"I didn't know she was that kind of person."
Cheon Serim had been one of the trainees making headlines with Won Yuha even before
After the broadcast, Cheon Serim's recognition only continued to rise—never once dropping.
Her mellow yet bold personality, exceptional sociability, and comedic timing all showed on screen and drew countless fans.
Office-worker fans also viewed Cheon Serim positively. She was unquestionably a charming trainee whose talent seemed to drip off her like she was breathing—and she also got along well with the fan's favorite, Won Yuha.
Won Yuha and Joo Dan Woo, who were somewhat curt and quiet… paired with the social, energetic Cheon Serim and Aiden Lee, created a combination that many idol-maker fans adored. They complemented each other so well that anyone could see their heartwarming chemistry.
"But if one of them turns out to be a deserter, the chemistry is ruined…"
Desertion is a sensitive topic among group fans. Alongside criminal behavior, it is one of the most heavily condemned actions for idols. At this point, it was safe to say Cheon Serim's debut was as good as gone.
"If she's going to drop out, I wish she'd just do it quickly. Don't drag it out and end up hurting my fave too…"
Since the "roommates" pairing had become extremely popular, and anti-fans were mocking Won Yuha as some privileged trainee who had it easy, it was clear that Won Yuha would inevitably suffer from the fallout as well. The office-worker fan simply hoped the damage would be minimal.
She was thinking that as she scrolled through a heated community post.
"…?"
The office-worker fan, skimming through the flood of live comments, suddenly froze her scrolling finger.
—Honestly I feel bad for Cheonserimㅋㅋ If it were me I'd bail too instead of debuting with bastards like SNCh. Those guys are all dogsh*ts who can't even talk properly.
Amid the
And she wasn't the only one who couldn't ignore it.
└ What? Is there something up with SNCh??
└ SNCh why?? Can you explain?
As curious replies piled up, the original commenter continued leisurely.
—ㅋㅋㅋ It's hard to find a sane one in that group. Honestly they shouldn't be going on stage, they should be going to jailㅠㅠ I cracked up when I listened to ListenMusic cause it was so ridiculous. What do you mean "it was hard"? They debuted with A8's full supportㅋㅋ Everyone knows Kim Min-ho debuted because of his family's pressure. A8 even sent a perfectly fine trainee to psych treatment just to get him debuted.
└ ??? What the hell??? What are you talking about?
└ Can you explain in more detail???
—It's literally what I said~ Kim Min-ho and the SNCh members are all seasoned bullies. One of them almost got sent to juvie for school violence, but they covered it up with pressureㅋㅋ Kim Min-ho is the worst. He hits first and talks laterㅋㅋ Anyone who trained with him has probably been hit at least once.
After that, the commenter answered no further questions. And right as the community started heating up over that comment—
"Hello, this is Cheon Serim, a trainee from Garam Entertainment appearing on
I am writing this with a heavy heart to state my position regarding the recent events."
As the person at the center of the controversy posted a statement herself, the chaos only deepened.
Cheon Serim began her apology in a clear, composed tone, then calmly acknowledged the facts in question.
She apologized for having prepared to debut through Eight Entertainment, only to make a unilateral decision to withdraw right beforehand, causing significant harm to both the agency and the debuting group.
But her statement did not end with an apology.
"…The reason I made that choice was because of my own lacking and cowardly past actions. I stood by as the members of that group committed violence against another trainee from the same agency. I know that this was no different from silently condoning and contributing to the abuse, and there is no excuse for it.
(omitted)
I wanted to debut as a group with members with whom I could build a future, but I became certain that I would not be able to dream of a healthy future if I debuted with that group. After long and deep consideration, I ultimately gave up debuting and left the agency.
After wandering for a long time, I eventually could not give up my dream of becoming an idol, joined my current agency, and received overwhelming love through
Feeling responsible for that love, I decided I could no longer ignore my cowardice and must instead reveal the truth and offer a sincere apology."
Cheon Serim's statement ended with apologies both to the trainee who had been harmed and to the idol-makers who had voted for her.
Public reactions to her apology varied widely.
—So what are we supposed to do with thisㅋㅋ; So desertion was real, and she's basically saying "I had a reason!" Isn't this just "I'm the real victim!!"? How is that different from writing a pity-party apology?
—I get it though. What could she have done at that age? She was like 16, way too young, scared, overwhelmed… and she probably desperately wanted to debut… She couldn't have predicted the situation would go that far. Honestly I think posting this took courage.
—Whatever, just drop out.
—Still a deserterㅋㅋ
—I think she acted smart. What would you even do debuting with people who destroyed someone's life? Live your whole life eating, practicing, and sharing a dorm with the ones who bullied your friend? Leaving was the only way to survive.
—Honestly Cheon Serim is a victim too.
