To be an ST is to have both the S (observant) and T (thinking) personalities defined by MBTI. An ST makes decisions logically and objectively, focusing on what they can do now rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. While it’s impossible to define a person solely by their MBTI, it certainly helps in understanding what makes LE SSERAFIM member KIM CHAEWON “like a warm iced americano.” Here we look at a number of times KIM CHAEWON’s experienced an “ST moment”—the kind of direct reaction that may at first appear cold or aloof, but ultimately comes from a place of understanding and warmth—that’s so characteristic of ISTPs.
Empathy, ST style
In episode 290 of the series MMTG, host Jaejae dives into KIM CHAEWON’s ST moments with the members of LE SSERAFIM by taking a look at her posts on Weverse. In response “to the fan who was worried about their mock exam in September,” KIM CHAEWON “told them” it’s okay because “there’s still time” and that she should contact her again when “the college entrance exam” is over. And to a fan asking CHAEWON to “pray for” the idol to appear in that fan’s dream, the idol gives a particularly practical response: “Don’t dream, it’ll disturb your deep sleep.” The LE SSERAFIM members with F in their MBTI, together with Jaejae, say “that’s so harsh,” while HONG EUNCHAE—who once told KIM CHAEWON she’s “just so sad that you’re T”—says that, if it had been her, she would’ve said, “I will appear in your dream tonight.” Puzzled, KIM CHAEWON asks “what’s wrong” with her own response, since she “wrote it for the fan” in all sincerity. This side of the idol, which fans liken to “a warm iced americano,” is all about being consoling while still being practical. “Everyone has lots of difficulties and issues,” she says in the WATCHA documentary Fill in the Blank. “Whenever I hear that, I want to share how I overcame and conquered my issues,” echoing how she proposes realistic solutions based on what she’s personally felt and experienced. In other words, she says, people have to find proper solutions to their problems in order not to be bogged down by them. The other LE SSERAFIM members and their FEARNOT fans like to tease KIM CHAEWON with the now classic Korean meme asking, “Are you T?” But they recognize that what at first feels like chilly advice comes from a place of warmheartedness—like a warm iced americano.
Forget the past, don’t fear the future, and live in the now
In a FIM-LOG filmed during the group’s first trip to Macau for the 2023 TMEA Music Festival, HUH YUNJIN nervously asks, “Would we have pulled it off?” Ever nonchalant, KIM CHAEWON replies, “We’ll have done it well.” While commonly heard ST phrases like, “We’ll have done it well,” and, “We would’ve gotten it done,” come across as indifference, the LE SSERAFIM leader’s calm outer shell makes her a constantly reassuring presence for the other members. KIM CHAEWON has even more ST moments throughout her sixth personal FIM-LOG, where she keeps herself focused on the present. “Just eat it,” she says, addressing how it can be tough to choose what to eat when you’re in a convenience store. “If you can’t decide, just eat it!” As she says this, the words “happiness comes first” appear onscreen. “Ah … This is happiness,” she says, reflecting back over her dinner on their second show in Nagoya despite having not felt well. “Today was a good day,” she continues, fully enjoying the moment without dwelling on any of her concerns. Below her, the caption, “Happiness is found in the simplest things,” drives home the point. Vlogging before rehearsing for the concert in Tokyo, she explains, “My throat was really sore in Nagoya, but I managed to pull off the concert, so I won’t worry. Worrying doesn’t make it any better.” KIM CHAEWON keeps her eyes on the present, focused on what she’s capable of right now and embodying the belief that she can make it through anything, no matter what.
How an ST plays along
In episode 18 of Nothing Much Prepared, KIM CHAEWON, seeing some water has spilled onto the floor by host Lee Youngji, yells out “Youngji!” and quickly pulls her bag aside to protect it. Lee Youngji turns the spill into an opportunity to have fun, pretending to drown and pleading, “Help me! CHAEWON, help!” But the idol, taken completely off guard, is visibly confused and just keeps repeating, “What? What?” The scene—complete with a caption reading, “MBTI is science, everyone in the world”—blew up on social media, where it was dubbed “KIM CHAEWON’s extreme ISTP moment.” Comments ranged from, “She didn’t catch onto the gag at all because no one was drowning for real,” to, “As an ISTP myself, I relate completely.” Later on in the episode, during the star game (one introduced by the members of SEVENTEEN in episode 17, where you toss an imaginary throwing star back and forth), KIM CHAEWON hits Lee Youngji with her star and the host collapses, begging for her life, with KIM CHAEWON left looking bewildered once more. The Nothing Much Prepared crew entreats their guest to “play with” the host “just for once,” telling her that Lee Youngji “wants your help,” but the idol simply asks, “Does she?” Hilariously, she does nothing to help the host. As the episode comes to a close, KIM CHAEWON implores her host, “Don’t let me go home,” immediately followed by asking if they’ve “secured” a good “quantity” of video. Once she’s assured they have, she cheerily announces, “I’ll go then,” cracking the host up yet again. Finally, KIM CHAEWON leaves her autograph with a simple greeting, prompting Lee Youngji to say, “Please write me more love letters!” The idol makes a simple addition to her paper: “Make improvements.” What could be more KIM CHAEWON than that?
