On April 8, a video titled “Nam Gyu Ri Confesses to “Blind Date Syndrome”…SeeYa’s First Dating Reveal” was uploaded to the YouTube channel YouTube Ha Jiyoung. In the video, the recently reunited group after 15 years talked about their past while reconnecting with fans through a fan meeting.
Host Ha Jiyoung recalled a moment that couldn’t be overlooked, mentioning how the members once survived on cereal and instant noodles during their peak. Member Lee Boram confirmed this by revealing it it wasn’t for lack of time but because they really didn’t have money.
She shared the shocking story of being kicked out of a restaurant. The agency had ordered them to eat at a restaurant near their dormitory, but when they arrived and greeted the staff, they were told to leave. Even when they explained that the company would pay the bill, the restaurant refused, saying payments had not been made. This was later revealed the agency had failed to pay its bills for three months.
Lee Boram added that other celebrities also assumed she was rich due to her busy schedule. “People would say, ‘You earn more, so you should pay.’ But I didn’t earn anything.” he said. “I started to think that all celebrities were just ‘charming on the outside but broken on the inside.’”
He continued, “We even joked with each other since we had no money but we were already recognizable, maybe we should wear mascot costumes and do part-time jobs. But it wasn’t really a joke. At home we had nothing to eat except cereal and cup noodles.”
When the host said that they couldn’t talk about such difficulties then, Nam Gyu Ri responded like this it would have been disastrous if they had done so. He described the stark contrast between their public image and reality: “We spent the whole day performing at events, eating ramen in food courts, or quickly grabbing bread and triangular kimbap. But when we went out, people recognized us. At the dormitory, there were ants crawling on the newspaper-covered floor and we filled our stomachs with noodles. That gap was overwhelming, and instead of creating pride as artists, it made us feel weaker.”
The members also revealed that internal conflicts arose due to the manipulation. Nam Gyu Ri explained it misunderstandings grew as their individual activities increased. “Even good things can seem bad when passed through others, and bad things seem even worse” he said.
Lee Boram added that there have been cases where false information has been deliberately spread to create division. “One day he called us and asked, ‘Did you really do this?’ Someone had lied to drive a wedge between us,” he revealed.
Sources: Nate
