Because my sister is not a trainee, she is their escape hatch to reality. They love her because she doesn't care if their high kick is 5 degrees off.
The scariest part? The . Most agencies pay for housing, food, and training—but the trainee pays it back out of their first earnings. My sister’s friends already owe roughly $40,000 each. They joke about it, but you can see the terror in their eyes when they talk about "what if I don't debut?" 4. How They Treat "Civilians" (Like My Sister) You might think idols-in-training look down on normal people. It’s the opposite.
You see, my sister isn't a trainee herself. But somehow, she became best friends with a group of girls who are currently grinding away in one of Seoul’s mid-tier entertainment agencies. I’ve gone from being a casual listener to an unofficial “big sister mentor” for three girls who wake up at 5 AM to dance until their knees give out. my sisters idol trainee friends
To Yuna, Soojin, and Haeun— fighting! And stop stealing my sister's hoodies. Do you have a friend in the trainee system? Or are you dreaming of becoming one? Drop your questions below—I’ll ask the girls for their honest answers.
Because they are trainees (not debuted idols), the pressure is different. They aren't starving; they are miserably efficient . One friend, Soojin, showed me her "fuel" for the day: a protein shake, three pieces of grilled chicken breast, and a single sweet potato. She eats this every day to keep her "visual line" for the monthly evaluations. Because my sister is not a trainee, she
Every Monday, the agency posts the "Monthly Evaluation" rankings. If you drop below the cutoff line? You get a "consultation" (industry speak for "pack your bags").
Here is the honest, unfiltered reality of what your favorite idols are like before the lip gloss and the lightsticks. The first thing I learned? These girls don’t feel like students . They feel like exhausted entrepreneurs. They joke about it, but you can see
But here’s the sweet part: When they come to my sister’s dorm on their one day off a month? They demolish fried chicken and tteokbokki. The "idol diet" is a costume they wear for the agency; the real girls just want pizza. Being a trainee friend means being a therapist without a license.