KIM CHAEWON according to the rest of LE SSERAFIM
In the extra “PLUS” episode of the second season of DAYOFF on Jeju Island, while the LE SSERAFIM members are discussing MBTI, KIM CHAEWON’s ST traits shine through clear as day. Pointing out how Fs gravitate towards words of encouragement like, “You worked hard,” SAKURA, a T, says, “I hate that!” KIM CHAEWON chimes in: “Same!” She goes on to question the nature of such vague platitudes, asking, “What does that mean? Did I do well or not?” Interestingly enough, even the Fs agree, with a resounding, “Same!” They then go on to wonder whether it’s “because we’re idol singers” that they prefer to receive more concrete feedback as it’s those kinds of specifics from audiences that help them better understand both their strengths and their weakness. As their conversation shows, MBTI isn’t always an accurate indicator of someone’s personality or the way they think. In the middle of their discussion, KIM CHAEWON suddenly pipes up with, “I sometimes don’t feel like I’m ISTP,” with the girls responding in a chorus of, “You’re totally ISTP!” They then go on to recite, in amusing detail, those of her traits that fit ISTP exactly. The other LE SSERAFIM members have a chuckle about how ISTPs don’t like listening to small talk or digressions, upon which KIM CHAEWON defends herself, explaining, “I’m interested, I just don’t know how to react.” But when HUH YUNJIN points out KIM CHAEWON’s tendency to say things like, “I’ll deal with it,” and, “Why would I …?”—as well as the way she can’t be bothered with a lot of things but works like crazy toward the things that matter most to her—she can’t help but nod in agreement and accept her ISTP identity.
KIM CHAEWON’s approach to getting over the blues
“Feeling sad or down is needed for a person,” KIM CHAEWON said on a LE▶️PLAY video for their FLAME RISES IN HONG KONG concert. “If you never feel down … then you wouldn’t feel happy either!” And, posed the question, “When you’re feeling down, how do you overcome it?” she responds, “I listen to sad music and then feel all the emotions. I also enjoy those emotions” to some degree, she adds. KIM CHAEWON acknowledges sadness as just one of many sides to her, feeling no pressure to force a smile and yet not dwelling in the despair for an overly long time: “And since that state shouldn’t last a long time,” she adds, “I quickly find other things to do and do them. I meet up with friends and eat good food or watch something fun and I forget about it quickly,” pursuing happiness to combat sadness in another ST moment, where she makes sure her emotions don’t get in the way of her work, choosing instead to focus on efficiency. She also makes her attitude towards sadness clear in the interview she had with Weverse Magazine for the group’s comeback with EASY: “It’s not good to hold onto that feeling for too long, but feeling it is part of what you have to go through to grow and learn, I think.” In KIM CHAEWON’s view, even feeling sad is a kind of step on the path toward personal improvement.
KIM CHAEWON adapts to overcome difficulties in her own way
In the WATCHA original series Fill in the Blank, KWON EUN BI says she’s seen KIM CHAEWON in tears so infrequently that she “can count on her fingers” how often it’s happened, and calls the idol a “strong person.” She then commends the LE SSERAFIM leader, telling her she “did a great job back then and you’re doing an amazing job now,” and when she tells her, “Don’t cry,” KIM CHAEWON takes in KWON EUN BI’s emotional words and simply replies, “I’m not” and the background music cuts abruptly as she laughs. Though KIM CHAEWON’s stiff upper lip remains the same after all this time, KWON EUN BI says, there’s no denying how much the idol has changed and grown in other ways. “I started doing and saying things while in LE SSERAFIM that I never would have done in the past,” KIM CHAEWON explains. “I’ve really changed a lot,” she adds, recognizing the transformation she’s undergone. Although KIM CHAEWON focuses less on what will be and more on what is, as the leader of LE SSERAFIM, she worries whether she’s ever good enough. She may be a shy and reserved ST, but she’s also a leader, and as such she makes an effort to be the kind of person who takes initiative, speaks up, and works her very hardest to put smiles on the faces of the other members and the group’s FEARNOT fandom alike. At the end of the documentary, KIM CHAEWON’s sister likens her younger sister to a stone. The ISTP personality is often compared to an emotionally removed rock, but KIM CHAEWON is a stone undergoing constant transformation. “CHAEWON’s like a stone now, being smoothed and shaped by the waves and the wind,” her sister says, describing her younger sister’s journey with LE SSERAFIM as having changed her into an even more impressive person—but one who remains as resilient as ever. When previously faced with tough times, KIM CHAEWON says, “If you just think about how difficult it is, nothing gets resolved. Nothing gets resolved and nothing improves if you stay still. I just kept practicing, without a thought in my head,” she says, steady as a rock. That seemed to work for me”—the KIM CHAEWON approach of adapting and preserving, no matter what. While her many accomplishments might make it seem like she’s been on an “EASY” road, don’t be fooled—she just makes it look easy. Hiding out of sight behind everything the idol has achieved is all the careful consideration and effort that goes into shaping herself into an ever-stronger stone.