K-pop fans all over the globe were caught by surprise when it was announced that ENHYPEN's main vocal, Heeseung, will be leaving the group to pursue a solo career.
On Tuesday, March 10, it was shared that while he will remain under their label, Belift Lab, he will no longer be part of the group, and ENHYPEN will continue working as a six-member act.
Hours after the agency announced the departure news, Heesung turned to Weverse to post a handwritten letter addressing the situation himself.
In the emotional note, the 24-year-old expressed his gratitude towards his members and the group fans, known as ENGENE, for the last six years.
He shared that he has been working on his solo project for some time, penning, "There were a lot of things I wanted to show, but I also didn't want to put my greed ahead of the team."
Heeseung vowed to come back stronger so he could "approach ENGENE with a better side of myself."
Fans' reaction to Heeseung leaving ENHYPEN:
Following the news of his departure, fans turned to social media, expressing their confusion as to why Heeseung could not work on his solo career while being part of the group, something which is quite common in the industry.
While both Heeseung and Belift Lab said that the decision was made after in-depth discussions and that it could be due to scheduling and creative direction conflict, fans' concerns remain the same.
"HEE CAN DO HIS SOLO DEBUT WHILE BEING IN ENHYPHEN!! like why does he need to leave ENHA??" one fan wrote on X.
Another user noted, "His solo debut under belift, why did he leave enhypen? This all makes no sense."
"It's really confusing like you can do both solo and group activities while being under the group so what's the point of leaving?" a third fan exclaimed.
Moreover, the news of Heeseung's exit came on the same day as netizens marked 11 years of Zayn Malik leaving One Direction, prompting fans to draw parallels.
Heeseung debuted as a member of ENHYPEN in November 2020 after appearing on the survival audition programme I-LAND.
