Enhypen’s Jungwon hid the 10-minute hourglass under the table when the sand ran out. He moved like a cat as he surreptitiously dragged it across the surface and quietly took it out of sight.
I saw this from the corner of my eye, but I avoided meeting his gaze because I was scared that I would laugh at his antics and that he’d be found out. Instead, I played along and pretended the hourglass didn’t even exist. I knew that he did this because he liked the conversation enough to extend my time limit. Therefore, I accepted Enhypen’s very generous gift of time.
Protective ‘hyungs’
The fourth generation K-pop powerhouse returned to the country for the second time this year for “A Sweet Experience: Bench Fun Meet with Enhypen.” Our one-on-one interview was held right after the press conference organized by Filipino lifestyle brand Bench at the Grand Hyatt in Taguig.
The members were arranged in an L-shape formation and they sat in this order, from left: Jake, Sunghoon, Ni-ki, Sunoo, Jungwon, Jay and Heeseung. It was a careful choice, one that would have the hyungs (older members) protectively flank the maknaes (younger) line. At the same time, it placed their leader Jungwon in my direct line of sight.
Before I sat down, I told them that I have a hard copy of the Inquirer with an article about their “Fate Tour” in New Clark City earlier this year. I placed it on the center table between us and they immediately bent over, their heads squeezed close together, as they skimmed the full-page story of Super from February. That page was shared in their official social media accounts and by their agency, Belift Lab.
To say that the Inquirer team saw how this group grew is an understatement. We’ve been keeping track of the progress of their career since their predebut days in the reality show “I-Land” through our Seoul correspondent Inna Christine Cabel, up until they became “global Benchsetters,” or Bench brand ambassadors.
Enhypen Nation
As soon as I sat down, I told them that the Philippines is “Enhypen Nation.” They cheered.
“I mean, we get so much love whenever we come here. The best screaming. I feel that the fans are very energetic every time we come. We always want to come back here,” Jake said.
If this country is an Enhypen country, then “Shout Out” is the national anthem. Jungwon said that the song reminds them so much of the Philippines. I took a pause, remembering the effect of the song on their audience. I couldn’t help but loudly mimic the sound of the first note, which made the group laugh. It proved to be the ice breaker.
Whenever Engenes (their fandom name) experience a heartbreak, Enhypen advised them to move on. Heeseung said they should listen to their Japanese song, “Make the Change” (“Sadame,” 2022).
Sunoo continued, “It’s a very sweet song, but when you listen to the lyrics, it should give a touching message.”
Jungwon suggested listening to “10 Months” because it is about young love, teen love. “It’s a good song if you ever want to feel loved,” he added.
And when Engenes want to go on vacation, Jake suggested spending it by watching their concert.
Sunghoon took this opportunity to share his dream vacation. “I want to spend a quiet rest in some of the Philippine vacation spots like Cebu or Boracay,” he said.
Engenes love Enhypen
As Gen Z idols, they spend a lot of time on social media. They interact with their fans through different platforms including Weverse. So we wondered if there was one question that they still wanted to ask the Engenes.
“I want to know how they got to love Enhypen,” Jay answered. It’s a question that we often pose to their fans, too. We often get varying responses, but I shared to them that the most common reply from their Filipino fans is that Enhypen brought so much comfort to them during the pandemic. They were quiet and nodded their heads, absorbing this information.
The group shared what they are most proud of. “We were able to go on a world tour. The fact that we can do that means that there are a lot of people around the world who really love and support us. Feeling the love of Engene brings me so much pride, too,” said Ni-ki.
Future with Enhypen
I turned to Jay for his answer. While he mulled over his reply, Jake teased him in Korean to answer in English. The members repeated what Jake said like a parrot and Jay mumbled under his breath. Everybody laughed again. Jay still answered in Korean.
“Every moment that we are together, I am happy. I am looking forward to our future as a group,” he said.
