JIHOON speaks with appreciation, kindness, and positivity, filling the space around him with good energy. His confidence shines through his radiant smile and kind eyes that befit a natural-born idol. 

Your debut’s almost here. How are you feeling?

JIHOON: A bunch of our content’s coming out now. It’s starting to feel real. I’m both excited and nervous. I was really moved to see how excited the fans are. It’s like, the moment I could have only dreamt of during my trainee days has finally arrived.

Everyone you know must be very supportive, too.

JIHOON: My family’s like, “You’re debuting for real! It’s really happening!” And everyone’s even more excited than I am—they see my face somewhere and say, “Hey, isn’t that you?” I’m really close with my sister, and we have a great back-and-forth. She said, “Mom and Dad always talk about you to begin with, and now that you’re all over YouTube, it’s getting out of hand. You’re all they ever talk about!” (laughs) But she’s actually really supportive.

In your first Weverse post, you wrote, “I love singing and dancing, but I love dancing especially.”

JIHOON: For me, there’s nothing quite like dancing. I started noticing that, even when I’m shopping, I have an implied prerequisite, which is to get clothes and shoes I can wear while dancing. That’s when I realized just how intensely I love to dance. It’s when I feel my happiest and my most genuine.

How did you first get into dancing?

JIHOON: Growing up, I was the first to put up my hand whenever someone asked, “Who wants to dance?” (laughs) I was absolutely in love with dancing as a kid, and I found something alluring in the way you can convey messages through it. Then I discovered contemporary dance and dance therapy, coming to realize that you need a solid foundation in order to convey those messages. In the second year of middle school, I just started taking hip hop choreo lessons and kept practicing. I loved singing and dancing and wanted to keep doing them, but there was no objective way of measuring my skill level until I found out about auditions one day. I figured it would be more concrete than what I had been doing since I would get a score, so I auditioned with the song and choreography I had prepared, which is how I first became a trainee. Dancing made me happy, and I wanted more of that. It was more about feeling happy in the moment than following a certain path. I still worked to seize the opportunities that came my way, and luckily—thankfully—I came down the path I’m on today.

In some sense, that’s not an easy choice to make. What did your parents think?

JIHOON: They were surprisingly supportive. “Go ahead and try it if you want to,” they said, “but make sure you do your best. That way you won’t have any regrets.” No matter what I’m doing, I think of those words.

What do you feel are your strengths when it comes to dancing?

JIHOON: I have a wide range. I’ve put a lot of imagination and exploration into taking different styles and making them my own. I feel like I progressively developed my own style by taking existing choreo and making a conscious effort to add my own twist. I also found contemporary dance appealing for the amount of expressive detail, since my whole motivation for dancing came from wanting to express myself. I think it suits me since I mostly focus on flow when dancing. As a child, I heard now and then that I was sorta good (laughs) and I’m thankful for that, but looking back, I realize how much room I had for improvement, especially considering that I still do. I realize now that “for your age” was implied in those compliments. So nowadays, I’m striving to be just-plain-good Jihoon Han.

It can’t be easy finding your own style while learning to perform with a group like TWS.

JIHOON: It’s something I still grapple with and that I have to keep learning to do. Walking the line between expressing myself and keeping in step with the group is tough, but overcoming that means that I’m growing, and there’s something alluring about that. The group choreography is fun, and being with the TWS members makes it that much more fun. Our debut album is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I wanted to do our best to say, “This is who we are!” Honestly, I can practically hear our music when the other members are just standing there. (laughs) The pre-released song “Oh Mymy : 7s” is overflowing of confidence, with lines like, “7 seconds is enough.” Similarly, I wanted people to clearly know: “So this is TWS!”

“plot twist,” the lead single, has even more of that exciting confidence in it.

JIHOON: Our song’s exciting and exhilarating, capturing that feeling of wanting to make friends, so I tried to convey the idea of going to the playground with friends, or school, or like a fizzy drink you shake up and it pops off. Every track off the album is upbeat, so it was a little challenging to record each one without sounding too similar—like, How should I express myself? How should I smile in this song? The feelings and emotions in “plot twist” change as the song progresses. I had to whip out a cool character during the rap in the second verse especially. I thought of the character SHINYU was going for while rapping at the beginning, puffing out his chest and lying back.

