K-pop group Oh My Girl, now a six-piece band after the departure of former member Jiho, has made a resilient comeback, reflecting on their time of unity and strength during her departure.

Oh My Girl (Hyojung, Mimi, YooA, Seunghee, Yubin and Arin) held a showcase to celebrate the release of their ninth mini-album 'Golden Hourglass' on the 24th at YES24 Live Hall in Gwangjang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

The return of Oh My Girl, their first official activity since Jiho left the group in May last year, has garnered much attention. At that time, their agency WM Entertainment announced the termination of Jiho's exclusive contract, expressing support for Jiho's decision to pursue new dreams after deep discussions.

In addition to this, they confirmed a renewal of the contracts with the remaining six members, citing the trust built over the past seven years, stating that they "will not hesitate to fully support the six members in their active roles across various fields."

Jiho later shared her feelings of regret for leaving Oh My Girl and her intention to support the group as a fan in a handwritten letter. At the time, Jiho expressed her sadness, saying, "As a member of the fandom Miracles, I will support Oh My Girl's activities."

For over a year after Jiho's departure, Oh My Girl had a hiatus as a complete group. The group alleviated fans' disappointment by releasing a special single 'Miracles' to commemorate their 8th debut anniversary, but curiosity about the group's next move grew as there was no news of comeback activities since their second full album 'Real Love' in March last year.

Oh My Girl, who returned to the stage as a six-piece after a long hiatus, seemed to be stronger and more mature than before. There was an evident desire to present even more perfected music as the hiatus continued.

Seunghee shared, "We struggled a lot to find a balance between the music Oh My Girl wants to deliver and what the public wants to hear. There was a lot of consideration between dreamy, lyrical atmospheres and bright energy." This reflection on Oh My Girl's musical direction resonated with the other members.

Seunghee also expressed concerns about filling the void left by Jiho's departure, noting, "Given the length of our hiatus and the restructuring of our group, it took courage and a sense of responsibility to fill the void."

Although Jiho's name was not explicitly mentioned, it can be inferred that the changes that came after her departure presented significant challenges and changes for the remaining members.

Despite Jiho's departure, the remaining six members were able to come together once again due to the affection between them and the love of their fans. Hyojung recalled, "I think every member had a deep love for Oh My Girl in their hearts. Our feelings for our fans, the Miracles, were likely the same. We had a desire to show more as Oh My Girl."

She added, "When we talked amongst ourselves, we realized just how much we love Oh My Girl. We all thought we needed to do better for our members. We all have a firm belief in Oh My Girl," emphasizing that they gathered together as Oh My Girl once again, without anyone's coercion.

YooA also expressed her gratitude towards leader Hyojung, saying, "I think it was thanks to our leader that the six of us could regroup and move forward. I'm really thankful for her," adding a warm touch to the conversation.

Meanwhile, all the tracks of Oh My Girl's ninth mini album 'Golden Hourglass,' including the title track 'Summer is Coming,' can be listened to on various online music sites from 6 p.m. today (24th).

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