(Photo courtesy of F&F ENTERTAINMENT)

 

[Hanteo News = Reporter JUNG JUNHWA] It is ending when things are going best. Group UNIS will conclude its full-group activities on the 26th.

 

On the 22nd, the group’s agency F&F ENTERTAINMENT announced through its official SNS that the exclusive management contracts with the members, which had continued for two years and six months, will end on the 26th. The agency explained that after discussions on the contract period and future direction, the group decided to conclude its full-group activities according to the scheduled period. What makes it regrettable is the timing. At the time the notice was posted, UNIS was receiving its hottest response since debuting two years and six months ago.

 

The reversal began on September 8. UNIS released the remake single ‘Haneul Ttang Byeol Ttang,’ a remake of the 1997 hit song by female duo BB. Then, the group’s music show stage, which came after one year, drew heated attention. The skeptical view of a current idol group taking on a song from the ’90s turned into praise as the stages continued.

 

The team, which had never entered the Top 1,000 of Melon’s daily chart since debut, entered the chart at No. 951 and climbed to No. 465 as of the 22nd. It was unusual in that the rise was created purely through the power of the stage, without a separate variety show or viral content.

 

However, the group’s music show promotions ended on the 14th. In other words, the moment when the response began to grow and the moment when promotions ended did not align. That is why fans called for an extension of promotions, and why comments poured in saying they had only just discovered the team. Among the fandom EVERAFTER, there were strong voices saying the group should perform more while the response was good, but the digital single ‘Milky Way,’ set to be released at 6 PM on the 23rd, is effectively the final song from the full group.

 

UNIS is an eight-member group formed through SBS’ audition program ‘Universe Ticket.’ JIN HYEONJU, NANA, GEHLEE DANGCA, KOTOKO, BANG YUNHA, ELISIA, OH YOONA, and LIM SEOWON were chosen through viewer votes, and the group debuted on March 27, 2024, with its 1st mini album ‘WE UNIS.’ From the beginning, it was a project group with a fixed activity period of two years and six months. It is clear that this conclusion is not a sudden disbandment, but a scheduled expiration.

 

Still, the explanation that things are ending “as scheduled” does not ease fans’ disappointment. The fact that the period had been fixed and the fact that the team shone the brightest in the very week that period ended are separate matters.

 

Looking at the results, UNIS was never a team with a weak fandom to begin with. Its debut album surpassed 50,000 copies in five days, ranking No. 8 in initial chodong sales among girl group debut albums of all time, and its 2nd mini album ‘SWICY,’ released in April 2025, recorded initial chodong sales of around 58,000 copies. It also topped Hanteo Chart’s weekly authentication chart and monthly authentication chart for May. The group also won No. 1 on a music show 393 days after debut. This means that while album sales and fandom had been proven early on, public recognition and digital music results followed later. This ‘Haneul Ttang Byeol Ttang’ was the moment when that final piece fell into place.

 

That seems to be why the sense of regret is so strong. Over two years and six months, the group’s domestic releases were limited to two mini albums and three singles. Although UNIS expanded its range of activities overseas in Japan, China, and the Philippines, as well as through Japanese-language singles, there had been a gap of more than one year in domestic music show promotions. A team needs repeated exposure to become imprinted on the public, and criticism that this repetition was not enough comes from this context.

 

On the other hand, it is also possible to evaluate the fact that an entertainment subsidiary of a fashion company carried the team through two years and six months, from an audition program to debut and overseas activities, as a considerable investment for a new agency.

 

It is also worth noting that the expiration of a project group’s term does not necessarily mean the end. Kep1er extended its contract beyond its originally fixed activity period of two years and six months, and ZEROBASEONE also chose the path of continuing activities after the end of its term. By contrast, I.O.I and Wanna One disbanded when their terms ended, but both reunited this year and achieved results such as topping digital music charts and holding sold-out concerts.

 

This means the possibility of the name UNIS and the combination of the eight members coming together again is not completely closed. In fact, some members have already signaled continued music activities, including participation in drama OSTs, after the end of full-group activities.

 

Depending on how the assets of the team name and fandom are preserved, the 26th could become either a period or a comma. What is clear is that the stages UNIS showed this week were the best of its two years and six months. Watching a team have to stop at its best moment is the cruelest part of what the name “project” carries.

joonamana@hanteo.com