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Will April Naeun's heartbreaking diary entry absolve her of Lee Hyunjoo bullying row?

Lee Hyunjoo claimed on April 8 that she was bullied back in 2014 and all fingers pointed at April's Naeun

April's Naeun's old diary entry has stirred a new controversy. Korean social media users now claim that the lines deciphered from her old diary can be used as 'proof' of the K-pop star bullying former member Lee Hyunjoo. The diary entry was shared by April Naeun's sister on social media. She posted pages from Naeun's 2016 diary to claim that the star was innocent.

Naeun’s older sister took to social media to share how Naeun felt in 2016, claiming her innocence against the bullying allegations. She wrote, "I’ve been extremely concerned throughout this whole controversy, that Naeun might make dangerous decisions because the Naeun I’ve known my entire life is a soft, vulnerable type who worries a lot. Recently, she gathered up the courage to share a personal statement for the first time via the fan cafe, to communicate with her fans who are thinking about her."

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Naeun's old diary entry causes new controversy

Naeun's heartbreaking diary entry shared by her sister to prove the K-pop star's innocence has taken a different turn. The page that her sister shared shows a rather self-critical Naeun who wrote, "I hate this. I hate me. I hate myself so much. What is wrong with me? Why am I like this all the time? I'm seriously worse than a piece of trash. I don't want to talk, I want to shut up and die. No one's going to be sad about it anyway." 

While the heartbreaking entry made fans reflect on what the K-pop star must have been going through at the time, others with a sharp eye for detail went on to discover the lines that were on the previous page. Korean social media users deciphered the bled diary entry which has caused much stir. It read, "A person I hate. I’m disgusted just by staying in the same space with (unknown person). I seriously hope (the person) disappears from my sight," Koreaboo reported. 

The deciphered diary entry can indicate Naeun's dislike for the former member Lee Hyunjoo, netizens opined. However, other members of April, as well as Naeun's sister, have claimed the bullying allegations to be false and baseless. Naeun's sister wrote, "Naeun is nothing but a kindhearted girl. Please stop accusing her and judging her. I beg you all."

DSP media's lawsuit against Lee Hyunjoo rejected

Earlier, DSP media filed a lawsuit against Lee Hyunjoo, the former April member who claimed to be bullied by Naeun. The lawsuit was rejected by police, Korean media reported on June 8, 2021. Hyunjoo claimed in an Instagram entry on April 8, "The bullying began in 2014 when I was preparing for the team debut. It continued throughout until 2016 when I withdrew from the team. I was 17 years old at the time, living in the team dorm to finalize the debut. I had no one to rely on, while living and spending 24 hours a day with my bullies." She added, "When I couldn’t take it any more, I told my parents about the hardships I’d been facing. They tried talking to my agency’s CEO about the situation. But I ended up getting frowned upon for causing trouble."

Hyunjoo further wrote, "When my bullies found out that (my parents tried to intervene), the bullying grew worse. Eventually, I was only allowed to talk to my parents on the phone for brief moments in front of the managers. Things became unbelievably hard for me and I continued to feel really helpless." She revealed, "I felt like I was trapped in what is unending darkness. I tried to take my own life too. But my bullies did not seem sorry at all. They didn’t really care about any of this. Soon, I was asked to withdraw from the team and the agency forced me to recite a statement written entirely from their point of view." Read her entire statement here.

Naeun fans are rallying for the singer saying that the truth will come out from the investigation. A fan said, "Knetz just don't have patience.... they assume things, and then feel dumb when the truth is revealed..." Another user noted, "No... knetz don't apologize, they will insist they are right. I tell you, when this is over and April is cleared, knetz will say that DSP paid the court just like they always do when things go against them."

Hyunjoo's legal representatives have stated that they are working hard to bring out the true situation of the former K-pop star after DSP's slander suit got rejected.