ILLIT’s Wonhee Shares Unexpected Casting Story: “I Just Wanted to End the Situation Quickly”
On March 8, comedian Kim Dae-hee’s YouTube channel “Ggondaehee” uploaded a video titled “[EN] [Let’s Eat] Like it’s Magnetic VS Let’s Eat Magnesium (feat. ILLIT’s Wonhee, Minju).” In the video, ILLIT members Wonhee and Minju joined Kim Dae-hee for a fun and lighthearted conversation, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about their journey to debut and their group’s playful dynamic.
Kim Dae-hee asked the two, “Was becoming a singer always your dream?”
Wonhee opened up about her unexpected street casting experience, saying, “I was living in Changwon and had just taken an express bus to Seoul. While I was trying to find the subway station, someone approached me and asked, ‘Do you know HYBE?’” She revealed that this random encounter led to her being cast on the spot and eventually becoming a trainee. Laughing at the memory, she added, “At the time, I felt really embarrassed and just wanted to end the situation quickly, but somehow, I ended up debuting as a member of ILLIT. My original dream was actually to become a magician.”
Minju, on the other hand, had always aspired to be a singer. She shared, “Since elementary school, I wanted to be an idol after watching idol-themed cartoons. Even when I entered middle school, I still really wanted to be a singer, so I asked my mom to send me to a dance academy.”
Minju recalled the challenges she faced in convincing her mother, saying, “At first, my mom said no, so I had to persuade her every day. I finally managed to go, and after training in a hobby class, the academy director encouraged me to audition.” She continued, “I trained as a trainee at my first company for about three years before moving to HYBE and debuting as a member of ILLIT.”
When Kim Dae-hee brought up ILLIT’s reputation for playing pranks on each other, Minju eagerly confirmed, “That’s right. We do a lot of hidden camera pranks. We even involve our performance director and manager to trick one of the members.”
True to their playful nature, ILLIT had a prank prepared for the show – a ghost prank meant to scare Kim Dae-hee. The two members teamed up with the production staff, pretending not to hear the eerie ghost sounds played by the crew. However, Kim Dae-hee quickly caught on and flipped the script, turning the prank against ILLIT and catching them off guard instead. In the end, their hidden camera attempt hilariously backfired.
Despite their prank ending in failure, Wonhee and Minju’s playful energy and candid stories gave fans a glimpse into ILLIT’s fun-loving dynamic and the unexpected paths that led them to debut.