i-dle's Soyeon Finally Addresses the 1 Billion Won Royalties Rumor

i-dle's Soyeon has been one of K-pop's most prolific in-house producers for years, writing and producing the bulk of her group's discography, and the question of exactly how much she earns in royalties has followed her for almost as long. On the 16th, she sat down with comedian Heo Kyung-hwan on his new Tcast E Channel variety show Heo Kyung-hwan's Trend Show to put the "1 billion KRW royalties" rumor to rest, on her own terms.

The show, produced by Tcast and NYCC and released weekly every Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the YouTube channel ggzz, features Heo Kyung-hwan welcoming celebrity guests with a rapid-fire barrage of his own signature catchphrases. Soyeon arrived as the second guest and immediately made clear she wanted in on the bit: "I genuinely want to have a catchphrase. Coming here made me want one. Please make one for me."

Settling the royalties question

Soyeon has co-written and produced hits across i-dle's entire catalogue, as well as contributing to tracks for other artists, and speculation about her royalty income has circulated in fan communities for some time. On the show, she answers the question directly and candidly, though exactly what she reveals is left for viewers to discover in the episode.

She also cleared up a separate, lower-stakes mystery: the various competing claims about her actual height. Mid-conversation, she and Heo Kyung-hwan discovered an unexpected thing they have in common, prompting both to joke that "we share the same DNA."

Her connection to RESCENE's Minami

One of the more personal moments in the episode comes when Soyeon reflects on her history with Minami, a member of the recently debuted group RESCENE. The two first crossed paths on an audition program, and Soyeon recalls her immediate impression of Minami at the time, along with advice she gave her then. It's a warm glimpse into how Soyeon thinks about emerging talent, and for fans tracking RESCENE's rise, the anecdote adds some texture to Minami's pre-debut story.

On that note, Heo Kyung-hwan also asked Soyeon whether there's a current artist she'd be eager to work with. She named a group without hesitation, though the show is keeping that answer as a watch-to-find-out moment.

The items she never travels without

Soyeon also opened up about her daily life in ways that caught even the host off guard. She recently attempted 108 bows as a personal challenge, attended a Buddhist temple kindergarten as a child, and once quietly slipped out of her own birthday party early because her introverted side got the better of her. She admitted she had never shared that last detail with her i-dle members, along with what she was actually feeling in the moment.

The detail that most visibly surprised Heo Kyung-hwan, though, was the unexpected item she always packs for overseas schedules. His reaction: "Olympic national team athletes do that." What exactly it is remains the episode's most quietly intriguing reveal.

The closing segment has Heo Kyung-hwan retreating to the bathroom to rehearse a custom catchphrase he invented for Soyeon. When he returned and delivered it, she gave him a warm "That's actually good", which, knowing her reputation for directness, might be the most convincing endorsement the show could hope for.