On May 14, 2025, WJSN (Cosmic Girls) member Dayoung marked her 26th birthday in a heartfelt way, taking to her Instagram to express gratitude to her friends and fans. In her post, she shared, “Thanks to all of you, May 14 was such a happy day. Another warm May memory made. I love you all! Please let me give back as much as I’ve received. Hoping to see each other often this year…”
However, things took a turn with a now-deleted update in her Instagram Stories, which seems to hint at some tension with her management agency, STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT. The post featured a screenshot of STARSHIP’s Instagram, filled with promotional posts—one of which celebrated the birthday of KiiiKiii’s Jiyu, who shares the same birthday.
In her Story, Dayoung included a single character, “ㅎ” (Ha), often interpreted as a scoff or sarcasm, leading fans to speculate that she felt “forgotten” amidst the flurry of birthday posts for other artists. Although this particular update was swiftly removed, it fueled conversations about her frustrations with STARSHIP.
Despite the noise, STARSHIP did tweet a birthday message for Dayoung just before the one for Jiyu, and many fans were quick to come to her defense. They expressed that her disappointment was understandable, particularly considering WJSN has not released new music in years. Some comments from fans included:
– “STARSHIP sucks at their job.”
– “No wonder she’s mad… How hard is it to just post one more thing on the official account?”
– “What is wrong with STARSHIP?”
In a subsequent, more cryptic message, Dayoung shared, “When the rabbit dies, the dog is boiled,” referencing a Korean idiom about discarding someone after they have outlived their usefulness—a sentiment that may resonate deeply with her ongoing struggles.
Could Dayoung’s words reflect her feeling of being sidelined after the extensive work she’s put in with both WJSN and STARSHIP? The K-pop world stands by, observing how this situation unfolds while hoping for a brighter path for one of its beloved idols.