Which song resonated with you most while recording the vocals?

JIHOON: I felt pretty natural singing “first hooky” and I was determined to do a great job. I thought about how to make the introduction sound trendy, but it was already similar to what I’ve done before, so it was pretty easy. The unembellished style of singing and strong enunciation of the lyrics came very naturally to me.

You sing the words, “natural-born ‘I’”—the MBTI letter for introverts. Did that resonate with you too? (laughs)

JIHOON: When I first heard it, I heard “I” as in the Korean word for “child,” and I was like, I’ve never considered myself a natural-born anything—what’s up with these lyrics? Then I realized it was about MBTI personalities. (laughs) After that, I thought, “These lyrics are perfect for me,” and felt I could really nail it. I’m absolutely a natural-born “I.”

The song is about an “I” doing something E-like instead. Have you ever had an experience like that?

JIHOON: One time around the end of middle school or the start of high school, I finished practicing for the day, but I felt like I still needed to do more. I felt like I needed to try something different and ended up reserving a separate studio to practice even more. (laughs)

Wait—that’s your idea of “something different”? (laughs)

JIHOON: I mean, it took a lot of guts (laughs) and so I felt great about it. I left my practice studio thinking, I’m gonna crush it today.

Do you have any hobbies outside of dancing?

JIHOON: I don’t have a lot of free time, but sometimes I like to play guitar. If there’s a song I like that I don’t know the chords to, typically I first figure them out on the piano and then play the guitar from there. I’ve been playing electric guitar recently, but it’s hard because I can’t quite grasp how to play with a pick in my hand. I like guitar because it gives me a chance to reveal a side of me that’s entirely different from when I dance or sing. I’d love to share that sometime. (laughs)

You seem dedicated to practicing no matter what you do. (laughs) How do you keep yourself going when you feel tired out?

JIHOON: It’s just lucky that I love practicing so much, and I love singing and dancing, so practicing is no problem for me. But you improve at things like singing and dancing in steps, so after you level up, you hit a plateau. That’s when my teachers would say, “You have to believe in yourself. Or at least believe in me—I teach you, and I believe in you.” To which I’d respond, “Okay, I will!” (laughs) They really helped me pull through. I get anxious if I plan too far ahead, so I just set my sights straight ahead and focus on doing well in monthly evaluations instead. That brought me lots of good opportunities, and thankfully I was surrounded by wonderful people, so it was easier to get into the rhythm.

It’s clear from hearing you speak how much gratitude you have for those around you.

JIHOON: That’s true. I’m sure it’s the same for everyone, but I hit some rough patches getting to where I am, and it’s all thanks to the people I have around me that I was able to make it through. Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve made it with my efforts alone. It’s so lucky I had all those helpful people around whenever I had a hard time. It’s them, and the staff, who keep me going.

It must’ve felt fantastic to hear you were scheduled to debut after having gone through so much training.

JIHOON: I was completely and utterly shocked. I practiced for the debut evaluation but I didn’t expect much. But I grew closer to the other members through that, and then I felt like I couldn’t lose the opportunity. So I ended up more passionate and driven than ever before. It was all a blur of happiness. I think that’s what made me cry. I’ve been really happy since becoming a part of TWS.

That must’ve been on your mind while shooting your FIRST TIME video.

JIHOON: I was so touched when I got the outline. It was something I could deeply relate to. I was so touched by the people who wrote it and the lengths they went to to tell my story and how I feel. I thought, I’ve got to do this thing justice. I tried not to blink too much while shooting so I could show my shiny, dewy eyes. (laughs)

That video touches on how you first met the other members, but what was the “first encounter” actually like?

JIHOON: I’ll never forget it. I thought I was the only natural-born “I,” but it turns out all the others were too. I remember we all politely placed our hands together and went into a 90-degree bow. I was actually the last one to join TWS. I ended up meeting the rest of them when they were in the middle of practice, and we were all thrown off by how good-looking everyone else was. (laughs) I thought DOHOON would be aloof at first because of his blank expression, but then he smiled and it was a complete 180. I remember how, when YOUNGJAE and KYUNGMIN saw me, both their jaws dropped. When I saw SHINYU, I thought, “How can someone have those proportions?” (laughs) And HANJIN’s eyes were so bright and shimmering that I thought there was some light coming from elsewhere. It was a cute and exciting first encounter.

