Dara candidly shared her thoughts and confessed that she might have been more popular now if she debuted with SM Entertainment.

On October 12, Dara appeared as a special guest on the 12th episode of Kim Jae Joong's YouTube channel talk show 'Jaefriends' and spent time with her long-time friend.

During the talk show, Dara reminisced about her idol life back in her day and even shared some of the untold stories, along with her honest thoughts. During their conversation, Kim Jae Joong mentioned Dara's unconventional personality and pointed out the unique hairstyles she pulled off during 2NE1 promotions. 

He shared, "She's very unconventional. What normal person would be okay to do that kind of hair with her face? You're super special."

Dara responded, "I actually think I would've been better off and popular now if I debuted with SM." Surprised to hear this, Kim Jae Joong asked why. She added, "Many people said that if Dara went to SM, she would've done nicer things and more prettier styles. But YG made her do weird hairstyles. Such a waste of her looks and time."

Jae Joong responded, "But I was called out for doing spikey hair too when I was with TVXQ. But her hair was worse than mine."

Dara also revealed how long it took to do her hair and shared it took 4 hours each time she went to the hair shop. She explained, "I was always the first (to go get my hair done). I think I always volunteered (to go first) because I feel anxious if I'm not ready."