As K-media revealed more pages of HYBE’s internal report on other artists’ sabotage, netizens were shocked to learn what really happened to Youngseo, a trainee who suddenly left ILLIT before his official debut.
Based on additional documents recovered by HYBE during the national assembly, “RU Next?” winner Youngseo may have left the group due to the company’s ploy against her to make ILLIT stand out in the music market.
In the “online materials” analyzed by HYBE employees for their viral marketing strategies, it was explicitly implied that they intended to use Youngseo and paint his image negatively to attract buzz.
“Youngseo stands out among the members, so if we frame her image as a ‘lazy cat’ who acts like a queen while the others are framed as country dogs around her, we can definitely beat groups like NMIXX.”
The strategy also involved assigning certain dog breeds to each member to appeal to female and teenage audiences.
Before the official launch of ILLIT, Youngseo was the most popular member due to his top-notch visuals and idol skills. HYBE suggested using this and assigning her as the center of the group to make her seem like the “bad girl” who always overshadows the other members.
I’m crying, she left because she didn’t want to be seen as the bad girl of the idol industry, she has so much integrity and grace, my God, I love you, very young, she put her morals above the dream of a lifetime 🙁
I hope you can satisfy
your dream ml#ILOVEYOUYOUNGSEO #YOUNGSEO pic.twitter.com/0r65eVtA0F— saeed ^ྀི (@fairywhoreee) October 27, 2024
seeing how hybe talked about youngseo and illit like they were animals, I’m 100% sure that hybe did something to youngseo to make her leave because she would never leave her friends and abandon her dream after training for 5 years. my nyangseo 🙁 pic.twitter.com/YURGCelC2q
— Nira (@nikiseom) October 26, 2024
READ ALSO: ILLIT Youngseo Vanishing Act sparks outrage: “it’s been almost a month since…”
In March, ILLIT debuted under Belift Lab but before that, Youngseo announced his departure without a clear explanation in January.
With the recent internal report, the GLITT (fandom) claims that the intern most likely did not agree with this strategy and treasured her relationship with the members until the end.
While some fans are disgusted by HYBE’s plan, others say that it has become a blessing for Youngseo, as she was freed from the “evil” company and did not have to suffer from their mismanagement and mistreatment.
RELATED ARTICLE: ILLIT Youngseo Leaves Group and Agency During Debut Preparations – Here’s What Happened to “RU Next?” Competitor
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
