The year is 2007; Colossal Music was on the brink of losing everything. COO and co-founder Kwon Dongwoo, the brain and heart of the company, will sadly pass away after a silent but long battle with brain cancer. Dongil, his brother and the appointed CEO, was now left in charge to take over and employees who knew the Kwon siblings well enough knew that it was only a matter of time until he screwed everything up.
Staff packed up and left overnight. No one who was close to Dongwoo wanted to watch what he made happen ─ the actual man behind the success of Colossal ─ get tarnished by a narcissist who struggled with poor critical thinking and sulked when disagreed with. He may have had the connections and helped open the doors but he was no real businessman.
But Dongil wasn't alone. His nephew, Seunghyun, had recently graduated from Seoul National University and was well prepared to take over his father's position. He wasn't as experienced as his uncle but he just was stubborn; A natural born schmoozer who can talk his way into anything he puts his mind to. Yet when he stepped into the label, ready to take on his responsibilities, he'd instead be treated more like a personal assistant than a COO.
Spring of 2008 came around and Colossal Music was in dire need of something new ─ something fresh. They hadn't debuted anyone in the last 3 years, and the last artist they signed got arrested for possession of marijuana and public indecency so their reputation with the general public wasn't as good as they'd like.
They had 3 trainees left; 12 year olds Baek Insu and Kang Taeha, and soon to be 11 year old Lee Eunjun. They were young, too young for Dongwoo's liking but Dongil insisted that the the earlier they start training, the better they'll be when they're older.
From the information gathered ( special thanks to user dirtyshovelware over on Eye4i ), Insu was the first one scouted after appearing on the KBS program Korea Sings, or the National Singing Contest, at the age of 10. It's speculated that Dongil personally reached out to his parents to sign him but was initially turned down because of his age. That didn't stop the CEO from trying as he'll then visit their home several times ( Colossal Music was in the same neighborhood as their residence ) bearing gifts and practically begging on his knees for them to change their minds until they finally caved.
Eunjun, on the other hand, was a breeze to get on board. His mother, a self-proclaimed "manager," was making rounds to any and all entertainment companies that might take her son in when she stumbled across a faded flyer advertising for open auditions for Colossal. She'll pay the last bit of money she had to haul a taxi over and spent about an hour grooming the then 9 year old in the bathroom before sending him out and letting him do his usual performance of 둥지 ( Nest ) by Nam Jin. By the end, Dongil was giving him a standing ovation and already speaking with his mother.
Similar to Eunjun, Taeha was also easy to sign. He was scouted somewhere along Hongdae where he and the dance crew High Kicks were performing. Out of all the boys there, he managed to stand out like a sore thumb; loud, neon pink sneakers clearly a size smaller, partially colored blue tips on poorly cut black hair, and the mouth of a sailor all on a slightly chubby 10 year old who had an obvious lisp that took b-boying more serious than anyone out there. How could Dongil not approach him? Even better is when given the business card, Taeha supposedly nodded, said "cool," and fist bumped him before leaving.
Even though they were called "superstars in the making," no one was confident in debuting them just yet. Insu was the most polished trainee but he was too... expressionless compared to the others. He was a good kid. Intelligent, observant, respectful but acted like cracking a smile would kill him. His entire demeanor was draining to look at but when he was in practice mode, he easily caught everyone's eye. Eunjun had the real star power but he lacked partially in dance. He did his best to keep up with the older boys but fell flat in certain parts, often leading to him getting called out and sometimes resulting in him crying. Then there was Taeha who everyone thought could be a real soloist if he just looked better. Cover up a mole or two, lose the weight, maybe a nose job in the near future but Colossal wasn't about to waste money on cosmetic surgery when they had 2 people who naturally looked the part.
Seunghyun knew they could work. He saw their potential but it was nothing long-term. They were youthful, precious gems waiting to be showed off. People, specifically older women and young girls, will eat them up at any age but right now, while they were still young, they'd make a killing. So he comes up with the plan of debuting them in a temporary trio. They'll last for 5 years, or until Eunjun turned 18, then disband. Now, no matter what the company did with them, they'll have dedicated fans who would support them no matter what.
After getting the parents on board, 2 years later, Colossal Music was introducing BoyScouts.
From left to right: Baek Insu ( 14 ), Kang Taeha ( 14 ), and Lee Eunjun ( 12 )
The trio debuted on May 10, 2010 with the EP Crayola. The entire project was overseen by Seunghyun but Dongil's name was plastered across the album and in the song credits as executive producer, making fans believe that the boys were his idea. Regardless, Crayola went on to become a hit. To celebrate their achievements, alongside Eunjun's 13th birthday in the following month, they held their first fansign. The event sold out in minutes, the small venue packed with fans of varying ages shouting their names and showering them with love.
Their success only rose from there. They featured on The Ellen Degeneres Show upon them putting out their Signed, Yours Truly album due to both the English and Korean version of "Baby" going viral in early 2012. They won Song of the Year, Best Male Group, and had featured on the cover of their first editorial at just 16 and 15 years old. Even their seniors were in awe at how they were growing, the most notable being Jaeyi from Alter Ego's duo Superficial, leading to the infamous Q&A collaboration. Tours were filled to the brim, their list of accolades growing so long that Colossal Music brought 2 shelves... which only makes everything following more confusing.
Suddenly, in November of 2012, the company released a statement saying that Eunjun will be going on an indefinite hiatus due to mental health issues. Honey Badgers were in disbelief. He seemed fine... sorta. He seemed more spaced out than usual, and grew more emotional but it didn't look that bad. It was only when fans dug more and more into it that a source close to a staff member revealed that one day, during practice, he just snapped. He attacked Insu, attacked Seunghyun, and seemingly grew more erratic until breaking down in uncontrollable sobs before coming to his senses. His mother had to come get him and, allegedly, the other boys agreed that for their own safety, he needed to be removed from the trio.
It's never been confirmed but Honey Badgers have ran with this theory since the Eye4i post dropped. Everyone dubbed Eunjun as the villain in their story, especially since Insu was the favorite among all three of them. But with him being gone, what was to become of BoyScouts? They were so close to reaching contract renewals and people eagerly wanted to know what a more "mature" version of the boys would look and sound like.
Unfortunately for those fans, Colossal Music dropped the worst news they could have received: they were fully disbanding. As painful as it felt reading the news, some understood why it was happening this way. Again, their contracts were going to be up in 2 more years. It was better to get a move on with their careers now than prolonging the inevitable.
Taeha and Insu held a farewell concert in February 2013 and released the first and only single featuring just them. At the concert, it was revealed that the boys would be going solo; Insu having his this year and Taeha next year. Some people were confused as to why Taeha's was much further away but many were more ecstatic for Insu's that the questions and concern got overshadowed. And as they promised, June 2013 marked the day BoyScouts officially concluded.
Because Taeha will never go solo. Just like Eunjun, he'll fade in obscurity, his legacy remembered as the "eye sore" or the "annoying one" of the trio.
Insu will have the career everyone hoped for. His newest single "Are You Down?" featuring independent rapper and Show Me The Money winner Cain just came out 2 weeks ago and it's been #1 since. No word of the others has been uttered, not even a mention or a nod to BoyScouts seen anywhere in his discography or around him. It's like the trio never existed.
So that's their story for now. Three young, talented boys who all had the same start yet very different endings. Will Eunjun ever make a comeback? Will Taeha finally break his silence? And just how long will Insu's solo endeavors last? Because it's only a matter of time until his fate catches up to him...
But that's for another video. Whenever that may be.
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