—Idk she seems like she calculated her way out. Feels less like guilt and more like she ran because she knew debuting with those troublemakers would ruin her tooㅎㅎ Feels like she's trying to craft an image.
—I'm keeping my votes for Cheon Serim and I hope everyone around me does too… I really hope she finally gets to debut with people she can build a future with. After reading this apology, I felt it—Serim is honest and sincere… she won't let us down after debut.
—Cheonnyeondan Cheon Serim forever protecting her.
There was criticism, but support was just as strong. These opinions clashed fiercely, heating up the community, and the incident quickly made its way to entertainment journalists.
And as articles began popping up one after another, the situation started shifting in Cheon Serim's favor.
"Hello, I am a former trainee from Eight Entertainment. I would like to expose the bullying I suffered from the Snatch members."
"I was a victim of school violence by Snatch's Kim Min-ho."
"'I'm gonna spill the story about how Snatch's Shin Myeongchan almost got sent to juvie in middle schoolㅋㅋ'"
Just as Won Yuha had predicted, victims who had been silently watching the situation began coming forward one by one, exposing the group's past acts of violence.
And the moment all these accumulating exposés pushed the situation to its peak—tilting entirely against Snatch—was when a statement was posted by Kim Youngshin, the "expelled trainee" mentioned in the very first viral comment.
Kim Youngshin confirmed that everything written in that post was true, and added that he was still undergoing psychiatric treatment to this day.
After continuing with an explanation of the facts and his anger toward the perpetrators, his statement ended with remarks directed at Cheon Serim.
**"It would be a lie to say I never resented her.
It's true that I felt betrayed as well.
But as time passed, I began to look at myself—and Serim—more objectively.
I do not believe Serim's response back then was something unavoidable.
But I do think it was extremely difficult, and I can now faintly understand why she felt she had no choice.
So I want to accept Serim's apology.
However, I want that apology to apply only to the relationship that Serim chose to turn away from—not to the act of standing by itself.
And I want to say that I support her as well.
I want to tell her that I hope she can finally dream of a future—because I intend to do the same."**
Once Kim Youngshin—who had suffered the most under Kim Min-ho—posted his own statement following the steady stream of exposés, the situation flipped entirely. The story spread to the general public, and the criticism toward the Snatch members grew even louder.
A full week of stalemate followed.
**"Hello, this is Eight Entertainment.
First, we bow our heads in apology for the recent misconduct involving our artists, the members of Snatch."**
At last, Snatch's agency, Eight Entertainment, released an official statement, and the situation came to an end.
They admitted to everything, and the group Snatch disbanded.
It was a victory for the victims.
****
"Serim, seriously… are you okay?"
"Hyung, if I open my phone right now, I have like a hundred messages asking me that."
"You've never answered me."
"…I'm fine."
Pressed again by Aiden Lee, Cheon Serim let out a deep sigh. It had already been an hour since the group gathered, and he looked completely drained from Aiden's relentless questioning.
Watching him, I spoke bluntly.
"Just think of it as karma."
"Haaa..."
Cheon Serim, who had been rubbing his throbbing temples, grumbled irritably.
"Feels like just yesterday you were laughing at hyung for being annoyed by Chanhee."
"Now that you're in the same situation, you get it?"
"My case is worse. I can't even open my phone right now—there's just too much."
Well, of course. Cheon Serim had an unmatched level of sociability.
'When the situation first blew up, all those people who stayed quiet were probably gauging the mood. Now that things have settled with Snatch's disbandment, they're all crawling back to say something.'
In the entertainment industry, which is hypersensitive to popularity and rumors, Cheon Serim's phone was likely silent during the peak of the chaos. Now that the situation had resolved, people had begun to attach themselves again.
I answered him flatly again.
"Just think of it as karma."
"Oh, of course. I know it's all karma and I'll accept it."
After saying that, Cheon Serim subtly checked the people around him. When he sensed that some eyes had drifted away, he lowered his voice and spoke quietly.
"…And thank you, hyung."
"…For what?"
"For everything. Thanks to you, I was able to talk to Youngshin-hyung too… How did you even get his number?"
"…There are ways."
I brushed it off vaguely and avoided his eyes. No way could I tell him the system was what let me obtain the number.
"There's nothing to thank me for. You were the one who reached out."
Getting the number was barely assistance at all. The real important part was what came after.
—Are you going to tell Kim Youngshin?
After obtaining Kim Youngshin's number, I had to hesitate over whether to pass it to Cheon Serim. For a simple reason:
'It could become another act of harm.'
Having his past dragged out again by someone else—the former bystander, no less—couldn't possibly be painless for the victim.
So I first needed to gauge what Serim intended to do, and after thinking for a while, he answered.
—…If I somehow learn his number, I should tell him. Youngshin-hyung might not want it.
—What if Kim Youngshin hates bringing it up now?
—Then I give up.
And with that very simple answer, Serim dismissed all of my concerns.
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