IVE Rei, who was rumored to be the daughter of a conglomerate in Japan, revealed the truth about her family background.
On May 6, the idol appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel, "My Neighborhood Friend Kangnami," featuring MC Kangnam and Rei's Korean language battle as fellow Japanese idols.
During the conversation, Rei also addressed the rumor that she came from a wealthy family, which sparked earlier after Kangnam's remark.
IVE Rei Speculated of Being Rich Due to Family Surname, Idol Clarifies Rumor
Earlier in March, Kangnam and Rei first met through the latter's personal YouTube channel, "Follow Rei."
At the time, Kangnam asked which city Rei came from in Japan and after hearing that she was from Nagoya, he immediately concluded that she was from a rich background.
He also claimed that given her surname, Naoi, which is highly uncommon in Japan, she's probably an elite. Normally, those families in Japan with rare surnames were descendants of nobles and these types of names were granted by Japan's Emperor.
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When viewers saw the video, Japanese fans also agreed with this assumption, explaining that people from Nagoya were mostly families of CEOs and business owners.
Those who were avid supporters of Rei's vlog can also attest that with the kinds of cars, house, and even the school that she attended could be deduced that she's rich.
Rei Briefly Mentions Speculations That She's From Affluent Family
In the recent reunion of the two, Kangnam once again asked Rei's last name and when Rei replied, "Naoi," she complained:
"I'm Rei, Naoi. You kept saying that it was a rich family name."
Perplexed, Kangnam clarified:
"Why is that going around so much? [Joked about her being rich and it's spreading like wildfire in reels]. Why are there so many reels, I was joking around. But my friends ask me, 'Is Rei rich?' I don't know either."
After saying all this, he made Rei laugh when he asked seriously:
"So, are you rich?"
Explaining the rumor, Rei briefly answered:
"I'm working diligently right now."
IVE, to which Rei belongs, released its second EP album, "IVE SWITCH" on the 29th of last month and achieved the feat of entering 3rd place on the "Worldwide iTunes Album Chart."
"IVE SWITCH" is an album that signals the team's expansion of showing "another me." It is comprised of double title tracks, "HEYA" and "Accendio" which tell the group's stories in their color and style.
The album also consists of "Blue Heart," a song written by Jang Wonyoung and other b-sidetracks including "Ice Queen," "WOW," and RESET."
READ MORE: IVE Rei Becomes Hot Topic for Speculated Plastic Surgery — DIVEs Defend Idol
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
