Red Velvet's Joy has surprised viewers after revealing that she was one of the top students in her school before becoming a K-pop idol, even ranking second among all students.

On November 5, Joy appeared on Kian84's YouTube show *Life 84*, where she opened up about her school years and how she eventually decided to pursue a career in music.

During their conversation, Joy revealed that becoming a singer was not always her only plan.

In fact, she admitted that she would have given up on her dream of becoming an idol if she had failed her SM Entertainment audition.

*"I was one of the lucky ones. If I hadn't gotten into SM Entertainment, I wasn't planning to become a singer,"* Joy shared.

She explained that she had focused heavily on her education because her family's financial situation was not particularly comfortable.

*"My family wasn't very well-off, so when I was young, the only thing I could do was study hard,"* she recalled.

Her dedication to studying paid off, as she consistently achieved impressive academic results.

*"I ranked first in my class. I even ranked second in the entire school,"* she revealed.

Joy also admitted that she had worried about her future from a young age, often wondering how she would earn a living when she grew older.

However, her life began to change during a school trip in her second year of middle school.

She recalled deciding to perform in front of other students, despite initially receiving some negative reactions.

*"At first, people were wondering, 'Who does she think she is? Why is she going up there?' But suddenly, I became popular,"* she explained.

After that experience, Joy began receiving more opportunities to sing at different events.

As she spent more time performing, her academic grades gradually started to decline.

Hearing about her impressive school record, Kian84 suggested that she probably would have succeeded even if she had never entered the entertainment industry.

*"I think you would have done well even if you hadn't become a singer,"* he told her.

Joy confidently agreed.

*"I think so too. I had confidence in myself,"* she replied.

The conversation then turned to the academic abilities of her fellow Red Velvet members.

Kian84 assumed that Joy must have been the strongest student in the group, considering her impressive ranking.

However, Joy immediately pointed to Wendy.

When Kian84 expressed surprise that someone could have performed even better academically than Joy, she proudly praised her fellow member.

*"Wendy unnie even received an Obama Award. She was a real elite student,"* Joy shared.

The unexpected revelation offered a different look at Joy's life before her debut, showing that she had seriously considered pursuing a future outside entertainment.

Although she ultimately chose music and became a member of Red Velvet, Joy's story revealed that her academic achievements had once given her another possible path in life.