On March 16, during a live English broadcast on Njz’s official account, Danielle shared her experiences as a trainee in Hybe and the rigid rules she had to follow.
Danielle revealed that during her training period, she and other trainees were subjected to intense monitoring, also to ask for permission before using the bathroom, even during the break period. “For example, this is a lesser thing, but also during leisure, we had to leave a message before going to the bathroom. We were constantly monitored while we dreamed in the rehearsal room, so we didn’t have much freedom. Even before eating, I had to take a photo of my meal and send it to a woman manager, who would then control what I was eating.” He remembered Danielle.
He also admitted that trainees have always felt under pressure to respect these rules for fear of losing their debut opportunity. “The reason why we had to follow these rules was because we thought we would not be able to debut if we did not do it. It seemed that we would be cut if we were not respected. Even now, sometimes I feel like I had not completely escaped that mentality. Maybe the other members do not feel the same way, but I did it” but I did it “but I did it” but I did it “but I did it” Danielle confessed.
The person who helped Danielle and the other members to change their perspective on the Hybe trainee system was Min Hee-Jin, a former CEO of Ador. “When we met the CEO Min Hee-Jin, many things changed. I remember how extremely shocked it was when he heard how we lived as trainees.” Also questioned, “I was wondering why they managed a system that would suppress our creativity. I was not sure of the reason. Maybe it was only the way the system had always been in this sector, or perhaps the people in command at the moment wanted to control us more easily.”
The members of Danielle and Njz are in an ongoing legal battle with Ador. On November 27, 2024, they held a press conference accusing adors of violations of the contract and declared that if the issues had not been resolved within 14 days, the activities under the company would cease.
On November 29, 2024, they officially announced the termination of the contract. In response, Ador has filed a case at the central district court of Soul on 3 December 2024, in search of confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contract of the NJZ. The first hearing took place on March 7, 2025, focusing on Ador’s request to prohibit Njz to sign advertising contracts independently. Both parties have maintained firm positions and a sentence is foreseen after the court has examined further materials by 14 March 2025.
In a separate event, the members of Njz Minji, Danielle and Hanni were seen at the post-play “Ruby Experience” with Jennie (Blackpink), where he showed a warm and affectionate behavior, especially towards Hanni. Fans described Jennie as a “older sister” of the group, highlighting the positive and support relationship between her and NJz despite the potential basic differences of fans.
