Fifth Time's the Charm: Yichen Clinches Spot in MODYSSEY Lineup

He failed five times, but he never stopped running toward his dream. Much like TWICE's Jihyo, who endured a 10-year training period, the path to becoming an idol is often a test of pure resilience. Recently, a male trainee known for his repeated survival show appearances has finally broken the cycle of elimination to secure his debut.

The Yichen MODYSSEY Debut: A Six-Year Test of Resilience

On December 27, 2025, the final lineup for the new group MODYSSEY was revealed. Among the names was Yichen, who ranked 6th overall. This victory marks the end of a long journey that began back in 2019 on the Chinese survival show 'Youth With You'.

Yichen's road to stardom was paved with setbacks. After being eliminated in the first round of his first show, he joined Yuehua Entertainment but faced delays with an in-house project. In 2023, his participation in 'Asia Super Young' was cut short when the show was scrapped. He later participated in 'Project 7' and 'Boys II Planet', narrowly missing the debut lineup each time.

Turning Five Failures into One Grand Success

Despite five separate survival show challenges, Yichen's persistence paid off. Through 'Planet C: Home Race', a spin-off for Chinese trainees from Boys II Planet, he finally found his place in MODYSSEY. Global fans have dubbed his story one of the most inspirational in recent K-Pop history, proving that the route to the top isn't always a straight line.