Former group DIA member and actress Kwon Chaewon looked back on difficult times, from devilish editing to the failed debut as a virtual idol.
Recently, a video titled "After the controversy over devilish editing.. the youngest of the girl group returns more mature, surprising visuals" was released on the YouTube channel 'One Mic'.
The video featured Kwon Chaewon, who had been active in the group DIA. After her activities with DIA, Kwon Chaewon tried a survival program on her own without an agency, but she recalled past times when she suffered severe malicious comments and psychological pain due to poor song choice and the controversy over devilish editing, and moments of frustration when she had prepared for six months to debut as a virtual idol but the company was dismantled.
Kwon Chaewon said of her activities with DIA, "I debuted at 18. I thought I would definitely succeed after debuting, but it wasn't easy. As the gap grew longer, I quickly realized that 'as Eunchae of DIA I couldn't do better than now,' and during that time I took rolling entrance exams to get into university and I graduated. As soon as I turned 20 I got my driver's license and spent a lot of time on self-improvement."
She added, "DIA is such a good memory. It allowed me to work in the entertainment industry, and I'm still 'Kwon Chaewon from DIA.' We even ranked No. 1 on eupak broadcasts, and I can't forget that thrilling feeling. I'm so grateful to and cherish the members and the older sisters. Spending my adolescence as an active member of DIA strengthened my mentality. Now no matter what hard thing comes, it's not hard. My heart has become firmer."
Kwon Chaewon, who said DIA has not disbanded yet, said, "Right now we are each going our own way and we can come together anytime. Our group chat is still alive."
Kwon Chaewon struck out on her own but also experienced pain in her survival challenge. She said, "After group activities I couldn't give up the dream of being an idol, so I went on the survival show, but the response wasn't good. Because I was too greedy, I didn't choose the right songs. The writers tried to stop me, but my desire to be the main character was strong. In another sense I did become the main character, but I don't regret it."
She added, "I cried a lot because of malicious comments and devilish editing. I was practicing for the next round, and a close older sister told me 'don't look at your phone.' Later when I checked there were so many nasty comments. It was the first time I'd been noticed for something bad, so I was very embarrassed and struggled. That's when I realized the importance of a protective circle that can guard me."
Kwon Chaewon prepared to debut as a virtual idol but was frustrated. She said, "It was a tough process that involved wearing black tight shirts top and bottom, attaching markers, wearing a helmet, and even mounting a phone to do facial recognition. It was stressful not being able to appear as myself, but I still wanted to be in a group. But the debut didn't happen and it disappeared. As the company was wound down, six months of preparation went to waste. I felt so empty."
Meanwhile, Kwon Chaewon meets viewers playing Joo Hyun, the school's number one in power, through the short-form drama "Free from dreams".
[OSEN]