001 :: [Dispatch Exclusive] "Idols No More?" — Hyunjin, Minho & Felix: From K-Pop Stage to Coffee, Radio, and... Tattoos?

⠀⠀May 2025 – Dispatch Reported by [REDACTED]

⠀⠀Once the golden trio of the K-pop scene, Hyunjin,

⠀⠀Lee Know (Minho), and Felix shocked fans—

⠀⠀and agencies alike — when they silently stepped

⠀⠀away from idol life in 2024. No official statements.

⠀⠀No tearful goodbye stages. Just... gone.

⠀⠀What happened to the boys who debuted

⠀⠀together at 19, climbed the charts, trended

⠀⠀globally, and lived the K-idol dream? Dispatch,

⠀⠀as always, did the digging.

⠀⠀Felix: From Billboard Charts to... Pour-Over

⠀⠀Coffee?

⠀⠀Nestled in a quiet corner of Seoul’s Seongsu-

⠀⠀dong, a suspiciously aesthetic café opened its

⠀⠀doors in late 2024: Paws & Papers. The owner?

⠀⠀None other than Yongbok Felix, who now spends

⠀⠀his mornings brewing espresso and feeding

⠀⠀rescue cats instead of rehearsing choreography.

⠀⠀According to one source, “Felix always loved

⠀⠀quiet spaces. The cats, the books... it’s very him.

⠀⠀But to go from world tours to latte art? That’s a

⠀⠀plot twist.” The café has a strict no-photos

⠀⠀policy and rarely plays K-pop — a subtle but

⠀⠀clear boundary.

⠀⠀And yes, the flat whites are good. But some

⠀⠀fans aren’t sure how to feel. “He said nothing,

⠀⠀just vanished,” one anonymous forum post

⠀⠀reads. “We ed him for years.”

⠀⠀Minho: DJ by Night, Idol No More

⠀⠀Lee Know — or should we say DJ Minho now —

⠀⠀launched a low-key radio show in November

⠀⠀2024 called Midnight Minho. Airing weekly, it’s

⠀⠀a mix of jazz, deep cuts from the 2000s, and

⠀⠀the kind of late-night commentary that feels

⠀⠀more like diary entries.

⠀⠀Dispatch traced the show to a private studio

⠀⠀in Mapo. No producers, no script—just Minho,

⠀⠀a mic, and an occasional sigh. On one episode,

⠀⠀he cryptically said: “Fame is loud. I prefer the

⠀⠀silence now.”

⠀⠀A quiet dig at idol life? Maybe. But fans have

⠀⠀picked up on the ive-aggressive tone

⠀⠀more than once. Still, Midnight Minho has built

⠀⠀a cult following, with midnight listeners tuning

⠀⠀in for what some call “the post-idol therapy

⠀⠀hour.”

⠀⠀Hyunjin: The Inked Artist Returns

⠀⠀Of the three, Hyunjin’s transition might be

⠀⠀the most dramatic. In early 2025, Dispatch

⠀⠀confirmed he opened a tattoo studio in

⠀⠀Itaewon—far from the typical idol aesthetic.

⠀⠀No nameplate. No official opening. Just

⠀⠀whispers... and art.

⠀⠀Through interviews with clients and subtle l

⠀⠀social media breadcrumbs (a familiar wrist

⠀⠀here, a sketchbook angle there), we confirmed:

⠀⠀yes, that is indeed Hyunjin. The studio walls

⠀⠀are filled with original artwork—moody, raw,

⠀⠀emotional—and sources say he’s “fully

⠀⠀hands-on,” sketching each design personally.

⠀⠀But it hasn’t gone unnoticed that most of

⠀⠀his tattoos reject the “idol pretty” vibe. One

⠀⠀client revealed, “He said art shouldn’t be

⠀⠀filtered for fans anymore. He’s done with that.”

⠀⠀Fans were divided. Some praised his evolution.

⠀⠀Others? Less so. “He was an idol, not a starving

⠀⠀artist,” read one netizen comment. “This is like

⠀⠀watching a prince run away to become a poet.”

⠀⠀So, what really happened?

⠀⠀There’s no scandal—yet. But sources close

⠀⠀to the group hint that the decision to leave

⠀⠀wasn’t mutual with their agency. “They didn’t

⠀⠀want to re-sign. They had other dreams,” one

⠀⠀insider claimed. “The agency didn’t stop

⠀⠀them—but they didn’t promote their exit either.”

⠀⠀No farewell tour. No fanmeet. Just three boys

⠀⠀who, after years of performing under blinding

⠀⠀lights, quietly stepped back into the shadows—

⠀⠀to rediscover the parts of themselves that

⠀⠀fame nearly erased.

⠀⠀Dispatch's Take:

⠀⠀Whether you call it reinvention, rebellion, or

⠀⠀retirement, one thing is clear: Hyunjin, Minho,

⠀⠀and Felix have left the stage. But maybe,

⠀⠀just maybe, they’ve finally found the peace

⠀⠀no spotlight could give them.

⠀⠀No denial. No clarity. Classic.