Jihyo told ONCE her heart is heavy. TWICE's JYP renewal is the story.

Jihyo did not wait for a press conference. On July 28 she posted on Bubble that she could chat casually with ONCE, but her heart still feels too heavy to talk as if nothing is happening. She said she has been cautious about coming to the app, that she will resolve things so ONCE do not wait too long, and that as the person responsible for her own life she will think carefully and make a wise decision. She asked fans to keep supporting and trusting her. Then she put the fixed point on the table: she truly loves and cherishes TWICE, and she believes ONCE will understand that from her heart alone.

The agency frame is narrower and official. On July 14, JYP Entertainment told Korean media that TWICE is in a contract renewal discussion period and that the company will update once matters are finalized. That statement followed a wave of reports about members exploring solo-agency options while keeping group activities intact. JoyNews24 and others have written that Jihyo could leave JYP after about 21 years with the company, counting trainee years, and start a one-person agency. Treat those as reports, not decisions. Jihyo’s Bubble note does not confirm a departure. It confirms the decision is real, the wait is hard, and the group is not the part she is willing to put at risk in public.

Why this renewal season is different

TWICE’s full nine renewed with JYP in 2022. That first renewal kept the unit whole at peak global scale. The second season lands after an 81-show THIS IS FOR world tour closed in Seoul, after solo releases like Jihyo’s 2023 EP ZONE, and after the industry already normalized the “together yet apart” model senior acts use: group under one roof, solo careers under specialized shops. Korean business coverage has floated Jeongyeon, Tzuyu, and Chaeyoung in similar rumor lanes. JYP has not confirmed individual exits. The only company line that sticks is careful deliberation.

For diaspora fans, the fairness question is simple. Can the group that trained ONCE to show up for every comeback still feel like one team if solo contracts splinter? Jihyo’s answer, for now, is emotional clarity without a calendar. She loves TWICE. She will decide. She will tell ONCE when she can joke again.

Our take

Read this as a leadership message more than a transfer rumor. The leader went first, named the heaviness, and refused to let group love get lost in agency chatter. Watch for JYP’s finalized notice and whether other members post their own Bubble notes before a corporate statement lands. Our read: the chart and tour receipts already proved TWICE can carry a second act. The renewal math is about who owns the solo lane while that second act keeps touring.