“I Cried a Lot Because of the Girls” — Why Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun Finally Dropped Formal Speech After 19 Years

Seohyun, the youngest member of Girls’ Generation, recently revealed that she used to cry a lot because of the older members' teasing during their early group activities.

In a new episode of Hyoyeon’s Level Up, a YouTube series hosted by fellow member Hyoyeon, Seohyun appeared as the guest for Episode 31, marking the fourth Girls’ Generation member to appear on the show. The episode, titled "Seohyun Drops Formal Speech (with 반모)/Let's Eat, Hyoyeon Ep. 31", aired on April 16.

Hyoyeon opened the conversation by noting, “It’s been a while since we met outside of work,” to which Seohyun replied that she had just wrapped up filming a drama, which involved long shoots in the provinces.

Jokingly, Hyoyeon teased Seohyun, saying, “You only show up when you’re promoting something like a movie or drama.” Seohyun playfully pushed back, saying, “What are you talking about? Don’t make me sound like that,” adding, “I’m not happy being the fourth guest. It’s an awkward spot. I should’ve been first or last.”

One of the highlights of the episode was Seohyun revealing that she recently started using informal speech (반말) with her fellow members — something that drew a lot of attention from longtime fans.

Seohyun explained, “I can speak informally now, but when Sooyoung was on this show, she said it still felt weird when I did. You (Hyoyeon) agreed. So I started wondering, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t?’”

Hyoyeon reassured her, saying it’s totally fine, though she couldn’t help but laugh at how strange it still feels.

Seohyun said she now speaks casually with Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Yuri, and that it’s made her feel more connected to them. However, when it comes to Yoona, she uses a mix of casual and formal speech: “I’m still the maknae… I think, ‘Who am I to speak informally?’ So I just mix it up.”

She also shared a personal story from their Japan tour years ago, recalling how the members once pranked her on her birthday. “We were supposed to have a birthday party, but when I came back from the bathroom, everyone had disappeared. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s cold.’ I was about to cry, and then they suddenly popped out from behind the curtain with a surprise party.”

Seohyun admitted she wasn’t great at handling jokes back then:

“When the members were all together, they were really mischievous. I cried a lot. I didn’t know how to take the teasing.”

Hyoyeon added with a smile, “We teased you over the smallest things. But thanks to us, you became really strong.”

Seohyun agreed, saying, “Now I don’t cry at all. I even joke around with people. But back then, I was just a baby and wondered, ‘Did I do something wrong?’”

Meanwhile, Seohyun is set to return to the big screen in the upcoming film ‘The Holy Night: Demon Hunters’, alongside Ma Dong-seok, David Lee, Jung Ji-so, and Kyung Soo-jin. Premiering April 30, Seohyun plays the role of Sharon, a character with the unique ability to detect demonic energy.

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