Ever since they were formed back in 2016, Ideal of Idol — better known by their acronym I.O.I. — have been making an impact. The K-pop girl group was unique because it consisted of 11 K-pop idols from various entertainment labels and agencies including Pledis Entertainment, M&H Entertainment, Jellyfish Entertainment, MBK Entertainment, RedLine Entertainment, Starship Entertainment, Fantagio, and JYP Entertainment. Together they made two extended plays (EPs) or mini-albums and two single albums in which sales averaged in the tens of thousands. As for their singles, all of them except for “Hand in Hand” have hundreds of thousands in digital download sales. Needless to say, I.O.I. was a powerhouse girl group.
Unfortunately, I.O.I. was only made to last one full year as it was all part of a music competition variety show. Last month, I.O.I. had their last concert titled “Time Slip — I.O.I.” on January 20 to 22. After that, they officially disbanded. Thankfully, many of the members had work after I.O.I. Chaeyeon went back to DIA and might continue acting after her debut in Drinking Solo . Yeonjung went back to Cosmic Girls. Sejeong and Mina went back to Gugudan. And finally, Somi became a cast member on the second season of Unnie’s Slam Dunk .
Out of all the members of I.O.I., Kim Sohye stood out particularly because she was not training to be a K-pop idol. Prior to I.O.I., she pursued being an actress. But now that I.O.I. is done, Sohye has made it known she will pursue acting again but firmly believes that within five years I.O.I. will be together again.
Kim Sohye made her acting goals known during an interview on February 16, as reported by Korean news outlet Naver . According to their report, Sohye said she wants to continue acting from now on but believes she is lacking.
“I want to continue acting from now on, but I’m still lacking in many aspects. I don’t have much confidence in myself, but I hope someday I’ll be satisfied with my acting. I’m a bit more sensitive because there’s a lot I want to achieve.”
“There isn’t a specific role I want to try out, but I want to be able to perform naturally. When I feel confident that I can perform naturally, I want to try playing a dark character and let myself go.”
Take note that despite being trained to act, Kim Sohye has never acted in the Korean silver or small screen whatsoever. RedLine Entertainment, the label and agency Sohye is signed to, had the opportunity for her to compete on Produce 101 which was the music competition K-variety show in which contestants competed to become a member of a girl group which officially became I.O.I.
To help Kim Sohye pursue her initial dream of becoming an actress, she is looking to her role model Chun Woo Hee ( The Beauty Inside , The Wailing ). Reportedly, Sohye became a fan of Woo Hee after watching her play the role of Sang Mi in Sunny .
“I became her fan after watching the movie Sunny . Just like her, I want to play a memorable character for which I can let myself go. I’m going to practice hard.”
Fortunately for Kim Sohye, she might get a chance to see Chun Woo Hee act in a K-drama. According to Soompi , Chun Woo Hee is considering appearing in a K-drama tentatively titled Ssam My Way alongside Park Seo Joon ( She Was Pretty , Hwarang ) which is set to air in May. If Woo Hee accepts, this will be her first lead role in a Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) K-drama and her first since 2011. Nevertheless, Chun Woo Hee acting in a K-drama will surely help and motivate Sohye.
And if there is one final reason for Kim Sohye to succeed as an actress, it would be to show her fellow members in I.O.I. that she was able to keep moving forward when they meet up five years after disbanding. For those who don’t know, I.O.I. promised themselves that they would reunite five years after disbanding no matter what.
“I believe all the members would meet up without a doubt. ‘Five years later’ could’ve been meant as a joke or actually sincere, but that ‘five years later’ is crucial for us right now. It’s what we want and what the fans want.”
[Featured Image by Mnet]