A debut-era phoro of BTS with 8 members suddenly breaks the internet

 

There is a harsh reality in the K-pop industry: every year, countless teenagers walk into training rooms dreaming of becoming idols, yet only a very small fraction on them ever get the chance to stand on stage. Many trainees spend years practicing before quietly leaving when they fail to find an opportunity or are eliminated just before a group's debut. BTS was no exception. Before the seven-member lineup officially debuted in 2013, BigHit Entertainment's BTS project went through numerous evaluations and lineup changes.

To this day, fans still share stories about former trainees who trained alongside BTS, such as Kim Jihun and Hwang Jihwan. Both practiced with the current BTS members for a period of time. Jihyun left after a year, while Jihwan trained for nearly two years before his departure. The two former trainees have since share numerous stories on social media about the BTS members during their trainee days together.

However, beyond these stories about former BTS project trainees, many people may not know that BTS almost debute as an eight-member group. The person who nearly became an official BTS member is actually a very familiar name that frequently appears in the credits of the group's albums.

Recently, a photo of BTS taken shortly before their debut unexpectedly went viral again on social media. In the picture, the members look incredibly young as they stand inside the basement practice too at BigHit Entertainment's old headquarters. The photo is considered one of the earliest images ever taken of the BTS lineup. What caught fans' attention the most was that, beside the current seven members, there was an eight young man in the photo, suggesting that BTS could have debuted with eight members.

The eighth person in the photo was identified as Supreme Boi (real name Shin Donghyuk), who is now an in-house producer for HYBE/BigHitMusic and has produced music for numerous artists under the company. He is also a veteran producer who has contributed to many BTS songs as a producer, composer, and lyricist from the group's debut until today. Therefore, although he maintains a low profile and rarely appears in public, Supreme Boi is well-loved by many ARMYs.

What many fans not know, however, is that before becoming a producer, Supreme Boi trained as an idol. In fact, he was one of the very first people to join the BTS project alongside RM—even before Suga and J-Hope. At the time, BigHit's trainee roster included names such as Iron, Eleven, and Key. Eventually, however, most of these trainees were eliminated and replaced by Jin, Jungkook, V, and Jimin. Producer Pdogg later explained, "The lineup changed because the former members found it difficult to practice choreography when the group's direction shifted from hip-hop to becoming an idol group."

In Supreme Boi's case, he did not leave the company but was removed from BTS's debut lineup by BigHit just a few months before the group's official debut for various reasons. He later joined BTS's production team and contributed to songs including the intro for their debut album 2 Cool 4 Skool, as well as Boy In Luv, Spine Breaker, Jump, and War Of Hormone, all of which were released in 2014. Bang Si-hyuk once praised him, saying, "Although Supreme Boi is only 20 years old, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional talent in music production. He wrote a song for GLAM and plays an incredibly important role in BTS's music. I don't directly intervene in their music production—I simply stand on the sidelines and help broaden their perspective."

Even more notably, Supreme Boi has also appeared on stage with BTS. During the final concert of BTS Live Trilogy Episode III: The Wings Tour The Final in 2017, when the rap line consisting of RM, Suga, and J-Hope performed the Cypher medley, Supreme Boi took the stage as the DJ even performed his own rap verse from Cypher Pt.3. TopClasa Chosun once described his relationship with the group, stating, "For BTS, Supreme Boi is someone who constantly reminds the group of its hip-hop roots, while he himself embodies the very musical identity and color of BTS."

As the eight-membet photo from those days resurfaced and went viral once again, many fans were surprised to learn about Supreme Boi's "almost debut" and his long-standing relationship with the group. They shared numerous comments expressing their amazement, including: "I'll always wonder why they cut the 8th member," "Being an ARMY really is discovering pictures I've never seen before," "Didn't know BTS was originally eight members—this is the first time I've seen this picture," "I remember this. I am an OG ARMY from 2013, and I am happy to have seen them grow and thrive into incredible men and wonderful human beings," "To think there could be a universe where BTS is eight!!!," "I can't imagine what it would be line if there were one more member," "In the end, both BTS and Supreme Boi found their own paths to success," and "Maybe Supreme Boi didn't debut as BTS member, but he still became part of BTS's story."