i-dle’s Shuhua Confesses That She Was Preparing To Leave The Group
i-dle (formerly known as (G)I-DLE) member Shuhua recently admitted that she was on the verge of leaving the group after her exclusive contract expired.
In 2024, when the i-dle members’ contracts with Cube Entertainment were approaching the time of expiry, there were all kinds of speculations regarding them re-signing with the agency, which also made the group’s future uncertain. However, at the end of the year, leader Soyeon confirmed that all members had renewed their contracts during an acceptance speech at the 2024 Melon Music Awards.
After the renewal, the group rebranded into i-dle and recently kicked off their group promotions for the latest comeback. During these recent activities, all members have been incredibly transparent about how this contract renewal was a difficult decision to arrive at. Shuhua, in particular, even admitted that she almost didn’t re-sign her contract.
In her latest entertainment show appearance, the i-dle maknae further revealed that she was also prepared to leave the group.
On May 24, KST, i-dle appeared as the guests on JTBC‘s popular variety show, Knowing Bros. During the episode, all members reflected on the tumultuous period between their contract expiry and renewal.
One of the hosts, Heechul from Super Junior, then quipped, “Surprisingly, even the usually quiet Shuhua hired a lawyer”, to which Lee Soo Geun responded, “She must have been preparing to leave.”
Shuhua immediately admitted, “Yes. It’s true.” She then stated that while she considered other options, she decided against her initial plan and stayed with her members.
When I thought of the members, I felt that staying with the team would be the better choice.
— Shuhua
So, not only was Shuhua planning to leave Cube, but also depart from the lineup of i-dle altogether. Fortunately, the members were able to change her mind. Soyeon, in particular, mentioned that she had many discussions with Shuhua during this period. In fact, Shuhua had one-on-one conversations with all the members before finalizing her decision.
Soyeon also played a massive role in Shuhua’s contract negotiation.
I even took the lead in negotiating the finer details. I made a lot of edits to the contract, even down to the word choices.
— Soyeon
Thankfully, things worked out in i-dle’s favor, allowing them to continue as a formidable quintet.
