“Boys II Planet” Idol Addresses His “Controversial” Return To Group And Contract Renewal Head-On

He spoke his mind.

For K-Pop fans, most of the time, contract renewal is welcome news. But for VERIVERY fans, there were mixed feelings about the group choosing to renew with their current management company, Jellyfish Entertainment.

VERIVERY | @the_verivery/Instagram

Following the flood of reactions online, member Kangmin—who has returned to the team after appearing on Mnet‘s Boys II Planet but not making it to the debuting group of ALPHA DRIVE ONE—has taken to Instagram to talk about the decision.

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While Kangmin was eliminated from Boys II Planet, narrowly missing the final lineup (and shocking a lot of viewers), he ended up gaining a lot of new fans. Before the confirmation of his contract renewal, and knowing his seven years with VERIVERY/Jellyfish Entertainment is coming to an end soon, these new fans hoped that he could debut in a Boys II Planet spin-off group.

But after the renewal news broke, there have been heated discussions between the existing VERIVERY fans and new Kangmin fans wanting different things. As a result, related words have trended on social media platforms, even making rounds across multiple online communities all day.

Kangmin on “Boys II Planet” | Mnet

That said, Kangmin clarified in a live when the contract renewal took place, noting that he and the members are aware of the current online reactions.

| @youkangmln/Instagram

“We renewed our contracts, right? We actually did that before Boys II Planet aired. Back then, we talked a lot about what we could be doing next. That’s when the company told us about Boys II Planet. When I said I wanted to try out for the show, the company said, ‘We’ll support you in pursuing whatever you truly want, if you choose to renew with us.’

So this isn’t something that happened recently. Honestly, this was all before—way before—the show even started airing. We had many discussions with the company about what direction we might go. We could debut through the show, and that’d be great, but we also needed a plan for after the show. After hearing them out, we decided to renew before going on the show. I mean, we thought everything through and through before signing the renewal.”

— Kangmin

He also explained that his fellow VERIVERY members were extremely supportive of his Boys II Planet participation. Then, the idol acknowledged the lack of schedule that has been upsetting both the new and existing fans after the show. He, too, had been heartbroken to be disappointing the fans.

“Before renewing, the hyungs and I talked a lot as well. It wasn’t like we all agreed and said ‘Yeah! Let’s renew!’ We absolutely needed to come to an agreement through discussion. What made me really emotional was when the hyungs truly supported my decision to go on the show. They would always say, ‘At least one of us can make it big.’ And as I moved through the rounds on the show, and I started gaining more attention, they became even more supportive of the idea that I might move on from the group. They always encouraged me and said, ‘You go do your best; we’ll cheer you on.’ That kind of made me sad…

…I wanted to win on the show, but I didn’t. So now, we move on. We’re going to focus on what we can do. Now, I’ve gained more supporters who like me, and that makes me feel even more responsible. I know there are people who want to see me more often, especially after I got eliminated from the show. I know people are asking for what’s next for me and I understand if the lack of any activities has since frustrated you. I feel bad about it too. It made me upset to see how upset you all had become…”

— Kangmin

As for the talk of a potential spin-off group, Kangmin hinted that things are, obviously, complicated. Regardless, he promised to continue pushing Jellyfish Entertainment for more—now that he’s back.

| @youkangmln/Instagram

“Now that I’m not so young anymore, I’m going to be pursuing a lot of things. I’m talking to the company and hyungs about what’s next. I know that’s hard to believe. You might think, ‘Oh, we’ve heard that before.’ But I hope you can trust me this time. There are so many different things that different fans want, but I’m trying my best to make all of them happen…

…I see comments saying that it’s not me but the company that you don’t trust. I know what you mean. I really do, but there’s not a lot I can do. I went on Boys II Planet to win, but I couldn’t debut in the final group. But my contract has been renewed, and the news has gone out. Now, all I can do is work harder to keep the fans satisfied…

…I want to become someone who can make your lives brighter even for a little while, someone who can make you smile, so I’ll keep working hard. So I hope you can believe in me just a little. And I know there’s a lot of talk about different things. I’m not sure about what will fruit from those talks. There are so many things that people are dreaming about. For any of that to come true, it does require a lot of discussions and coming to agreements, so…”

— Kangmin

Following Kangmin’s honest and straightforward explanation, fans are now praising his mature and professional take on the situation and rooting for VERIVERY’s next endeavors.

| theqoo

• “Just let them do what they want… They renewed as a group, so even if you wanted a spin-off, isn’t it better now to just support VERIVERY’s group activities?”
• “Kangmin hwaiting! Jellyfish, do your job please. It’s been three weeks, at least book him a small solo interview or something.”
• “Honestly, some of those so-called ‘fans’ sound completely unhinged when they talk.”
• “Kangmin and VERIVERY hwaiting!”
• “It hasn’t even been a month since the show finale. Did people really think a spin-off would be announced right away? These things take time, they should be patient. Kangmin handled things head-on, which is admirable, but I wish the survival-show fans would calm down a bit.”
• “Kangmin, let’s stay together forever.”
• “This got me stanning him. Hope he does well, hwaiting!”
• “His straightforward approach made me like him.”
• “He’s really smart and mentally strong. I feel like he’ll succeed no matter what he does. I originally voted for him because I liked our team, but I genuinely became a fan—I’ll keep supporting him.”
• “Kangmin hwaiting!”
• “He seems to know exactly what he wants to do, can do, and has to do. I’ll support him!”
• “Considering the timing, he probably had to decide about renewing before appearing on the show. What was he supposed to do?”
• “His potential really exploded this time. I’ll definitely support his future activities. Hwaiting!”

Read more:

“Boys II Planet” Contestant Just Misses Out On Debuting In ALPHA DRIVE ONE (ALD1), Breaking Viewers Hearts