“Chugumi (추구미),” is a newly coined word that comprehensively refers to the type of that is “pursued” by individuals across various fields. It emerged with a value shift toward focusing on oneself without being constrained by societal pressures or others’ value judgements. From the mood you want to capture with your selfie, to the “OOTD” that makes you want to take a full body shot, to your taste in music that you want to share with others, “chugumi” is often unintendedly expressed in many ways. BOYNEXTDOOR, like other Gen-Z artists, freely expresses their “chugumi” on social media based on their interpretation of “hipness,” but at the same time, their “chugumi” is intertwined with the musical direction they are creating. Just like their music, which spans different genres like hip-hop, jazz, and sentimental ballad, but all talk about “youth”, here are the six beauties of the six members of BOYNEXTDOOR who aspire to be “hip” in different ways.
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The “One and Only” dandy boy, SUNGHO
In BOYNEXTDOOR, where the hip vibe is prevalent, there is someone who shows off a modern dandy look with classic campus outfits. SUNGHO, who said he “used to prefer oversized clothes” in weverse LIVE in the early days of his career, found a style that worked for him by “trying on stage outfits,” and his standard-fit knits or shirt-centered looks are a far cry from the “hip” vibe of the other members, who enjoy wearing damaged knits. As one of BOYNEXTDOOR’s T-type members, SUNGHO replied “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me!” and prioritized finding a solution when JAEHYUN told each member that he had a bad day in “FUNNEXTDOOR 1 EP.4.” Contrary to his rational personality, he showcases strong emotional warmth in his interactions with fans by using various colored heart and bubble (🫧) emojis to match his “chugumi.” As the first trainee of KOZ Entertainment who used to pursue a “hip” style, SUNGHO’s fashion sense stands out as he mixes and matches his dandy look with “hip” items that don’t detract from the overall vibe of BOYNEXTDOOR. He pairs dark-blue damaged jeans or ugly shoes to contrast with a collared knit sweater that gives a neat impression, or matches a grey angora knit sweater with a burgundy ball cap, and wears a tracksuit-style jersey to stay somewhere between clean and “hip.” This weverse LIVE, in which he covered songs by various artists, also serves as a visual reminder of his “chugumi.” SUNGHO in his white t-shirt and jeans, singing songs ranging from a soft ballad like DAY6’s “You Were Beautiful” to emotionally charged R&B hip-hops like Heize’s “And July (Feat. DEAN, DJ Friz)” and PENOMECO’s “Actually Pt.2” makes us wonder if his vocals aren’t like his fashion sense that mixes and matches cozy knits with “hip” pants.
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The trendy “hipster”, RIWOO
Quickly mastering the “high-angle selfie,” also known as the “MZ shot,” and the “PS2 filter,” that transforms your photos into something straight out of a PlayStation2 video game, RIWOO is a “trendsetter” in BOYNEXTDOOR with a fashion sense hidden behind his cute face. Citing accessories such as earrings, bracelets, and rings as “must-have fashion items,” he is a maximalist who has the most clothes in BOYNEXTDOOR, and he knows how to mix and match various styles of berets, furry earflap hats, rings, glasses, and beaded bracelets that TAESAN gifted to all members to create a cute and “hip” mood. Sometimes, he makes his own accessories or customizes them to fit his “chugumi.” In a weverse LIVE, RIWOO made a beaded necklace, which has become a “hipster item” thanks to hip-hop artists like A$AP Rocky and Jay Park, with SUNGHO, who is “good with his hands.” The finished beaded necklace not only adds a kitschy vibe, but it's also beaded with BOYNEXTDOOR’s and RIWOO’s initials, and it’s even more meaningful as he worked on it while communicating with fans, despite being self-described as “clumsy.” He also customized a silver chain necklace, an iconic hip-hop item, and wore it on stage for “One and Only” and at the Mezamashi TV 30th Anniversary Festival. In the BOYNEXTDOOR episode of M2’s Dope Club, he mentioned that he secretly customized a version with WOONHAK’s birthday (November 29) for WOONHAK who was envious of the necklace. RIWOO’s sweetness helped WOONHAK upgrade his “FRESH BOY” sensibility. If you’re wearing an accessory that is both hip and cute, try taking a selfie with a shaky, blurry look as if you’ve slowed down the shutter speed. It’s a perfect way to capture RIWOO’s “chugumi.”
