Where is Ruka now? As of December 2024, Ruka has not yet debuted as an idol, and it is unclear if she will continue to pursue her idol dreams in the future, but she is still active on social media. In September, Ruka posted a TikTok dance cover of aespa Karina‘s solo “Up”…

@quorukka

안무 넘 좋다.., #05 #추천 #aespa #karina #up #dance #cover #fyp @aespa official

♬ Karina UP – 𝒎𝒆𝒍

…but the majority of her posts are snapshots and video clips from her everyday life.

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A post shared by haruka / 하루카 (@quorukka)

Ruka’s most recent update is a video clip of her getting a trim from hairstylist Yuito Masuda. She posted it to her Instagram stories on December 16, 2024.