It’s a regular everyday occurrence for JUNGWON now for ENGENE to keep popping into his head.

You write a lot on Weverse about how it’s getting colder. It must be that time of year you bring out your beloved orange and khaki scarf and orange hoodie. [Note: This interview took place on October 24.]
JUNGWON: For sure. I wrote about it being cold today, too. (laughs) But I actually like it better when it’s cold if I’m working. I keep waiting for the perfect timing to bring those clothes out. (laughs)

On Weverse LIVE, you talked about how going for walks doesn’t feel very effective and how you want to try running instead, but it’s getting cold out.
JUNGWON: I noticed everyone was doing some self-improvement in their free time. I mean, there are times where I do my own work, too, but I wanted to be more efficient about it. I’m not doing much to boost my endurance if I spend my break time just walking around aimlessly. But you also have to have more determination than you might expect to take up running. I’m planning to give it a go before the comeback. (laughs)

You’ve recently kicked off your WALK THE LINE world tour at the same time that you’re busy getting ready for the comeback with your new album.
JUNGWON: It actually doesn’t feel that intense to me. My main focus is on making sure no one leaves disappointed after coming to see us. And even though we perform a lot, some people there might be seeing us for the very first time. The thought of that keeps me sharp. I just keep thinking, “Alright!” and do each section. And before I know it, the section would be over. (laughs)

You were moving all over the place while performing “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC),” starting out on a platform on the main stage and going down to where the stage juts out.
JUNGWON: Yes. I even had to go up the stairs at the end. With choreo, I can just memorize it, but it gets a little confusing moving all around and constantly having to think about where to go. (laughs) And then it rained on the second night, so the stage got slippery, which I didn’t see coming. I got flustered seeing as I had to dance and move around under unexpected circumstances like that.

Really? I didn’t even notice. That just goes to show you hold nothing back the whole time you’re performing.
JUNGWON: To be honest, I don’t know how much I should give ENGENE for them to feel satisfied with it, so I always want to give them more if possible. And I felt especially empowered by them this time since the stage was pretty low and I could see ENGENE more clearly than usual. Even though it was super cold that day, I could see them enjoying themselves during “Highway 1009.” It was an emotional experience for me. I’m still awestruck seeing things like that while performing, even though I’ve been doing this for years. I feel so grateful that what I do can genuinely make someone happy.

I saw you put on a lot of impressive performances, but the way you did the intro to “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” so energetically was especially memorable.
JUNGWON: I told them during the FATE PLUS tour that, if we got to perform that song at the next concert, then I’d like to do it holding a mic. I like those mics because you can gesture and express yourself in a more natural way. And the goal for WALK THE LINE, our current tour, was to show something completely different, so “Future Perfect” was chosen to be a key moment in the set list. Even now, the concert director and I flatter ourselves, saying we’re doing a great job with it. (laughs)

You clearly love to perform.
JUNGWON: There’s nothing more fun than performing. (laughs) I mean, that’s what our job is, after all. I saw BTS’s LOVE YOURSELF: SPEAK YOURSELF THE FINAL concert in 2019, and I thought to myself, When will I finally debut and get to perform on a stage like that? It was my dream to put on a concert like that. Then one day, I got to stand onstage with ENGENE right in front of me, and I was so happy and amazed. I also saw videos ENGENE posted on social media of our last concert for FATE, and it made me realize how much we’ve grown and how amazing everyone in the group is.

It feels like you’ve grown even more with your new album, ROMANCE: UNTOLD -daydream-. The track “Daydream” is your first urban hip hop song, and one that you whisper rap almost all the way through.
JUNGWON: Right. It’s real hip hop. We actually had a few options to choose from, but we went with “Daydream” because we figured it could show an entirely new side to us. The whole group agreed that we should try something new rather than something we’re tried and tested at, since we haven’t done much hip hop before. Singing’s just hitting the right notes, but the fact that you have to be so quiet to whisper rap was surprisingly challenging. (laughs) There’s also a part with singing in the second version and I worked hard to record that, too.

The choreography for the lead single, “No Doubt,” is quite something. Wasn’t it hard to capture the right feeling when you have to keep changing the intensity of your dance moves and move around that much?
JUNGWON: “No Doubt” might not look that hard, but it’s deceptively challenging. For me, it’s actually harder than “Teeth.” That one’s very dynamic and looks challenging, but it actually isn’t that hard when you’re doing the dance. “No Doubt,” on the other hand, has a different move every single frame, and it was really hard practicing it and perfecting all those little details. You can’t run all the moves through your head while you’re dancing, so I had to practice it over and over until I developed muscle memory for it.

One of the real highlights is the part with your back pockets.
JUNGWON: I’m actually supposed to slip my hands into my pockets nice and smooth for that, but I’ve missed it a lot. (laughs) And since that part’s less about precision and more about feeling, it took us a long time to get the timing down. We joked with each other, Don’t we usually have a mic pack in our back pockets? How can we put our hands in? And we found out they gave us an extra pocket and checked on that. And I loved the vibe when I first saw the rough choreography and tried hard to capture the same feeling. That move’s got a lot of "kick!" (laughs)

“Kick”? (laughs) Did you watch Culinary Class Wars?
JUNGWON: Yes. I’ve only seen shorts of it, since it kept popping up in my feed, but I saw so many that I’ve pretty much seen the whole thing. When I’m taking a break, I watch short-form videos or lie down in bed and go on Weverse. To be honest, I find getting up such a hassle that I barely ever go out into the living room, even. So now I’m thinking about switching to a king-size bed.