How did things loosen up, given you’re all “natural-born ‘I’s”?

JIHOON: It was awkward, but we purposely tried to ask lots of questions and it was clear everyone was making an effort for one another. Our personality type made it obvious we were all asking questions for each other’s benefit. (laugh) To tell the truth, I really wanted to get to know YOUNGJAE better. I heard he liked to dance, so after honestly trying to come up with the right question 30 times, I asked him, “Do you have a favorite style of choreography?” And he responded, “Huh? No, not really.” So I said, “Oh, sorry,” and I was like, “Oh, no, what now? My plan didn’t work!” (laughs) I remember I even went back the next time trying to think of what else to ask him.

How is it now that you’ve moved past that awkward stage? (laughs)

JIHOON: Everyone has their own distinct personalities and they’re always a lot of fun. They’re all great listeners, even during serious conversations. YOUNGJAE’s mild and gentle, so he’s someone I can turn to when things get tough. I feel like I become a better person when I’m with him. DOHOON’s overflowing with playful energy. I felt like he was an E, so I was surprised when he said he was an “I.” For SHINYU, I try to make sure he doesn’t feel so pressured. I’m the same age as HANJIN and we even have the same MBTI type, so we’re pretty similar and just click. He’s considerate, a deep thinker, and really generous. KYUNGMIN’s the youngest so we tease him a lot, but he takes it really well and I’m grateful for how he lights up the room when we practice. It’s amazing and makes me proud how he goes up to the other members and asks questions, how he’s always learning something new. I thought being like an older brother would suit me well, so I was excited to take on the role, but it was actually him who’s so good at being a little brother that it pushed me to be an even better older brother. And you know what? He always goes around to everyone’s room before bed. So I always get to see his face before I fall asleep. (laughs)

Have you gotten used to living together?

JIHOON: Yes. DOHOON and I are roommates, and since he’s straightforward by nature, it’s pretty laid back and we get along without any issues. We have all kinds of rules, mostly about keeping the place clean, like we make sure to wash our hands and wipe off our feet when coming in. Honestly, since we have similar lifestyles, we don’t have to worry too much—everything just works.

Your MBTI includes J—the careful planner’s personality. Have you sensed that as you go about your daily routine with the other members?

JIHOON: I actually used to be a P, so even now I’m more of a P-ish J. There were times as a trainee when my schedule was so packed that I ended up planning everything out, and I sort of liked it. I took the personality test again after that and I got J. (laughs) One time, we all decided to go to a theme park together on our day off. It was the night before we were supposed to go and nobody said anything about having booked tickets. I was getting worried, so I said, “Did anyone get tickets?” And only YOUNGJAE had. So I ended up buying them and the others all sent me the money. (laughs)

I can tell how thoughtful you are toward the other members—whatever your MBTI is. (laughs)

JIHOON: I try to be this source of energy whenever we’re practicing. It’s my dream to be a good influence for others. The other members are important to me, and that’s why I hope I can energize them. Our group often pays each other compliments for minor things, like, “You’re really good.” It’s a small thing, but I think it’s something I shouldn’t take for granted. It gives me the strength to work harder and do a better job for the group’s sake. We’re very considerate of each other. There’s tenderness and warmth between us.

What does it mean to you to be debuting with your group after all this time?

JIHOON: It’s fantastic to be debuting as part of a group, but more than that, I’m grateful to be debuting as a part of TWS. If it weren’t for TWS, I’m not sure what I would do. It’s given me confidence and the desire to present something really impressive. I’m so excited for the fun that lies ahead.

It won’t be long before you get to see your fans. What kind of person do you hope to be for them?

JIHOON: Just the thought of meeting them for real makes me overjoyed. I hope they can see how passionate I am, and I hope I can bring lots of people happiness. I want to be there for the fans just like how they’re there for me. It can be tiring to repeat the same day-to-day routine at times, so if I can bring even a tiny bit of joy to their day, I think that would be an honor and a blessing. That’s the kind of person I decided I’ll work hard to be.