WJSN members except for Luda, Dawon, & C line have decided to renew with Starship

[Simpatico]

The Chinity have been gone for ages. Once their names were gone from the credits, no one expected they'd be back.

Dawon is the one member I thought for sure might leave - she's gone through anxiety hiatuses and even back from her days on Kpop Star before she was a trainee she had the drive and the voice to be a soloist - something Starship never gave her. A smaller agency focused on her for sure would. Sadly, this means we'll never get the Yeonjung/Dawon sub-unit that was always teased and fans wanted and Starship never delivered on.

Luda is a big surprise. At this point she's not only one of the most popular members among Ujung fandom but Starship has been getting her steady work in variety for years (compared to say Yeoreum who re-signed), she's even got a drama coming out. She also seemed really happy. I'm not sure what she has planned. I know she's a gamer so if she becomes a live streamer (in addition to acting/variety) she could make more money than she ever did as an idol.

But given you must expect some attrition in a 13/10 member group this one of the best outcomes any Ujung could hope for. When WJSN debuted as 12 members (then 13 which for awhile made it the largest GG in Kpop) with a Chinese/Korean partnership 7 years ago and debuted with "Mo Mo Mo" did anyone expect it to be one of the few groups to survive the 7 year curse and not disband? Especially after IVE became monster rookies and left their sunbaes in the dust sales and prestige wise (you don't see any WJSN members - even Bona - getting the brand deals even lesser known IVE members do), Starship could have called it quits.

I think this means they do see the value in the individual members as entertainers. Let's face it- when you debut a 12/13 member group its not about the music but in maximizing profits by making each of the members earn money individually. They might have started late in doing so, but almost all members have been booked and busy on something in the last few years. Even if WJSN only gets one comeback as a group a year (ala Apink) I think the fans would be okay with that.

Also, even though WJSN has one of the best Kpop discographies of the last 7 years (especially since "Secret"), the real appeal of the members lies in them as a group. They bounce off each other very well and always excel in variety shows, all of them are comedians - how many groups can you say that about? Even Bona and SeolA are funny...when the other members are around.

I also think they are one of the few groups where you can tell where they really get along and like each other and like actually being part of the group. Bona for sure is set for a career as an actress (and a lead one at that) but she loves being an idol. Exy probably made money over the years than any other member as a producer and songwriter but she also loves performing. There are some groups that you know they are using being "idols" as a stepping stone for drama or variety or modeling but WJSN actually seem to like being idols (in addition to the other things).

Finally, given Weki Meki will probably not re-sign when their contracts are up next year (its clear Fantagio could care less about them at this point), this will leave Yeonjung as the only member of IOI to not only outlast the 7 year curse of girl groups but the last one standing to be in a group. Who would have thought?

Edited March 3 by Simpatico