I Trained With BTS: Being on the Brink of Fame and Then Losing it All

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Published 2022-02-01
In 2011, Kim Ji-hun was selected by Big Hit Entertainment to train with 30 other trainees for an upcoming K-pop group. This, then unnamed group would later become the global music phenomenon, BTS. Ji-hun shared a small dorm with 6 other trainees who went on to debut as members of BTS while his life took a different turn when he was eventually cut from the final line up. VICE meets Ji-hun as he shares his first hand experience of almost being in BTS and his life after that.

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All Comments (21)
  • @radha1172
    "If I had made the group, I don't think they would have been as famous as they are now" ... the amount of maturity it takes to say that
  • @kbloom3928
    "i am not jealous of their money or their fame it's just that they get to stay together" man this broke my heart
  • @ReeChad.
    "I'm now an intern at the health services but this isn't what I wanted to be" that line really hurts hard , and what hurts more is seeing people you hanged out with make it in life while you aren't making it , good luck my friend
  • @devi027
    Being jealous of BTS for staying together is the most realistic thing. I know what it feels like to see my high school friends who still hang out together even after 10 years. I hope he's doing well
  • @tem6238
    Idk why but when he said "I used to be a BTS trainee, but now I am just living a normal life working as an intern at a government office" and then he gave this awkward little smile, you can see the sadness in his smile. I hope someday he'll make his dreams come true and get what he truly deserves.💖
  • @Joy-fo7kr
    I love how he turned out, he didn't let it destroy him
  • It’s crazy how he is probably just a memory for them, like when we used to go to school and had friends as classmates and lost contact, but for him they are his life He has to see them everywhere and it’s a constant what if… if he reads this: sometimes things in life go a certain way for a reason, maybe you were saved from something be happy that you got these stories to tell even years later, those memories stay forever
  • @zan_fareen
    I feel bad for him. You can actually see the sadness in his eyes. He has to live forever with his sweet past memories while constantly thinking about his future. He represents many of the other ex trainees.
  • @LaLaLand926
    It’s actually so sad when you think of how many broken dreams there are of ex trainees who got cut in Korea. KPop is everywhere there so you’re constantly reminded of your past
  • @Sunflowava
    I hope he finds his own path and become successful, I hope his wishes will come true🥹🥺 it breaks my heart to see that he didn’t make it especially how incredibly kind he is, and I hope BTS members will go visit him too 🥺 this hurts to watch, there are many who never make it to the finish line… 💔💔 hope Army will support his work too
  • @myu2978
    It hurts me in my soul hearing the regret in his voice with every word, still longing for the memories which passed by a long time ago I hope he will find the life that makes him happy, I cannot imagine how it must feel having been so close to success but yet so far, almost there but it slipped through your fingers Best wishes
  • @LastHumanBender
    The most painful thing in the world is, knowing that you did your best but still not enough.
  • "Even now, they don't look cool to me. They just seem cute. To me, they still just feel like my old friends" This line made me teary. I know bangtan missed their old friends too🥺
  • @ace.of.space.
    i myself am jealous of bts's loving friendship, so i cannot imagine the emotional weight of having been friends with them and then having been cut so suddenly. there's a nostalgia i think many of us have for the people we bonded with through our difficult times, especially in our teens. thanks to Ji-hun for sharing his emotions and his aspirations. wishing him the best
  • @rintyani_kook
    Glad to know that he also has the simplicity and pure heart like his old BTS friends, he could had been a great idol like the others. "My biggest goal is to throw a massive party with everyone from my training days", hopefully one day he can make it happen.
  • the fact that he still takes pride in them and doesnt have harsh feelings tells a lot about how nice of a person he must be
  • @mariomaniac581
    "Back then we shared the same goal, but now my only goal is to be like them" man that hit hard 😢
  • @stef_wtf
    One of the hardest things in life is letting go of what could have been. We often grief too much on the life we wish we had and the accomplishments that we forget to enjoy the life we actually have. This interview hurt my heart because I know all too well how it is to live with the regret of "could've and should've"... YET I admire this man, he seems genuine and I'm so glad his heart is pure and sincere when it comes to the boys. He doesn't envy their money or fame, he envies the family like friendship they have and only wishes he was still part of it. My sincere and best wishes to him, and I hope one day he gets to hang out with them and eat fried chicken like that night he went to their dorm. May the boys from BTS be able to make time to see him at least once and help him be the happiest again.
  • @yoj2389
    The saddest part about this is not debuting together with the 7 boys but the longing . I'm sure he longed for the friendship they created, missed being with them . Wondering if they still remember them . Bc we all have friends that we no longer have communications with when we become adults .