5 things to know about K-pop idol Seulgi, girl group Red Velvet's Teddy Bear

1. Back to school

In an episode of Off to School, a South Korean TV show where celebrities spend three days attending a high school, we got to see Seulgi’s soft side. As she read out her farewell letter in front of the class looking back at those three days, she could not hold back her tears – and neither could the students.

Perhaps the experience gave her a taste of what she missed out on in her teenage years, of which seven years were spent training day and night for SM Entertainment, the company that signed her on, before she made her debut.

2. Singer extraordinaire

Korean pop stars are known for their high-voltage vocals and superb choreography.

But on an episode of the singing competition King of Mastered Singer, Seulgi dropped jaws with a simple and beautiful rendition of the song Turning the Pages of Memories by Lee Sun Hee. The crowd listened in silence as she hit every note perfectly, and gave her a standing ovation at the end.

3. Adventure seeker 

During an episode shot in Mexico for the reality show Law of the Jungle, the playful star switched to adventure mode – literally. Gathering all her courage and slipping into her swim gear, she carefully made her way to the edge of a rock and dived off it.

The singer, who said she had never properly learned how to swim, was encouraged after seeing her co-stars jump into the water. Later, they all ended up hunting for freshwater snails for their food.

4. Brave to the core

In an episode of the TV entertainment series Battle Trip, she took adventure to a whole new level – and went paragliding in the Alps in Austria, accompanied by fellow Red Velvet member Wendy. Once they were on the mountain – 1,288 metres above sea level – Seulgi offered to go first. She screamed really hard during take-off, but soon settled down to enjoy the spectacular views over the Alps.

5. Soul sister

On Secret Unnie, a TV variety show, two female celebrities are secretly matched, with one of them declared as the “unnie”, or older sister. Over 24 hours spent in a flat, the two women get to bond and develop a friendship.

When Seulgi featured on the show, her “secret sister” turned out to be Sunmi, formerly of the renowned band Wonder Girls.

Before they could meet, Seulgi had said she felt more comfortable hanging out in a group than one-on-one. But she got along very well with Sunmi, and the two even did each other’s hair and enjoyed late-night conversations, much like real sisters. Watch the episode to see Seulgi accidentally hitting her “unnie” in her sleep!

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