Haesol is arguably the most complex of all her band members, so there are seemingly many contradictions in her personality until you look close enough to see the layers. Haesol can be very confident. She has no problem interacting with people right away, and she has a way of rolling with the interviewers even at times people find themselves cringing of second hand embarrassment from the off-topic questions. She, on the other hand, manages to brush things off as jokes if she doesn’t want to discuss it or answer them, with an ease that is admirable. She is always with a attitude that screams ‘think what you want of me, I don’t even care’. She also seems more than comfortable with going out on her own, or spending time by herself. This suggests not only a ease with getting along with anyone she meets, but a self assuredness that she can enjoy what she’s doing on her own - and that’s a sign of maturity. In the same way, however, Haesol can sometimes be very insecure.. She has a very visible outward confidence and she has an ability to charm people in both a friendly and flirty way and I don’t think she’s shy in the slightest. But, she has a lot of “am I good enough” moments. We can see it almost everyday if we spend a lot of time with her, in the way that in every interview when she’s talking she almost always looks to the leader as though she’s seeking confirmation that what she is saying is alright. She seems like she needs someone there telling her “yes you’re right, you’re ok”. So, because of that, insecurity would make her need to be surrounded by affectionate people that can reaffirm the fact that she’s not going to be left alone and that she IS good enough. People find  interesting that a majority of her friends are girls. I personally don’t think it has anything to do with the fact that she is afraid of being friends with a boy!  I think it has more to do with the fact that girls are typically more openly affectionate with their friends, so they would offer more hugs and “I love you’s” and more deep and personal conversations, which is what she needs to feel connected and important and just needed. One of the most interesting things about Haesol is who her friends seem to be. If you look at whom she spends most of her time with it’s generally a much older crowd, not talking about her group members, of course. This sort of lifestyle, living beyond her years and hanging with a crowd all in their late twenties or older and seemingly so natural at dealing with kids I think this say a lot about her personality.

She seems very ready to be an adult; especially in the emotional sense. In a lot of ways though, Haesol seems to be dominated by these emotions. She is very  impulsive, she seems to have a tendency to act upon her initial emotional response. In multiple occasions we can see  her giving in to sadness, jealousy (in getting almost moody when a certain member’s attention is off of her and onto someone else) and many times crying on stage. Haesol is  someone who is not afraid to recognize her emotions and isn’t one to try to hide them or force them down. She’s  easy to read; she wears her emotions on her sleeve clear and open for anyone who takes the time to notice them. She is also very empathetic, she is able to identify her own emotions and  can also easily identify those emotions in other people. In the same way she responds really well to what people need in the moment, and it’s this ability, which I think is part of why people so easily grow fond of her,  the strong ability to empathize, is typical among people who are comfortable with children because they are able to respond to the child’s inability to vocalize what they need, and she can do that, since she deals with a lot of baby cousins in the family. On a slightly negative side, her impulsive tendency to react to emotions can also get her into trouble, because I think she wouldn’t shy away from calling someone out when she was angry, or at least failing to disguise her anger, or upset etc. On another negative note, it can make her  very vulnerable to conflict because sometimes she seems to lack the ability to understand why people don’t think the way she does and see things the way she does. Haesol doesn’t  like to be in charge. It makes her feel closer to people if they are the ones demanding something of her, and her being able to give to!  It gives her  the security and feeling that she has made them happy. In this way I believe this reflects once again to her ultimate desire to feel needed and wanted and why she admits to being attracted to confidence.

It’s impossible to overlook the fact that Haesol simply has that “it” factor. There isn’t much to say on the topic, because it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what about her it is that draws people to her the way that she does. And yet it’s pretty hard to dispute the idea that Haesol seems to be the crowd favorite and in a lot of ways I don’t think you can narrow it down to one or two characteristics. She’s Shin Haesol - an incredibly famous person who is just good at being famous, whether she intends to be or not. Deal with it.

Background: 
Her parents both had successful jobs so money never was a problem for them. Growing up, Haesol had a fairly normal childhood until her parents decided to get a divorce. Things just weren't working and she could tell from their constant fighting. Her father moved to London, UK and her mother decided to stay in Korea. During weekends and breaks from school, Haesol was always flying back and forth to London to visit her father.  Her parents were really young when they found out they would become parents! Haesol's mother was just 17 and her father 18! Even though she was born to young and still immature parents, she always had the best things available to her, the best clothes, the best toys and the best educational systems. She never was a girl that used to have good grades, so as soon Haesol told her family she didn't wanted to become a doctor, it was a shock to all of them, since the whole family history was about doctors or business people! The girl decided to stand up for herself and fight for what she really wanted - being a fashion designer - . But as soon she is scouted to be a trainee under a music company, her dream life changes completely. The question is: it changed for the best, or for the worst? Possibly both. Even though music was always a big part of her life since she was a child, Haesol always had doubts about becoming an artist. Her grandfather gave her a guitar when she was 10 years old and she fell in love with it as soon as she started to learn how to play. However, she never thought she could become far as a singer becuase her voice was nothing extraordinary, her dance moves were worst than a drunk man dancing and she was too shy to be in front of cameras.

How long were they a trainee?: 5 years
Trainee History: Haesol was scouted to be a YG trainee when she was 14 years old, while she was shopping with her friends. A man complimented her beauty and happy personality saying that she should try to audition. However, YG saw nothing special about her. Her dancing moves were weak, her voice was unstable and she was too shy to even sing in front of a small audience. She had the looks, yes, but her talent needed to be nailed. YG accepted her though, deep down they knew she had something hidden. But she was transfered to SM Entertainment after 2 months of training under YG. It was a shock to her, SM is known from being harsh when it comes to training periods and methods. However, was in SM that Haesol found her true self.  With Kangta as her voice mentor, Haesol wasn't the shy wallflower anymore, she was a confident star! Like I said above, her talent needed to be nailed, and SM did it, with no doubt.