All 13 members renew their contracts early
Consideration and compromise make it possible
Hoshi: Honestly, I really want to go solo! However, if everyone does solo activities, it will be hard for the group to have a full-team album. Everyone gave up their individual activities and chose to be a team.
Seungkwan: Since there's talk about idol singers not having long careers, there's also this "The Curse of 7 Years" for idol singers. Negotiating a renewal at the 7-year mark made us reconsider once again, whether I should look out for our own interests or continue on this path. There are various factors and individual concerns to consider, as well as reconsidering as a team.
Jeonghan: But then, we might misunderstand each other if we say something (that's why we're not saying anything). Because we're not saying anything, it becomes even harder. Despite our good relationship and thoughts of staying togethe, it's still very difficult. It was a time when we truly felt the difficulty of surpassing the 7-year mark and realized how difficult it is to go beyond seven years.
Q: As the youngest member, what were the difficult aspects in contract renewal?
Dino: As I'm still young, there's this recurring question: "Do I really want to be a singer?" There are so many things I can do and so many experiences I want to have, but do I have the desire to dedicate my life to this path?... Is what I'm doing now something that excites me for the future?
Q: What were the specific issues during the contract renewal?
Woozi: The really difficult part was facing reality! It wasn't easy to talk about money and future plans with friends who we always hang out and laugh with. Although we all share the same affection for each other, there came a moment when we had to have really deep conversations even though I didn't want to. I didn't want to see that reality where we had to have those discussions, but we had to. Even though I didn't want to, I had to face it.
Seungkwan: We had to decide on the contract period, like how many years it would be, and also renegotiate the profit ratio. And in a way, we, who used to secretly go to convenience stores, now had to negotiate with the company's staff, so we're not just kids anymore.
S.Coups: It took longer than I expected. The period for contract renewal negotiations was 8-9 months.
Kang Ho-dong: 8-9 months is really long. There could be so many variables and misunderstandings happening during that period of time
Mingyu: I think I tried to start conversations quickly and have many of them. Although the idea of contract renewal felt tremendously big and heavy, to me, it felt like I was just continuing what I've been doing, just a new beginning. I had a strong feeling that we should definitely continue together, so it wasn't difficult to start the conversation.
S.Coups: And (Mingyu) was positive, whether talking about money or anything else. He was really positive when discussing anything. That energy spread and became good energy.
DK: He did well in gathering us
Seungkwan: Usually, each member goes in for a meeting individually, but we thought, 'Let's not make it awkward by going in individually. Let's go in as a group from the beginning.'
DK: We didn't want to break
Seungkwan: Let's discuss together even if it's among ourselves, that's how we did it.
Normally, meetings are held one by one, but SEVENTEEN went in as a group for contract renewal because they all have the same determination. Besides, it might become awkward to go in individually.
theqoo
-Let's go for a long time, let's go high SEVENTEEN
-Looking at how none of them seems to want to go solo, it seems like they just really enjoy and cherish being together as a group.
-Truly remarkable, it's definitely not easy.
-The fact that all 13 of them went into negotiations together shows their desire not to create misunderstandings...
-SEVENTEEN..ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ It must be a blessing to have a team like that, where everyone shares the same sentiment.
-It's amazing how all those individuals shared the same sentiment, and it's also fascinating to know there's someone who put in the most effort at the center, and the fact that they went into negotiations as a group for contract renewal is also amazing...
-Mingyu, you're admirable
-Even if you work for the same company for seven years, you might want to move or try other things, but they put aside all those considerations...
-This is really a unique case. The fact that they all went to the negotiation table together shows how much they put each other first.
-This is really impressive. It must have been difficult for all 13 of them to set aside their individual desires. Still, SEVENTEEN firmly maintained it, and I'm thankful for that
-ㅠㅠ I love SEVENTEEN..
-It seems like they set aside their desires for each other.
-Their desires to have solo promotions must be big since idol life isn't easy, but it's good that all 13 of them are on the same page.
-If they negotiated all at once, their company must've felt pressured. Usually, they negotiate one by one, and the company sits down to suppress them, right?
-Seeing all the Chinese members renew their contracts makes me realize the bond in this group is really genuine.
-With so many members, it's surprising that they all renewed their contracts, I was amazed.
-Renewing contracts for all 13 members is really not an easy taskㅜㅠ Thank you for renewing!! Let's go for a long time, let's go high SEVENTEEN
-It's not easy, but there must be a reason for a team to last long.
-Thank you for continuing with team activities.
-Mingyu is amazing, really
-No wonder they're doing well and lasting long... Impressive.
-It's really nice to see how much the members cherish the group.
