Bae In of JustBe, who declared the first coming out as an idol, expressed his feelings after revealing his sexual identity and showed a special affection for his members.
On the 25th, a video titled ‘An Idol is Coming Out?? What?’ was released on the YouTube channel ‘Hong Seok-cheon's Jewel Box’.
During the JustBe world tour ‘JST ODD’ LA performance last year, Bae In drew attention by saying, “I am proud to be part of the LGBT community.” ‘LGBT’ is an abbreviation used to refer to sexual minorities within and outside the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
He met with Hong Seok-cheon and said, “It was not a planned coming out at all. The decision was made on the day of the rehearsal,” adding, “I gathered my courage and told the members and the company, ‘I want to come out,’ and they encouraged me to do so. I had been preparing a solo stage since the start of the tour, and I gave fans a little sign by preparing Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’.”
He continued, “I realized I liked men when I started as a trainee. In a way, I was anxious thinking, ‘Is it okay for me to be like this? Can I still be a trainee?’ No one knew what would happen because of my identity. I even imagined, ‘Am I deceiving the company? Am I deceiving myself?’ and I was scared,” he confessed.
He also mentioned, “Among the seniors who have come out and are actively working, there’s only Hong Seok-cheon. I had no one to ask for advice, and at that time, my parents and friends didn’t know, so I thought about contacting (Hong Seok-cheon) senior. But I was scared.”
The reactions after coming out were intense. Bae In said, “It feels like a new perspective has emerged,” adding, “I can do this and that, and I can talk about various things. It used to be that when I wrote lyrics, it had to be about a woman, ‘she,’ or I had to be vague about gender, but now I can write freely in my personal songs, and it feels liberating.” He expressed that he feels a greater sense of possibility and can dream bigger.
Of course, he could not avoid negative reactions. Bae In stated, “There are hate comments, but in my view, 80% of the responses were supportive,” adding, “It was different in Korea. When I returned to Korea, it felt harsh. The opposition was 8 to 2. In that moment, I thought, ‘Did I make a mistake?’ and it was scary, and I faced reality.”
He continued, “Of course, no one said, ‘You came out, come here, you need to be scolded,’ but still, I was scared of what people who don’t know me would say to me directly after saying such harsh things.”
He especially felt sorry for his members. “If I were alone, I wouldn’t have regretted it, but being part of a group made me feel sorry,” he said, “They are members I cherish and think of as family, and it upset me that they had to hear bad things because of me. The members are not gay; I am the only one who is gay,” he expressed his distress.
He emphasized, “Now, if people misunderstand and think, ‘Oh, are they all gay?’ I would go crazy. I see all of that, but I don’t think, ‘Oh, this is all my fault.’ If I think that way, I would crumble.”
He added, “I’m sure fans were surprised, but I sincerely thank them for trying to understand me as I am and for their love.”
JustBe debuted in June 2021. They are a six-member boy group consisting of Lim Ji-min, Lee Geon-woo, Bae In, Si Woo, Jeon Do-yeom, and Kim Sang-woo. Bae In is active as the main vocalist of the team.
