Gunil Pens Tell-All Letter To Fans, Revealing The Exact Reason Of His Departure From Xdinary Heroes

Following the shocking announcement of his departure from Xdinary Heroes and JYP Entertainment, Gunil has spoken up about the situation with shocking honesty.

Gunil recently posted a tell-all letter to fans, explaining the exact circumstances of his exit. He started by acknowledging the rumors about him badmouthing his fans to an ex-girlfriend, admitting to his mistake.

GUNIL ON BBL 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

안녕하세요 빌런즈, 구건일입니다.

아마 이 인사가 엑디즈로서 드리는 마지막 인사가 될 것 같습니다.

저는 정말 끝까지 엑디즈로 남고 싶었고, 여섯 명의 엑디즈를 지키고 싶었습니다. 하지만 아시다시피 회사의 결정을 어쩔 수 없이 받아들이기로 했습니다.

저도… pic.twitter.com/5WfbuT9tMh

— J💙 (@J_Suv_Stay) August 13, 2026

Hello, Villains, this is Gunil.

This will probably be my final greeting to you as a member of Xdinary Heroes. I truly wanted to remain an Xdinary Heroes member until the very end, and I wanted to protect the six members of Xdinary Heroes. But, as you know, I have decided that I have no choice but to accept the company’s decision.

Even now, it still doesn’t feel real to me. There are so many things I want to say to Villains. I still don’t know where to begin or how to talk about everything. But now that I am no longer a member of Xdinary Heroes, I don’t want to hide the truth or make excuses with lies for my own sake. I believe there are things I need to tell you myself, so I am writing this.

First of all, the person who wrote the post that started this whole situation was someone I met through an acquaintance, and I saw this person for about two weeks.

At the time, I was mentally very exhausted because of the malicious comments that had continued from before, false stories being spread about me, and various worries and concerns I had about Xdinary Heroes’ music and performances. Rather than burdening the people close to me by telling them what was really on my mind, there was a period when I found it easier to vent my frustrations to a stranger who didn’t know me well.

The person who made the inappropriate remarks about fans in the recorded phone call that was made public to Villains was indeed me. Regardless of the reason, the fact that I said those things does not change. I sincerely apologize to everyone who was disappointed and hurt by what I said.

— Gunil

However, he went on to explain the nuance of the situation, revealing that he was under extreme stress from being stalked by sasaeng fans and receiving hate comments online. He emphasized that the unkind words that he spoke were directed at those people specifically, and not at the fans who have been genuinely supporting the group through everything.

However, I would like to honestly explain what circumstances and emotions I was experiencing at the time, and whom those words were actually directed toward.

Earlier this year, sasaeng fans broke into our dorm, and they even put a GPS tracker on my personal vehicle and followed me around. After experiencing things like that, I developed a great deal of fear and resentment toward certain malicious fans, and I went through a very difficult time emotionally.

But I was also the leader and the older brother among the members, so I couldn’t easily talk about my fears or anxiety. I tried my best to control my emotions and carry on.

Then, in June of this year, I prepared for the Inspire Arena concert with the members, wanting to give Villains the absolute best performance we could. We prepared with all our might, and after finishing the first day’s concert, I checked social media with anticipation.

Of course, no performance can ever be perfect, and I believe we have to acknowledge the areas where we fell short and continue to improve. However, that day, I saw many malicious posts that went beyond opinions or criticism of the performance—things that were so vicious that they were difficult for us to understand.

Because it was a performance we had prepared with all our sincerity, seeing unexpected criticism and malicious comments seemed to have caused me to emotionally break down quite badly.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to openly share my feelings because I didn’t want to make the company staff or the members worry about me. In the end, I opened up about all the emotions I had been holding in to someone I had only recently met, and in the process, I said extremely harsh and wrong things without hesitation.

I never imagined that the conversation would be recorded and made public. However, regardless of whether it was made public, I clearly understand that the fact that I said those things was wrong in itself.

There is one thing, however, that I absolutely want to make clear.

The people I was speaking about emotionally at the time were certain malicious fans who hid behind anonymity, indiscriminately attacked us, or invaded our privacy. I was absolutely not saying those things about all Villains who trusted and supported us.