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Oozing old school vibes, JAEHYUN
When the boys next door exude the hip-hop vibes of KOZ's executive producer ZICO, you can see JAEHYUN, the leader of BOYNEXTDOOR, shouting “Love, peace, KOZ, HYBE, ZICO, BND, ONEDOOR, PEACE!” as he accepts an award. He exemplifies the hipster “chugumi” of old-school street fashion and the vibe that the studio gives. While fellow “hipster” RIWOO shows off his kitschy street fashion with unique items, JAEHYUN shows off his free-spirited charm with an old-school look with loose jeans, a boxy top, and a “blinged-out” accessory look, as seen in his “MCOUNTDOWN NEW MC ‘WOOF🐶’ JAEHYUN’s First Broadcast Interview 💗 -`ღ JAEHYUN’s Casual Interview ღ´-.” In his first “Studio LIVE,” he showed his love for old-school looks by pairing an over-fitted hooded zip-up with distressed jeans. Another example is the “inside-out jeans” that made a strong first impression on the five members, a fashion philosophy he once adhered to. Of course, as the lyrics to “400 Years” suggest, “I don't even wear my jeans inside out anymore,” they have become a thing of the past, but we can still see them in “WHY..” Trailer Music Choreography Tweet in which he appears with RIWOO. The studio, where BOYNEXTDOOR’s unique mood is created, is also the place where his “chugumi” is completed. It’s a dark space with no strong lighting, so it might not be the best environment for taking pictures or doing lives, but it’s a great place to take the occasional selfie wearing tinted sunglasses on top of a ball cap or pick a computer keyboard as an “objet” to create a “hip” vibe, and highlight his sentimental vocals by covering ZICO's “actually” and “Love & Hate (Feat. BIBI)” as seen in “I Promised You a Studio Live.”
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Successful case of early education on retro culture, TAESAN
“In this band, what significance does Nirvana give?” BOYNEXTDOOR’s love for Nirvana was questioned by SHINee’s KEY after he spotted a bunch of Nirvana t-shirts in their closet in “Gyewon of March, KEY / Going through a closet (with BOYNEXTDOOR).” At the center of it all is TAESAN, whose “chugumi” is a rockstar vibe. He’s after the retro aesthetic. He enjoys wearing the Nirvana t-shirt that JAEHYUN gave him in “CAMCORDOOR #DEBUTVLOG2” and favors a grunge look inspired by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain with a red striped knit and round, bold sunglasses. His love for retro culture is not only seen in his fashion but also in everyday life. His favorite black-and-white filter and flash mirror selfies are also part of the mood that “간지폭풍 Giant Mountain” has. TAESAN, who enjoys the romance of oldies at the dorm, performed Sting’s “English Man in New York” and Richard Sanderson’s “Reality” from the movie “La Boom” on Leemujin Service. In his response to TAESAN’s performances, Lee Mujin said, “I was surprised that such a hip person chose ‘Reality’ to perform,” and the production team said they were also surprised that most of the songs were old songs that people of his age were not familiar with. “As soon as I graduated from nursery rhymes,” TAESAN said in his debut interview with weverse magazine, his father’s influence led him to “start listening to artists outside of my generation, like Nirvana, the Carpenters, and Richard Sanderson.” In an age where we can listen to high-quality music on our phones anytime, anywhere, he still collects vinyl records, carries a CD player, and keeps his Lo-Fi sensibilities alive. And he let such sensibilities shine through in “Why..” Trailer Film and Concept Photos. “Why..” Trailer Film, where Japanese designer and musician Hiroshi Fujiwara’s tour merch t-shirt and wired headset make a chic statement with a sprinkler, and the Concept Photos (DAZED ver.), where the rock star image is evident are a combination of both KOZ and TAESAN’s “chugumi.”
