For YUNAH, making it happen means widening her range. It’s about quietly marking the time and waiting for her moment.

You achieved your goal of getting a driver’s license this year.
YUNAH: I got my license in February, and now I even drive around by myself when I go to my parents’ place. I drove my uncle and aunt for the first time over Chuseok. Everyone said they were proud of me, but it made me extra nervous and suddenly I had trouble with things I’m usually fine with. I still don’t have a feel for how much to slow down when I’m parking or taking a curve, so I hit the brakes a little too early. And that can get dicey because of the centrifugal force. My uncle gave me some really great feedback on that. (laughs)

You even took your groupmates out for a drive in the series “SUPER ILLIT,” right?
YUNAH: I kept telling myself, “Drive safe, drive defensively.” I was super careful. It was really surreal having all of them in a car I was driving. I was really proud of myself, too. We met when we were young and clueless, debuted together, and now we’re going on drives together. (laughs) Our schedules are so unpredictable that we don’t get much time to clear our heads. That’s why a drive helps me reset. Just going home at the end of the day, playing music out loud with the windows down and the breeze on my face, really refreshes me, and I wanted the rest of the group to experience that too.

What do you like to listen to when you’re in the car?
YUNAH: I actually only started listening to music while I drive fairly recently. Even then, I have to focus on what the GPS is saying, so I turn the music off when it gets distracting. (laughs) But I was driving around with my friend recently and listening to K-pop on shuffle, and an ILLIT song came on! I don’t usually go out of my way to put on one of our songs. I just randomly got to hear us the way everyone else does. “Tick-Tack” is great and “It’s Me” is so fun, I was like, “Wow, our music really is good. People must hear it and think, ‘Wow, ILLIT’s songs are great.’” It was a totally new experience for me.

“It’s Me” caught some people off guard at first, but it ended up being loved far and wide. How does it feel to have expanded ILLIT’s range with a new approach and won people over?
YUNAH: As a performer, it’s nice that we get to try out this and that. Even if something’s unusual at first, it’s like, “Hey, this actually isn’t bad, it works better than expected.” Adjusting to it’s half the fun! (laughs) For listeners, it can turn into, “Oh, this is pretty cool,” or excitement, like, “I wonder what they’re going to do next?” And even if we try something new and it flops, we can just go, “Guess the timing’s just off,” try something else, and wait for our moment. Some people heard “NOT CUTE ANYMORE” and “It’s Me” and were like, “This is ILLIT?” But both songs gave people a new image of the group. Because of that, I don’t think anything we put out from now on will strike people as that strange or surprising.

I thought it was fun and novel the way you express anger in a clever way on your new album’s lead single, “You’re Under Arrest.”
YUNAH: If you think about it realistically, it honestly makes no sense. “Hey, you stole my heart! You’re under arrest!” Nobody actually says that. (laughs) But it’s our job to make that sound fun. We’ve been going the “not cute” route ever since “NOT CUTE ANYMORE,” so when we get onstage, we’re putting our whole hearts into looking mad and annoyed.

I can’t wait to see how that wholehearted annoyance comes across on your face onstage. (laughs)
YUNAH: I think the toughest image I ever put on was for “Desperate,” but it makes sense to frown for a song like that and the expression comes naturally. But honestly, when I first heard “You’re Under Arrest,” I thought it was a cute and light kind of song. Emotionally, it’s about being annoyed, but even when I go “You’re under arrest!” (laughs) and look as annoyed as I can, I think people will probably just find it cute and go, “Oh, how scary! Look, they can get mad too!” (laughs)

So then, deep down, how do you hope people will see this song?
YUNAH: We did come out and say we’re not cute, but I think there’s still some cute aspects in our public image and in the concepts of our songs. Personally, I kind of enjoy it when people call us cute. (laughs) When we debuted, our image was cute, simple as that. I was into that, but at the same time I’d also gotten attention for my tougher image on “R U Next?,” so when it came time to actually pull cute off, it was awkward and hard. Looking back, though, I’ve been trying new things the whole time. Even on “R U Next?” I tried to show a different aspect of myself every round, and maybe that made it more fun later, as time went on. Getting to be cute when debuting is kind of lucky, I think. (laughs)

It’s also great the way you express that with lines that are straight to the point, like “you’re making me angry” and “I’m mad,” on the song “More.”
YUNAH: “I’m so mad you won’t gimme a chance! You’re so annoying, it’s killing me! I’m mad!” It’s a little blunt and childish, but it’s cute, right? (laughs) I think it’s endearing how honest people can be when they’re acting childish sometimes. The album’s also getting at the kind of love story that’s typical for people our age.

Following the thread from “SUPER REAL ME” to “BREAK EVEN,” you can feel a shift in how the group looks at love and relationships. It definitely feels like you’ve grown up.
YUNAH: I feel proud more than anything else. Technically, I’m the one who grew up, but it also feels like I raised ILLIT. I’m kidding. (laughs) I think we’re growing one step at a time. I’m getting more and more excited wondering, “What will we end up doing in the next chapter? How high can we go?”