Because I had always tried to show you the image of a sincere and dependable leader, I believe the disappointment and sense of betrayal you felt because of this incident must have been even greater. I am truly sorry for that.

Around the time before and after the June Inspire concert, I was going through a difficult period emotionally for many different reasons. I also met that person around that time, and it is true that I relied on them to some extent when I was struggling.

I know this story may sound like an excuse. But I want to make one thing absolutely clear: I did not say those things about the Villains whom I truly loved and trusted.

— Gunil

Gunil also got extremely honest about his feelings toward his fellow members, admitting that though he had his share of issues with them, at the end of the day, he loved them dearly.

It would also be a lie if I said that I had never once been dissatisfied with the members, who I lived with every day and with whom I shared so much of both my work and personal life. But I can say without the slightest shame that while I was active as a member of Xdinary Heroes, I genuinely cared for and loved the members, and that I was always grateful for the love Villains gave us.

To me, the members were always people I was proud of, and Villains were always people I was grateful for.

Now, I no longer have a way to prove that, nor do I have even a single opportunity to rebuild the trust that has been broken. Still, I wanted to say one last time that my feelings toward the fans and my feelings toward the members were always sincere.

— Gunil

The letter ended on a highly emotional note as he apologized yet again to the fans, recalling the moments they had shared in the past few years, and saying his farewell to all of it.

I believe the fans who have been with me for a long time, the staff and employees I worked with, the members I love, and my close friends and acquaintances know best how genuinely I loved and cared for the fans and members.

Lastly, I sincerely want to apologize to my fans, who I believe have been hurt the most by this incident.

It hurts me the most knowing that all the countless hours and all the love you sent me to support me, as well as the moments when you trusted me, may now feel wasted and meaningless to you.

In the end, I have left a wound that will not be easy for you to erase, just as you loved me. The fact that the people I love and care about are suffering because of me is incredibly painful.

Even now, none of this feels real, and it feels as though I am having a nightmare. If I feel this way, I can hardly imagine how much more difficult this must be for all of you.

I am truly sorry.

I know that simply saying “I’m sorry” cannot fully express the hurt I have caused, nor can it undo it.

Fansigns, fan meetings, concerts, overseas tours, festivals… So many moments I shared with Villains come flooding back to me.

Thank you sincerely for giving me so much love and so many memories throughout all that time. I will never forget the love you gave me or the memories we shared.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for liking and supporting someone as inadequate as me all this time.

Although I wasn’t able to give you a beautiful ending, thanks to Villains, I leave with so many happy moments from my life that I will never be able to forget.

I am now leaving Xdinary Heroes, but I will never forget the love and affection you showed to me as a person named Gu Gun-il.

And wherever I may be in the future, I will also continue to support and cheer for your lives forever.

I would be grateful if you would continue to love and support our Xdinary Heroes very, very much.

All five of the members, without exception, are wonderful, admirable, and lovable younger brothers to me.

Although the dream of performing together at Wembley will no longer come true, I will now support and cheer them on from one step behind so that these guys can someday achieve that dream.

I poured everything I had into Xdinary Heroes and Villains. I loved it all so much, and I truly loved you all.

Thank you for sharing my youth with me.

This was Gu Gunil. Thank you.

— Gunil

In a separate message, Gunil once again reassured fans that he really loved his fans and wished them good health.

Gunil’s candid letter has stirred up heated fan responses, with massive anger being directed at JYP Entertainment for its failure to protect its artists. Many are already demanding that he be reinstated in the group.

first of all, this was NOT a mutual decision so fck jype for lying. and fck sasaengs. im not saying the misogynistic words were okay but i understand the frustration behind them. this fandom never treated him like a human being. he was exhausted and completely done.

— 리에 😺 (@riextraaa) August 13, 2026

they kicked him out for being a human. they said it was a “mutual decision” but clear as day gunil says it was not. it’s fucking disgusting that these companies will lie and protect sasaengs over their artists just to make more money. this isn’t fair to anyone.

— bemboo 🦔 ★ xdiz is 6 (@maibemboo) August 13, 2026

to have your privacy invaded multiple times and experiencing this level of betrayal while you were at your most vulnerable…goddamn

— lian ꕤ (@pilmographs) August 13, 2026