I told him that it was such a sweet answer. Then I turned my head to the other side but not before I caught him giving a quick thumbs-up toward Jake’s direction. I asked, who is he giving the gesture to? The Korean-American artist didn’t answer, but instead repeated the thumbs-up toward Jake as he twitched his eyebrows.
Heeseung, an ace of K-pop’s 4th generation, said that “the performance of the group, which we put our efforts into, makes me proud, especially when the fans listen.”
Having their parents attend their concerts makes Jungwon so proud. It was another sweet answer from the baby-faced leader. I made an “ooh” sound before it was translated into English. He looked at me with his big doe eyes and asked if I understood what he said. I replied yes, because of the word “parent.” This prompted another series of “ooh” from all the members. Translator Kim Kyung-min, taking cue from their reaction, joined the teasing and asked me, “Why am I still here?” The group burst into another round of laughter.
Growing together
Sunoo said that he has the same thoughts as Jungwon, but added that, “I’ve had this job since I was very young. Therefore, our consistency as a group really makes me proud.” Sunoo, who debuted at age 17, answered with a smile on his face. If I was made of weaker stuff, I would’ve melted under his gaze.
Sunoo has earned the reputation of being the sunshine of the group. But experiencing it in real life was so different. Sunoo’s smile was so bright, I felt blinded!
I moved on to Sunghoon, and the former figure skater protectively said that I skipped their youngest member, Ni-ki. The Japanese idol and I both told Sunghoon in unison that Ni-ki was the first to answer the question. Satisfied that I wasn’t ignoring their maknae, he continued.
“A lot of things have happened in the group. We have grown a lot together and the Engenes are growing and growing, too. I’m proud of that growth,” Sunghoon said.
Time extended
Jake said that he’s proud of the group as well. This was the point when Jungwon hid the timer, while I wasn’t directly looking at him, after I was told that time’s up.
On the matter of songs they sing in the shower, Jake said that he sings a lot of songs by Post Malone. He said Malone’s name with a very heavy but sexy Australian accent. Sunghoon swore that he doesn’t sing nor listen to any music when he showers.
Jay answered “Perfect” by One Direction, while Heeseung said Daniel Caesar.
Ni-ki sings to Japanese singer Fuji Kaze. Sunoo said that he’s obsessed with “Sudden Shower,” from the original soundtrack (OST) of the drama “Lovely Runner” starring global Benchsetter Byeon Woo-seok. He was quite pleased when we reacted to the title of the drama.
Fanboys
Just like his seatmate, Jungwon revealed that he likes to sing to “Love You with All My Heart” by Crush, from the OST of the recent hit drama “Queen of Tears.” Again, it was met with loud cheers from our side because it starred Kim Soo-hyun. When talent broker Jennifer Alinea told them that Kim was also a Bench endorser like them, Jake pushed his eyeglasses higher up his nose to flex.
They were also told that Kim sat on the same couch and we did a similar interview in the same setting. It was pandemonium. The boys led by Jungwon stood up and started running their hands on the couch reverently while repeating Kim’s name as if they were saying a prayer, as if they were ordinary fanboys and not global artists, as well. It was hilarious!
Interpreter Kim said that he wished the moment was caught on video. I agreed. It was so wholesome.
One of the brightest stars
Their reaction just shows how Bench has successfully identified talents beyond the Philippines. Enhypen’s addition to that impressive roster is another milestone for both the brand and the K-pop group.
I ended up spending almost 13 minutes of interview time with the group in the room. It was so much fun that when we finally ended the conversation, we just stayed seated quietly for a few more seconds to revel in the silence. I waved my hand in the air and said kkut, meaning “end.” They laughed again and praised me for my efforts in speaking their language. They all stood up and Jake handed me a signed “Orange Blood” album as a token.
I wanted to do cartwheels because of this gift. But nothing could be more precious than witnessing their sincerity in the way they talk and protect each other first hand.
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