Haru Says BTS Agency Big Hit Music Tried to Cast Him Twice: "I Worked 11 Hours a Day"

Haru, one of the TOP3 finalists from "Mumyeongjeonseol," drew attention by revealing that Big Hit Music, the agency associated with BTS, had approached him with casting offers twice before his current rise. He made the disclosure during the June 6 broadcast of MBN's "Kim Joo-ha's Day and Night," where "Mumyeongjeonseol" TOP3 singers Sungri, Haru and Jang Han-byul appeared and looked back on how each of them found his way into music.

According to Nielsen Korea's nationwide audience measurement, the episode reached a peak rating of 2.5 percent that day. Sungri, who placed first on "Mumyeongjeonseol," said he had competed in six audition programs but had never even crossed the threshold into a final round. After repeated setbacks, he had been ready to give up on becoming a singer, but he applied to "Mumyeongjeonseol" with the mindset that it would be his last attempt. He also shared that after being eliminated from "Produce 101," he debuted in an idol group, only to find himself without income.

Sungri said he felt both supportive and impatient as he watched friends who had auditioned alongside him on "Produce 101" become stars, and as Park Ji-hoon came to be called a "10-million actor." That urgency, he explained, became the desperation that pushed him to challenge himself on "Mumyeongjeonseol" as if it were his final chance, ultimately leading to what he described with a joyful expression as a reversal in his life. Speaking about the fact that the song he performed on "Mumyeongjeonseol" ranked higher than Wanna One's reunion album, he said, "Even when things are hard and painful, if you endure and keep enduring, days like this can come," visibly moved by the moment.

Haru, who placed second, explained why he decided to compete on "Mumyeongjeonseol" despite having already achieved success elsewhere. "I had won five times on the Dream Stage of 'Achim Madang' and even won the year-end King of Kings competition, but I wanted to prove myself in a proper contest," he said. He then revealed that he had received two casting offers from Big Hit Music, the agency connected to BTS, but neither opportunity came to fruition. When he was in his first year of high school, his mother's opposition prevented him from joining, and when he was in his third year of high school, he said he was unable to enter because of his age.

Jang Han-byul, who placed third, said he debuted in 2011 as part of the third lineup of the band LedApple, but went through a period of wandering after the group disbanded three years later. He was later invited by a LedApple fan who was working as a production staff member at a Malaysian broadcaster, which led him to compete on the Malaysian survival program "Big Stage 2019." Jang won the competition, then went on to top local music charts for 52 consecutive weeks, earning the title of Malaysia's prince. Although he was born in Australia and found success in Malaysia, he said he returned to Korea because he wanted to succeed as a singer in Korea, his parents' homeland.

The three singers also opened up about the difficult work they took on while trying to keep their dreams alive. Sungri said that after his idol group disbanded, he worked unloading delivery packages, packaging meat and taking part-time jobs at arcades. After being eliminated from "Mr. Trot 2," he followed his older brother's advice and even learned wallpapering and carpentry. Haru said he had supported himself from his first year of high school while his mother was battling cancer. After she passed away, he recalled thinking, "I should keep my body busy so that I could come home and collapse after doing really hard work at night," and said he worked 11 hours a day. Jang Han-byul confessed that during the four-year gap after LedApple disbanded, he followed composer hyungs around, doing vocal guides, chorus work and backing vocals for 50,000 won per job.