Omg guys I missed writting so much, I didn't realize it until now that I'm back in this space. It was my safe space as a teenager. Life has been complicated and I have been too busy to write, but I'm back after 2 years or so.
Unfortunately, I'm returning with a heavy heart. March 10 was the day my world crumbled. I need to introduce the group first for you to understand the impact this has on me.
Enhypen is a K-pop group that debuted in the most traumatic survival show ever. During the pandemic, they were literally locked up for like 100 days. There were 23 trainees, including the current members of Enhypen, those 23 guys were training and performing day and night to avoid being voted out of the final line-up. Omg, I didn't really think about how deep their lore was until this point. I will try my best to explain who they are, how they debuted, and what's currently happening with the group.
As I was telling you, Enhypen is a K-pop group that was made in a survival show called I-Land where 23 trainees gave everything they had to debut in the group, but only seven were the lucky ones.
In this show these guys were given a brand new song and complex choreography to master in just six or seven days. They were being recorded 24/7, there was literally no escape from the cameras or the pressure. Once the week was up, they had to perform not only for the viewers of the show at home, but for the I-Land judges.
In the beginning, nobody was actually eliminated. They were just sent to 'Ground' a space where those who weren't in the line-up could still train. Meanwhile, the top 12 who were 'safe' and on track to debut stayed in the main I-Land facilities. But as the show went on, the eliminations became real. They weren't going to 'Ground' anymore, they were being sent straight home. This kept going until only seven were left. Those seven were the winners and the members of Enhypen. The first six were chosen by global voting, and the seventh and final member was handpicked by the producers.
Since day one, it was clear to everyone that Heeseung was the Ace. He excelled at absolutely everything:
Vocals ✅
Dance ✅
Charisma ✅
Stage presence ✅
You name it, he was good at it. Honestly, there was zero doubt in anyone's mind, he was 100% going to debut. And he did, alongside Jungwon, Jay, Sunghoon, Jake, Sunoo, and Ni-ki.
Since their debut, they’ve been unstoppable. They are easily one of the most talented groups in the industry, their music is catchy, their performances are top-tier, their concept is fun, and their success was only growing. Everything seemed fine.
But then, March 10 happened.
It was announced that Heeseung, the main vocalist of Enhypen, was leaving the group and everybody and their mamas were shocked, nobody saw that coming, he was saying a day before the announcement that he love the group and how he wanted to stay with them for a long time. Then the next day? Poof, he was gone. We didn’t even get a proper goodbye.
What hurts the most is that you don't really expect this in the K-pop industry cause Idols are allowed to release solo music and do their own thing without actually leaving the group. There was no reason for him to go, he could have had both. This is why Engenes (that's the fandom name) believe Heeseung didn't actually leave on his own, they think he was kicked out, because this company loves to overworked Enhypen, since their debut, they’ve barely had any time off, their schedule is insane, they drop a comeback, go on tour, do endless interviews, and then repeat the whole cycle. It's heartbreaking, the youngest member is japanese and due to this he hasn't even been able to see his family.
The day the company announced his departure, Heeseung also published a handwritten letter explaining that he wanted to pursue solo music, and that was why he was leaving the group. But in that letter, there is one specific line that all Engenes are holding onto. It said something along the lines of: he was simply deciding on what the company had suggested to him.
This only added fuel to the fire, and it’s what fans have been holding onto to claim that Heeseung was actually kicked out and that it wasn't really his decision. To make matters worse, the company has forbidden the other members from even mentioning Heeseung’s name. In their lives, any comments containing his name or the phrase 'Enhypen is seven' are immediately deleted. It’s crazy because even when the boys were being flooded with hate comments, Belift was never this efficient.
Engenes think it was not his choice, if Heeseung had actually chosen to leave to go solo on his own terms, things would have been handled so differently. There would’ve been a proper farewell, a final stage, a special event, or at least one last concert with all seven members so we could all say goodbye. We would have had time to process it. But none of that happened. And that’s what makes this so hard to believe. If you watch I-Land, you can see who Heeseung really is. He was always so attentive, taking the time to teach the choreographies to everyone else. He was helpful, kind, and just had the best energy. Despite being the 'Ace' and having everyone constantly tell him he was the best, he remained incredibly humble. He never acted like he was above anyone else, he was just a genuinely good, respectful person.
So, it is completely out of character for someone like him to just disappear without a real goodbye. It makes no sense that there wasn't a final concert with all seven members or a proper event to honor his journey. Someone as selfless and dedicated as Heeseung would never just leave his members and Engenes hanging like that... unless it wasn't his choice.
The company dropped a bunch of statements after the official news because the second everyone found out Heeseung was leaving Enhypen, social media literally went up in flames. Everyone was losing it, begging for him to come back and saying he should’ve been allowed to do his solo stuff while staying in the group.
In one specific statement, Belift actually said that Enhypen’s schedule is so packed that they don’t have time for anything other than group activities. Because of that, they decided it was 'better' for Heeseung to leave the group so he wouldn't have to keep delaying his solo music career.
By admitting Enhypen’s schedule is 'too demanding' to allow for solo projects, they’re basically saying they’d rather lose a member than slow down the money machine for even a second. They didn't want to give the group a break, so they just pushed him out instead. This sets a terrifying precedent for the other six members because the company is literally telling them that if they ever want artistic freedom, they’re out. They’ve made it impossible to be an individual and stay in the group at the same time.
They made everything worse with that statement, it only confirmed the fans' worst fears that he was kicked out. The following days engenes have filled Twitter/x with hashtags showing support to Heeseung, to Enhypen, begging the company to rethink their decision and bring Heeseung back, they donated money and send trucks in front of hyve (the company) protesting and asking for Heeseung to be back in the group, a group of engenes even protest in front of hyve, they rent Billboards all over the world, from Times Square to various other major cities. A petition requesting that Heeseung be allowed to pursue a solo career without leaving the group has already reached 2 million signatures in just one week. I'm impressed, I’ve never seen anything like this before, not when Camila Cabello leave Fifth Harmony, not when Zayn left One Direction, this feels bigger than that.
This was the first 3 days, engenes reached 100 million post in a week.
Right now, we are still waiting for an answer. Did Heeseung really choose to leave, or was he forced out? We don't know what actually happened, only time will tell. Meanwhile we will continue to support Enhypen and Heeseung.
