The leaders of K-Pop groups have a huge responsibility to take care of their members. Two leaders took that seriously by admitting they stole to keep their members fed.
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The first idol who took their leader position to heart was SEVENTEEN‘s beloved member S.Coups.
SEVENTEEN’s S.Coups
Before the group debuted, S.Coups showed his dedication by stealing grapes from a Pledis Entertainment office to feed the group. The next leader went a few steps further.
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During an episode of Strong Heart, Super Junior‘s Leeteuk mentioned a giant bottle that TVXQ‘s Yunho used to store all the coins he’d saved. Since Yunho noticed that his coins were going missing, Leeteuk admitted he was the reason and explained why.
You know the coins you saved in that giant water bottle? You showed it to me and said that you were doing so well with saving up until one day, you noticed that it was getting harder to collect the coins. Remember? You told me, ‘It has been harder to save up coins.’ I’m sorry.
— Leeteuk
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Because TVXQ were newly-debuted idols achieving success and Super Junior were poor trainees who couldn’t afford enough food, Leeteuk stole some of Yunho’s coins to buy chips for his members.
I couldn’t help it. It was when Yunho was busy promoting ‘Hug Me.’ And Super Junior members were hanging out at the dorm. There were twelve of us, so whenever we’d eat a meal, no food would be left.
Soon, the members would come to me and say, ‘Hyung, I’m so hungry. Can you buy me something to eat?’ But as a trainee, I was short on cash, too. That’s when I remembered the giant bottle of coins in Yunho’s room.
At first, I took one 500 KRW coin and bought a bag of chips for the members. They were so happy about it. They were like, ‘Hyung! You’re the best! You’re our leader!’ That’s when I started getting reckless.
— Leeteuk
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Sadly, the Super Junior members were so starved for food that Leeteuk kept stealing more of Yunho’s coins. He went from stealing enough coins for chips to buying full dishes like stew and noodles. Leeteuk then took the chance to apologize to Yunho.
I started buying them ramyun and soondae stew… All with the coins. Yunho, I’m so sorry.
— Leeteuk
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When caring for their members, Leeteuk and S.Coups did whatever they could—even if they had to steal. Fortunately, they don’t have to take such drastic measures anymore. Now Super Junior and SEVENTEEN are so successful that they can buy whatever they want, including an entire building.
Super Junior’s Leeteuk
See S.Coups and Leeteuk prove their dedication to their group members long before they debuted.
