Q. What was your relationship with April?
A. I was a hairstylist who worked with them from their trainee days through their debut, accompanying them on-site.
Q. Why did you agree to this interview?
A. It's natural for me to participate in the interview. As someone who knows the truth, I felt too sad about the situation. People probably don’t want to mention a certain person or get involved, but if I don’t speak up, I feel like others will live with a misunderstanding forever, so I gathered the courage.
Q. Recently, Kwak Tube has been criticized for his “proxy forgiveness” video, and Lee Naeun is once again being accused of bullying and harassment.
A. The public criticism has been so severe that I fear Lee Naeun may never recover if this continues. Why should someone who did nothing wrong be blamed? I’m not here to blame anyone, but I feel like I have to tell the truth so incidents like this don't happen again.
Q. As someone who observed April closely for years, do you believe there was bullying and harassment?
A. In this line of work, we talk a lot about celebrities. Something like who’s the most difficult to work with, who’s kind. I always say the same thing: “There’s no one as kind as April.” Throughout their active period, they never complained or had any issues. I can confidently say they were the best in that regard. If Hyunjoo grumbled, someone might point out, “Don’t be rude.” But they never collectively ostracize them while saying something like, “Don’t hang out with her.” It wasn’t ostracism; rather, Hyunjoo was unpredictable, so both the members and staff avoided engaging with her.
Q. What do you mean by "unpredictable"?
A. Honestly, during their activities and even when the issue was exposed in 2021, no one wanted to provoke Hyunjoo. It’s still the same now. As people know, there was the incident where she missed a music show rehearsal just a week after their debut, and another missed performance the following year. Plus, there was her brother’s statement about her suicide attempt. In a situation where even the slightest trigger could set off a bomb, would anyone really want to bully or ostracize her? Everyone was cautious and tried to console her. The members even went out of their way to take care of her.
Q. Can you share any specific memories of your time with them?
A. The company always placed Hyunjoo at the center. She knew she was the prettiest and had the mindset that she had to be the prettiest. Among ourselves, we called it the “main character syndrome.” Hyunjoo also had a victim mindset, which naturally led to conflicts. At the time, members didn’t have personal phones, so they borrowed staff phones to contact family or friends, which made it easy for us to learn personal details. From what I saw in Hyunjoo’s behavior and the traces left on the borrowed phones, I felt she had no affection for her idol career or the group.
April debuted in August 2015, and after missing a music show in May 2016, she officially left the group in October of that year. In 2021, Hyunjoo claimed on social media that she had endured constant physical and verbal abuse, harassment, insults, and personal attacks from the members between 2014 and 2016.
Q. Even if Hyunjoo had issues with commitment and attitude, that doesn’t prove there wasn’t group bullying or harassment, does it?
A. The claim that she was bullied for three years doesn’t hold up well since the members joined the group at different times. Specifically, Naeun has been labeled the “main perpetrator” of the bullying due to her connection with incidents like the shoe and tumbler, but Naeun only joined the group three months before their debut. In reality, the time she spent with Hyunjoo wasn’t even a year. Since Hyunjoo left the dorms midway through, their actual time together was even shorter. There’s no clear timeline or evidence of who bullied whom or when.
Q. But you wouldn’t know what went on in the dorms, right?
A. True, I don’t know everything that happened. But at some point, Hyunjoo was the only one with a personal phone and was no longer living in the dorms, instead staying at her family’s home. The other members were quite envious. During promotions, everyone would come to the salon early in the morning because of their schedules. Didn’t the other members also want to relax at home with their parents and have meals made for them? Despite this special treatment, Hyunjoo always arrived late and sometimes didn’t show up at all. Every day, people would ask, “When is Hyunjoo coming?” Despite all this, everyone treated her well, even throwing her birthday parties and trying to keep things going smoothly.
Q. Why didn’t you speak up when the controversy erupted in 2021?
A. At the time, I felt like I should step up and do an interview. But the members stopped me. They said, “We don’t want to attack Hyunjoo or cause problems for others. We’re just upset about the misunderstanding.” Even during that difficult time, they were worried about others. I feel so upset for these kind girls. It’s heartbreaking how they're being labeled as bullies and receiving hate comments.
Q. As someone who witnessed this from within the industry, what would you like to say?
A. These days, once a controversy arises, the public drags someone down without hesitation. The accuser doesn’t need proof, but the accused is forced to prove that something didn’t happen. How can you prove something didn’t happen? I hope we become a society where those making accusations are held accountable for their words and actions. I’m not trying to blame Hyunjoo. Everyone faces difficulties in life, but you shouldn’t attribute all your problems to others. Especially in entertainment, issues like school violence, bullying, and harassment shouldn’t be exploited to permanently brand someone.
https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/144/0000991731
-Don't they realize that releasing series of articles like this is a part of the bullying?
-You shouldn't fight someone who has nothing to lose. Who suffers more from a fight?
-'The girls stopped me, they don't want to attack Hyunjoo' This part is so totally the opposite of the reality, where they filed 7 lawsuits against her. They tormented her. It just doesn't add up.
-It seems true that Hyunjoo girl didn't adapt well to the group life.
-It's unfortunate, but I don't think the situation will change just because these articles are coming out. People have been bashing them for so long that they don't want to acknowledge it and will keep ignoring it. It's just sad.
-I wonder how much did she receive...
-Stop this, won't you? I'm so sick and tired of this.
-It's really sad... Is this what they call the right choice?
-This only seems to create more resentment; why are they doing this?
-Why go this far? It’s pure evilㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-In reality, they filed 7 lawsuits against Hyunjoo
-F*ck this. Stop harassing Hyunjoo, willyou?
-I feel really bad for Hyunjooㅠㅠ Do they have to go this far?? They're truly evil.
