In a video uploaded on January 13 to the YouTube channel TEO, titled “A Great Guy Backed by SM and The Black Label,” Im Si-wan spoke candidly about his solo album journey and his current life. He also reflected on the most difficult period during his idol years with ZE:A.
“When I see the members, I feel like I’ve gone back in time,” he shared. “We often talk about the dorm days. It was intense.”
He revealed that in the beginning, even before debut, ten trainees were crammed into a single room, sleeping so tightly packed that one had no choice but to step over others to get in or out. “It was like Tetris,” Im Si-wan said. “If someone came home late, they’d accidentally step on others, and the ones being stepped on would just whisper, ‘It’s okay, go back to sleep.’ We were all trying to survive together.”
Describing the dorm’s size, he added, “If you split the current filming space in half and made it rectangular, that was the size. Barely enough to lie down almost like standing room only.” He shared that they lived in those conditions for about a year before filming any reality shows, leaving the host and viewers stunned.
Im Si-wan also opened up about the emotional toll of idol life post-debut. “The hardest time for me was right after debut,” he admitted. “After wrapping up shooting at dawn and thinking I could finally rest, I’d hear another member’s alarm for the next schedule. That’s when it hit me I had to go again too. That moment brought on the deepest sense of despair.”
Debuting with ZE:A in July 2010, Im Si-wan has since built a strong career as an actor. On December 5, 2025, he made his solo debut with his first mini-album “The Reason.” He’s also preparing for his return to the small screen in the upcoming tvN drama “Why You Don’t Know It’s a Girl?”
Sources: Daum