She started super young as an actor right? didnt she work some?
She actually started in SM before joining JYPE! For at least a year iirc? It's been a long road for her.
Here's a mind-blowing fact: She joined JYPE
on the same day as Sunmi. She saw the entire dramatic rise, stateside invasion, reboot, and end of Wonder Girls as a trainee.
But you're right, she was initially supposed to be an actor. JYP himself heard her singing and switched her to that. Which is just as well because JYPE got rid of their acting department lollol.
There is a lot of talk about her trainee days with her family here:
Her mother used to cry a lot, and Sixteen was even worse because k-netz were writing horrible things about her weight.
When Twice held their first ever performance, Jihyo burst into tears: