Former Trainee A Members Leo and Lee Sang-won Join Mnet’s BOYS II PLANET
Leo Lee and Lee Sang-won, once part of Big Hit Music’s pre-debut group Trainee A, have entered Mnet’s new survival show BOYS II PLANET, which premiered on the 17th. This season has a team-based format, splitting contestants into Planet K and Planet C, with trainees competing for a shot at debut.
Their appearance surprised other participants when they walked in under a company name no one recognized—Grid. “I think all the trainees probably know them,” said Heo Ji-O. Park Dong-kyu added, “I was watching their YouTube so well, but then they suddenly disappeared. I wondered where they went.” Jeong Han-eum recalled, “They were central members among them,” while Oh Jun-ho admitted, “I used to watch a lot of YouTube back then. Their channel.” Shin Jae-ha also reacted strongly, saying, “When they appeared, I got goosebumps. It felt like seeing a celebrity.”
Trainee A was first introduced by Big Hit in 2021 with social media promotions, including a YouTube channel. But in September 2022, all activity stopped, and the company later confirmed the project had been canceled that December.
During the show’s class assessment battle, Leo and Sang-won had to perform to secure their rankings. The system sorts trainees into All-Star, Two-Star, and One-Star, while those who don’t meet the criteria get eliminated as ‘No-Stars’.
On stage, the pair performed ENHYPEN’s ‘No Doubt’. But at the end, Lee Sang-won’s shoe came off, and he accidentally said “Aish,” (“Aish” (아잇 or 아이씨) is a common Korean exclamation that’s considered a mild, informal expletive. It’s often used to express frustration, annoyance, or embarrassment, and it’s widely understood to be a softened or censored version of “Ah, shibal” (아 시발) — which is a much stronger curse meaning roughly “Ah, f*ck.”) which surprised the audience. “This is the first time I’ve heard ‘Aish’ during a performance,” commented judge Lee Seok-hoon. Sang-won looked embarrassed.
Judges Offer Encouragement Despite Setback
Still, judges encouraged them. Dance master Kinky said, “There were many compliments on your singing, and you danced well too. It was excellent. Of course, it was because of Sang-won’s mistake, but it was good to see you burst into laughter at the end. I hope you regain your laughter and enjoy the stage more.” Hyolyn added, “I hope you show only the ability to keep moving forward, thinking there’s nowhere else to retreat.”
Revealing Their Training Background
When asked about their training background, Sang-won revealed, “Before that, I was at Big Hit Music.” Leo added, “Sang-won and I started together and became the Trainee A debut team” at Big Hit. Hyolyn had asked if they were the ones from Trainee A.
Sang-won also opened up about the emotional toll after leaving the company. “There were various circumstances, and I ended up leaving the agency then, so I couldn’t debut. Honestly, I didn’t want to do it anymore at that time. I tried working part-time at a cafe and was in a period of contemplation. I really wanted to give up on being an idol and quit. I wanted to rest. It felt like a long time.”
Lim Han-byul: “Like Birds in a Cage”
Vocal master Lim Han-byul commented on their demeanor, “I don’t know if it’s just me, but these two friends seem very gloomy and down. It might be because their trainee life has been too long. Being a trainee is hard, isn’t it? Endless waiting. It’s like a bird that can fly high is stuck in a cage, and it can’t fly beyond that cage. I sincerely hope they shake off all that frustration and sorrow with this stage today. Please cheer up.”
Leo played a key role in convincing Sang-won to return. “I’m going to ‘Boys Planet’. Let’s debut together,” he said. Sang-won recalled, “When Rio hyung suggested it, I felt that he still wanted to debut with me. We hadn’t been able to experience being a team and colleagues, and I think Rio hyung felt that regret, and so did I. Once I felt like I had to do this, I wanted to put a period to it. I decided to take courage one last time.”
Despite the mishap, both Leo and Sang-won earned All-Star ratings. Sang-won, clearly emotional, said, “I want to do it again. Even at this moment, I want to do it again. My shoe flew off, and I even made a slip of the tongue… It’s absolutely not because I’m someone who swears a lot. I don’t know why… I was just so grateful that they let it pass smoothly. I have to work harder.”
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