GEN Z artist Shim Jaehyun, a former member of the K-pop boy group F.able, passed away after battling leukemia.

South Korean entertainment outlet allkpop reported that news about the 23-year-old K-pop idol’s death circulated online in late June.

Hojun, Jaehyun’s fellow F.able member, posted about the latter’s passing on his Instagram story and said he learned about it “too late.”

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for your last journey. I sometimes think about how I could have done better, and it’s regretful,” Hojun said, as translated by Korean media outlet Koreaboo.

“I hope you can shake off all your worries and live comfortably there,” he added.

Hojun also thanked Jaehyun for the past five years they spent together.

“I hope you’re eating lots of delicious food and doing well there. Come visit me in my dream,” he continued.

Allkpop said Jaehyun had been fighting leukemia in recent years, but his condition was not widely disclosed to the public. 

WebMD describes leukemia as a cancer of the blood caused by a rapid production of abnormal white blood cells in one’s body.

Further details about Jaehyun’s battle with leukemia are kept under wraps.

K-pop journey

Born in April 2002, Jaehyun was the youngest member of F.able who served as its vocalist.

The boy group debuted in June 2020 under Haeirum Entertainment, with the release of its first single album, “Burn it up.” It was followed by singles “RUN RUN RUN” in 2021 and “Cloud 9” in 2022. 

However, F.able  went on hiatus in 2023 before it silently disbanded. Three former F.able members later debuted in a new K-pop boy group.