It's truly a shame that ALL(H)OURS' comeback keeps getting delayed and Youngseo (영서) is essentially inactive, isn't it? I've been wondering lately what would have happened if Youngseo had stayed with ILLIT. Honestly, Youngseo's visual combination and the style she pursues are a better match for ILLIT than ALL(H)OURS. It's deeply regrettable that she left. If Youngseo were still there, she and Wonhee (원희) would likely form a 'dual-top' system, creating a legend, somewhat like the 'Ahn-Jang Line' (Ahn Yu-jin (안유진) and Jang Won-young (장원영)) dynamic. Youngseo had such a great initial reaction, and now her hiatus is getting longer and longer, which is truly upsetting.
I remember when Youngseo first appeared, I genuinely thought she would dominate the fifth generation of K-pop. It's difficult to find a member who excels in singing, dancing, and visuals, and I truly can't understand how HYBE missed out on such talent. Similarly, I can't understand why ALL(H)OURS isn't utilizing Youngseo properly.
Below are translations of comments from Korean netizens
1. Didn't they say they'd be back soon? She's filmed a lot of commercials during her break, though. Going to ALL(H)OURS is hundreds of times better; ILLIT's situation is so frustrating.
2. It's not that serious… Minju (민주) and Wonhee are much prettier.
3. Neither ILLIT nor ALL(H)OURS… seem to have the potential to be entertainers.
4. Why are they inactive? Didn't all the members participate in year-end festivals and attend many award ceremonies and events?
5. I don't know who she is, but she's very pretty! I hope more girl idols with this kind of style debut; things are really chaotic these days.
6. She actually stands out more in ALL(H)OURS, I think she's doing very well….
7. If she had gone to ILLIT, I feel like she would have shined brightly ㅠㅠ
8. It's a shame if Youngseo, Yunah (윤아), and Bang Ji-min (방지민) had debuted with a girl crush concept.
9. Youngseo has a MEOVV-like style. ILLIT is more of a cute concept.
10. ILLIT members all have a 'puppy-like' look, so I think her moving teams was a good choice.
11. This post might upset ILLIT fans, but Youngseo's preferred style really matches ILLIT's vibe. Also, looking at her personality now, and during 'R U Next?' and her pre-debut days, she gets along better with female friends her age, so she might feel this is better for her.
12. The company atmosphere is all about promoting Wonhee. Even if Youngseo were in ILLIT, probably half the people wouldn't know her name…
13. She would be more popular than she is now, seriously, why did she leave?? It's such a shame, all the pre-debut content was filmed, why did she suddenly leave ㅠㅠ
14. What do you mean 'inactive'? Anyway, if a few songs are successful, singers can earn a lot of money. Isn't it better to work less and earn more?
15. I don't know who she is, skipping ㅠ~~~
16. She should have debuted with NewJeans. With her 'cat-like' visuals, she would have been top-tier, what a pity.
17. How long are they going to keep talking about this? Don't look back, let it go. Youngseo has star potential even if she transitions to acting after ALL(H)OURS. Have hope.
18. She was eliminated, not left on her own… She had a contract, how could she just leave? Saying such things is speechless.
19. Honestly, just based on visuals, she's prettier than Wonhee. If she had debuted under HYBE, internal HYBE documents would probably have pushed Youngseo as the fourth-generation visual.
20. I feel like she wouldn't be popular anywhere; she's not exceptionally pretty, nor exceptionally talented.
