Fangirl guide: Get to know WJSN’s Bona, the breakout star of ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’
Cosmic Girls (WJSN) member Bona has made her way into K-drama fans’ hearts with her role as fencing athlete Ko Yurim in the youth series Twenty-Five, Twenty-One.
One of the K-drama’s main characters, Ko Yurim is a high school fencing gold medalist—and Na Heedo’s (Kim Taeri) idol. The two female athletes soon got caught between a longstanding rivalry until they developed a strong friendship.
Spolier alert!
In the series, Ko Yurim is thrown into turmoil as she suffers from the pressure of being an award-winning national athlete and surviving amid her family’s financial woes. One of the most heartbreaking moments of her character, however, is when she decided to become a Russian citizen to resolve her family’s problems.
Born as Kim Jiyeon, Bona’s fanbase grew since Twenty-Five, Twenty-One with many fans excited for the next stage of her career. So, here’s a helpful fangirl guide to know more about the K-pop idol and actress.
Bona is a member of WJSN
Bona debuted as the lead dancer, vocalist, rapper, and visual of WJSN in February 2016. The 13-member group may be overwhelming to some K-pop fans since there are a lot of names to remember, but her breathtaking beauty is more than enough to catch your attention.
WJSN was introduced as a group with members who are “otherworldly beings from space.” Each member represents the sign of the Zodiac, with Bona representing Leo.
Some of WJSN’s most popular songs include Unnatural, Dreams Come True, and Secret.
Prior to Bona’s debut, she was added to WJSN’s Wonder Unit alongside bandmates Dayoung and Cheng Xiao to gain fans.
Bona is a member of three WJSN subunits
Bona showcased more of her singing and dancing talents as part of WJSN’s subunits Wonder Unit, WJSN The Dreamer, and WJSN The Black. Of course, the three sub-groups have a different identity compared to the girl group’s space-inspired concept.
Bona said in a March 2022 interview with Esquire Korea that WJSN Black is a unit she had “fun promoting.”
Bona made her acting debut with ‘Hit the Top’
Bona’s first acting job was portraying idol trainee Do Hyeri in the slice-of-life series Hit the Top. Hyeri is hopeful about debuting as a K-pop star, but is always pressured to meet the industry’s harsh beauty standards.
Bona is close friends with BLACKPINK’s Jisoo
Look at how cute and genuine Bona and Jisoo’s friendship is.
— yanee (@lesyeuxdeyanee) April 4, 2020
190819: Jisoo had a public sched with Dior, but she met up with Bona after to celebrate the latter’s birthday
191230: Before 2019 ended, and four days before Jisoo’s birthday, she and Bona went out again#BONA #JISOO pic.twitter.com/GsKRHivwVn
One of Bona’s closest friends in the industry is BLACKPINK member and fellow idol-actress Jisoo. They have been friends since 2016, and have always been hanging out during their free time.
Bona revealed in an SBS Youngstreet interview that while they're not one to reply immediately, they are understanding of each other’s schedules.
“You know how there are people who reply really fast, but there are also some who reply super slow? I’m the latter kind. When Jisoo and I message each other, we only exchange, like, one or two texts a day. Jisoo is like me. We are similar in that way,” Bona said, as per a translation by Kpopstarz.
Bona and Jisoo are so close that the BLACKPINK star even sent a coffee truck when she was filming Twenty-Five, Twenty-One.
“An angel appeared. I love you and I cherish you,” Bona wrote on Instagram, referring to Jisoo.
Bona enjoys being a K-pop idol and actress
It’s tough to juggle two careers, but Bona takes it as a challenge to do well in both fields.
“These days, I just say this. If they say, ‘You’re like an idol,’ I say, ‘I am an idol.’ I can just break stereotypes by doing well. I just have to do well,” Bona told Esquire Korea, as per a translation by Soompi.
Bona also revealed that being a K-pop idol and actress has a “lot of pleasure” in different ways.
“In terms of performances, there’s a lot of pleasure in perfectly showcasing a performance I practiced and prepared so much for. Acting is a bit different, but there’s a pleasure when something arises that I didn’t intend for,” Bona said.