Article: "You made me into an unni who betrayed," April's Chaewon also refutes Hyunjoo bullying
Source: Chosun Ilbo
April's Kim Chaewon has also denied rumors that Hyunjoo was bullied.
On the 17th, Chaewon posted on the official fan café and explained, "at the time we were preparing for debut, Hyunjoo often said she was sick here and there and said it was hard to practice. Our first debut stage was on 'The Show' on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 but as usual, we were going to the Music Bank Day shop on Friday when we found out Hyunjoo disappeared all of a sudden until the end of dry rehearsals and camera rehearsals. After we finished the stage with just 5 of us, we were all shaking with anger as we waited for Hyunjoo to return. Before the live broadcast, as if nothing happened, she came back to the waiting room and said, "Still, I have to do the live broadcast."
"This was the first time a rookie that just debuted in less than a week bailed on dry rehearsals and we were branded a rude girl group within a week. Her behavior was so sudden that we were in shock and upset that she wasn't really thinking of the group at all."
"As the days went by, Hyunjoo behavior got worse. She hardly participated in practices because it was either she didn't want to do it or she was sick. We were all tired of her actions but never once did we bully her like she's claiming."
"The day we were scheduled to perform on 'Show Champion' for 'Tinkerbell', the agency sent us notice that Hyunjoo was in the emergency room. Because once again she left in middle of promotions, we had to quickly fill the empty stage with doll masks and prepare for a 4-person concert."
Chaewon also addressed the Kimbap incident writing, "I clearly remember that day. Our fans sent us kimbap for support but the minute Hyunjoo came into the van, she sneered at the smell and sprayed perfume in the car. The perfume even reached Jinsol and Yena who were in the back seat and everyone told her to stop because we were getting headaches. Hyunjoo then raised her voice and said aggressive words and started shouting at the members."
"I want to ask Hyunjoo why she made me into an unni who betrayed. I was always by her side and helped take care of her. We're all suffering because of false rumors that are spreading but she seems happy with everything else she's doing on her own. I want her to put things back to where they were."
Later, controversy arose over conflicting statements about their Music Bank debut and Chaewon released a clarification statement and stated, "There's something I want to correct. The day Hyunjoo bailed on Music Bank rehearsals was Sept 11, 2015. It was a long time ago so I thought it happened a week earlier but I remember that day well because of the outfits we wore. It seems a lot of people are raising questions about my statement but I can't answer them all. I posted that statement after thinking it over for a few months so that the fans can know the facts of the unfairness we felt at the time. I won't hesitate to speak out anymore even if its on my own."
Chaewon is the 3rd April member after Lee Naeun and Jinsol to refute alleged bullying rumors.
- [+1,012, -25] Just disband. I can't stand them anymore.
- [+845, -75] Well, it's easy for a group to make one person out to be the weird one. Even if the majority of members are right, it's true they tortured her until got panic disorder, no?
- [+553, -16] They openly left evidence of their bullying on camera but are so blatantly brazen to this level? Unless all those videos were staged..?
- [+282, -12] Stop picking kids that have problematic pasts with opposite sex, school violence, drinking, smoking, drugs, money issues or one night stands etc. to debut as celebrities...
- [+215, -8] I found the videos of them going to Music Bank shop and pre-recordings and it's all a lie. They edited the date but there are still photos of them posted onlineㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ. And the dorm thing? Hyunjoo lived alone in Seoul. If her parents really lived in Seoul and she was that sick, wouldn't she have gone home instead of the dormsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ? Shouldn't' they have contacted her and told her the schedule?
- [+171, -3] Such a weak excuse. In the end, all three members basically admitted that they hated Hyunjoo. The agency also admitted to the Cheonggukjang and Tumblr incidents.
- [+146, -3] They drove one person to the brink of suicide and still no reflection at all. YouTube is already overflowing with videos of their bullying. Regardless of what Hyunjoo did or didn't, it doesn't justify their bullying. They're really losing the plot. Looks like the members still don't understand the situation at hand..
- [+113, -2] Honestly, I feel even more sorry for Hyunjoo after her clarification comments. She's someone that loves being in front of the camera so imagine how bad things must've been in the back. If a rookie who just made their debut gets sick to the point of being rushed to the ER and didn't want to go the practice room...well, there's your answer. And how can they claim the videos are maliciously edited when they're the ones that filmed them unless they staged it all. Each members facial expressions and tone of voice was caught in one cut. And its not just one or two videos either..
- [+48, -1] This is like killing a corpse twice. The company is working so hard to resuscitate a flop group who's image is in ruins already..
- [+28, -2] If you remember the Tara case then just stay neutral..