I saw you act in EN-DRAMA, and you’re an absolute natural. Did watching short-form videos help with that?
JUNGWON: Wow, you watched EN-DRAMA? (laughs) When we went to shoot the UNTOLD concept cinema video before, I had some acting lessons, and the acting coach told me, “The best way to act natural is to talk the way you normally do.” So, instead of imitating someone else, I just acted like myself. I imagined how ENGENE would react and just had fun with it. If ENGENE found it entertaining, that’s good enough for me.

It seems like ENGENE is at the forefront of your mind in everything you do. For example, you gave out little microphone keychains to fans when you went to the UNSEEN exhibit.
JUNGWON: That was just to give ENGENE some fun. I mean, surprises are always fun, right? Plus, haven’t you ever thought of someone while you were just going about your everyday business? Everyone’s got something that works its way into every part of their life, whether it’s a person or something else. I’m the same way. Of course I think about ENGENE—they’re my everything.

Your new single “No Doubt” is about being separated from someone and realizing you love them even more than you thought you did.
JUNGWON: One time, I was separated from the rest of the group for over a week because of COVID-19. When we finally saw each other again, we were so happy that we just sat there and talked for three or four hours straight. (laughs) Being apart definitely makes the heart grow fonder. And actually, our relationship with ENGENE is like that, too. We’re not always together the way the members of the group are, so our times apart are longer. I think ENGENE probably misses us even more than I miss them. You miss someone even more after you see them. I tried to interpret the song within that framework—how strongly ENGENE feels for us while they wait for us to come around again.

On the flip side, how long do you think you could wait for ENGENE if they were the ones who weren’t around?
JUNGWON: As JUNGWON, the ENHYPEN member? Or as plain Yang Jungwon?

Both.
JUNGWON: As an ENHYPEN member JUNGWON, I’d wait for ENGENE forever. I’d spend the time until we could meet again doing everything I could—just like I was busy putting on performances even when there was no one directly in front of me during the pandemic. Nothing changes when you’re not doing anything, so I’d find something—anything—to do while waiting. Um, as for regular Yang Jungwon … I guess I’d still keep waiting? That’s my only option. Because ENGENE’s my everything.

In some of your concert-closing remarks, you talked about how an ENGENE said, “I like ENHYPEN because you don’t need to find a reason to like them.”
JUNGWON: The kind of relationship dynamic where someone loves you so much, that you don’t need to do anything special for them to like you, and you just feel content being together, is what you would typically find in a family or romantic relationship.  So it was amazing to hear that from ENGENE. It was really nice, but I’m also careful not to take it for granted or get complacent. I try to maintain certain standards to make sure I never disappoint ENGENE, and I mean that in a good way. I think I have to maintain those things to make sure we have good interactions as artists and fans.

You pointed out in the “Friendship EN-CAMP” episode of EN-O’CLOCK that you all “debuted at a really young age on average.” It seems like you think a lot about your work as an artist.
JUNGWON: Getting to debut early was definitely a perk. Part of me regrets getting my start before I was more grown up, but it also means I have that much more experience. There isn’t one right or official path for idols—there’s a lot you can only learn as you go.

Has your attitude toward or way of thinking about being the group’s leader changed as you gain more experience?
JUNGWON: I started to rethink recently about what it means to be the leader. I used to think that being the leader meant I had to take responsibility by doing things based on my opinions. But now, if someone else has a better idea, it just makes sense to trust them in their role. I’ve recalibrated what I consider to be the “amount” I need to do.

Is there a reason you reconsidered how much you should do?
JUNGWON: The whole time I was chasing my dreams, I had my eyes on influential idols. I always wanted to have that kind of influence myself, but as I improve and my influence grows, the influence of anything I do with poor judgment grows, too. So I think of myself as someone who needs to strike a balance. The other members and the staff at the label always pitch ideas for the group, and as the leader, I think it’s important to talk it over and decide what’ll work best for us together, and to steer us back in the right direction if we’re heading down a path that’s not quite right. Those things will always be difficult—they don’t come naturally just by having more years of experience. It’s important how well we understand what we do and how much trust we build with the people we work with.

And after going through that whole process, what is your ultimate goal?
JUNGWON: I want to get to a place where ENHYPEN will have the recognition and respect of everyone out there. The goal used to be to win nice awards, but I realize now there’s more to it than that. Even if we win awards, what I really want is the recognition that such awards imply. I see myself as having many mountains left to climb, and I believe I’m on the way to achieving greater things. Honestly, that’s why I chose to be an idol. When I was an athlete, even if I put in a ton of effort, I felt like my skill only ever went up a little, but as a trainee, I loved seeing my skill level go up alongside all the training I was doing, and that’s where it all started. It’s a bit different now though. Maybe it’s because of everything I’ve learned since then, but now it doesn’t feel like I level up as much as I used to, even when I put in the same amount of time practicing. Still, investing the time to gain experience, even with the occasional hiccup, is important.

And keeping up the effort like that is never easy.
JUNGWON: I think the work really suits me. I never once thought otherwise. But you certainly have to put in a lot of effort if you want to noticeably improve and reach loftier goals.

After you debuted, you started using the saying, “It’ll work out if you just try!” Do you still think that’s true?
JUNGWON: Yes, it works out if you just try. That hasn’t changed.