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A prince of classical sensibilities, LEEHAN
In his debut interview with weverse magazine, LEEHAN, who confessed to being the “most handsome kid in town” in the “WHO!” trailer film, expressed embarrassment at the nickname “prince,” saying, “I've never been called a prince in my life, so I feel embarrassed every time I hear it 😽.” However, the scene where he stares at the camera through a fish tank in “But I Like You,” which is also the thumbnail of the music video, is reminiscent of Leonardo DiCaprio’s famous scene in the movie Romeo and Juliet, and LEEHAN is still diligently pursuing the prince look with his long curly hair in the style of an aristocrat. Working on “l i f e i s c o o l,” TAESAN listened to LEEHAN’s wish to play the character of Gatsby from The Great Gatsby, and created the part that fits perfectly with his “chugumi,” where he looked “very luxurious wearing a Gatsby-like gown and coming out alone with a wine glass in his hand.” LEEHAN’s laid-back personality blended well with the jazzy atmosphere on stage. While we may think he’s familiar with the “prince” character, LEEHAN’s struggle to pursue his “chugumi” is a twist. In “CAMCORDOOR | LEEHAN’s Small but Mighty VLOG ☕🫖⚾️,” He asked “Gymnopédie No.1” to be inserted as a BGM in the pottery scene, and as a result, he was able to capture the kind of mood that a main character of a movie has. He also shared a photo of himself with a gentle smile from the 2023 The Fact Music Awards, where he wore an ascot tie in the form of a scarf. In contrast to his relaxed expression in the photo, his behind-the-scenes reaction to WOONHAK’s question, “Oh, you want me to capture your ‘chugumi’?” raises a laugh. Nevertheless, his answer in the “HOW?” Comeback Interview that “people who like seeing me being a little slower and more relaxed” are the ones that “help me (stay in character)” suggests that fans are the driving force behind his “chugumi” as ONEDOOR’s prince.
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The cool FRESH BOY, WOONHAK
WOONHAK is the “FRESH BOY,” as in his lyrics “Imma fresh so clean” from “One and Only.” He strives for an image of “someone who is cool and has a great sense of fashion,” like the hip-hop term “Fresh,” as defined by Urban Dictionary, suggests. His favorite emoji is a face with sunglasses (😎), the symbol of “coolness,” and sunglasses keep him company during his “Sentimental WOONHAK” moments. He paired sunglasses with camera flashes and a block-core look with sunglasses to maximize the “hip” factor in “Sentimental WOONHAK 😎 ver. 2” and “I am a Good Boy😎.” On days when he likes the intentionally out-of-focus blur, he says, “I wish I had sunglasses 😎.” WOONHAK’s “chugumi” becomes even stronger when he’s with TAESAN. The “Photo Pose Suggestions 😎📸” in which they’re both wearing sunglasses and the “BOYNEXTDOOR HAND SIGN🤝,” where they show cool hand gestures, are the result of their shared “chugumi.” On the other hand, because WOONHAK’s nickname is “Woonbaby” and he’s often called cute, his pursuit of “chugumi” is sometimes thwarted by older members' pranks. In the BOYNEXTDOOR episode of it's Live's Come to Our Secret Room!, when each member is asked to choose a nickname (A.K.A.) for themselves, WOONHAK wants to go with “FRESH BOY,” but after getting frustrated with pranks like “AKA BABY” or “You should just go with WOONHAK,” he quickly expresses his excitement at RIWOO’s idea of “just drawing a dot” for a silent nickname, saying, “I think it's cool to stop talking all of a sudden.” The attitude of bearing up against the pranks in the pursuit of his “chugumi,” is the coolness that WOONHAK strives for.