Girls’ Generation member Seohyun‘s close friend Lee Hwanhee (21) will be debuting as a singer next month.

Hwanhee became an SM Entertainment trainee after placing 1st at one of the company’s teen singing competitions back in 2002. She was initially selected to debut as a member of Girls’ Generation in 2005, but was cut during the final casting.

Hwanhee trained with the members of Girls’ Generation such as Seohyun and Yuri, eating, living, and rehearsing with the girls. But in 2009, she left SM Entertainment altogether and has since joined a different label.

“I have been preparing to debut for so long, starting at SM Entertainment,” she said. “It’s exciting that I am finally making my debut. It’s so surreal, I can’t believe it.”

Seohyun guest-featured on a previous episode of KBS 2TV‘s ‘Big Brothers‘ and tearfully confessed, “never once did I doubt that we would be in the same group. I was more sad for my friend who couldn’t fulfill her dreams than I was happy for myself.”

Hwanhee is busy recording her album and preparing for her debut next month.

Check out Seohyun and Hwanhee when they were trainees, and Seohyun tearing as she remembers her old friend.