Are there times when you can really feel yourself growing?
YUNAH: During concerts. I can ad-lib and loosen up a bit more when I’m onstage now. This tour’s also really let me feel the love from GLLIT. For example, we got to visit several cities in Japan, too—Tokyo, Hyogo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya. It didn’t really hit me before, but I really got to see just how many people in Japan support us, too.

On “SUPER ILLIT,” you flipped things around and showed up at a fan’s wedding. What was that like?
YUNAH: You’re the star on your wedding day. We were there to be a part of a truly important moment in her life, so I kept thinking, “This’ll be an unbelievable lasting memory for the bride. I can’t mess this up.” I was more nervous than I’ve ever been. I always hoped I’d get to sing at a wedding someday, and I’m glad it was sooner than I expected. And the idea of GLLIT getting married was just so, so cute. It was so wonderful and cute. I’ll never forget it.

What was so cute about it? (laughs)
YUNAH: GLLIT’s always cute to me. Absolutely everything about them. At fan sign events, for instance, GLLIT always asks me about hypothetical situations. I think of myself as a relatively self-assured person, but questions like those tend to come more from people who need some reassurance. I’m like, “Why would they think that? Am I not doing enough to help them feel secure?” (laughs) And at concerts, when GLLIT makes eye contact with me and I see them get all nervous and excited, that’s cute too.

You say you’re a relatively self-assured person, but when people build relationships, there are times when one person doesn’t get as much as they give. What do you do in those cases?
YUNAH: A little while back, I was going to give a close friend of mine a birthday present, and she got worried. I didn’t think it was too much, but she said she might not be able to give me as much in return. But as soon as you give a gift expecting something back, I think it loses what makes a gift a gift. So I was upfront with her: “You don’t have to give me anything. I’m giving this to you because I want to celebrate your birthday. Just getting to hang out with you is plenty for me.” And she went, “When did you become so mature?” (laughs)

Then what do you think you should do when the other person feels differently and doesn’t want the same thing as you?
YUNAH: Simple. If they say no, you just don’t do it. No matter how good your intentions are, if that person doesn’t want it, I don’t think you should put your own feelings first. If you like someone, that’s just how you feel. They’re not under any obligation to reciprocate. If that’s the case, I think the right move is to say, “Okay!” and let it go.

Given the nature of your job, you must meet a lot of new people. What are you like in those cases?
YUNAH: That’s when my extroverted side comes out. Even one well-placed sentence can cut the awkwardness, you know? That said, I’m not that big a talker when I’m just with the group. MINJU even told me I’ve become more of an “I” [introvert] than I used to be, which was a little sad to hear. As the only “E” [extrovert] in the group, I feel like it can definitely be a strength at times. I guess there’s so many times where I have to meet new people and be energetic that bringing out my “E” side isn’t always as easy as it used to be. (laughs) These days, sometimes I’m just quiet around the people who know me well, and sometimes I just spend some alone time.

MINJU said she talks to you whenever she has something on her mind and that you make it feel like it’s no big deal. Do you have some unique approach you take?
YUNAH: MOKA, MINJU, and I are the same age, so the three of us end up having a lot of serious talks. I give MOKA a firm opinion, while with MINJU I try to be more empathetic. You’d think it’d be the other way around, given our personalities, but surprise! (laughs) MOKA often needs help making a decision, so I’m more upfront about what I think. When MINJU gets in her own head about a problem, I try to say something short and sweet to help her step away from it for a minute. And when MINJU helps me, she says, “Whatever you decide, that’s the right answer. My opinion’s just an opinion.”

“Whatever you decide is the right answer” is a nice thing to hear, whether said as a colleague or as a friend.
YUNAH: Once we’re done with our work, we’re just a group of friends hanging out at home. (laughs) I’m usually the one getting things started, like, “We’re done early today. Anybody wanna go shopping? Who’s free?” Whoever’s got time goes out together to see a movie or grab a bite. I only feel recharged when I get out. When the weather’s nice, staying at home feels like a waste of time and brings me down. I always go out and see people, and if nobody’s around, I go shopping by myself, take in the sights, and take some photos, too.

You said on Weverse LIVE that seeing “Spider-Man” movies in theaters is a kind of ritual for you.
YUNAH: Exactly. I’ve loved Spider-Man ever since the “Spider-Man” trilogy with Tobey Maguire. Spider-Man always has to make sacrifices. The love of his life, his uncle, his aunt … Every time a new chapter starts, he has to let go of someone he cares about. Sometimes friend becomes foe and comes after him. And yet he’s always your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He doesn’t make money off it, and once the mask comes off, he’s just a regular person who has to keep his true identity secret. But even if people don’t thank him and the cops are suspicious of him, he always does what he feels is right and fights bad guys to save the people of New York. How could anyone hate him? It took him way too long to get the recognition he deserved. You can’t help but root for him. Whatever hardships come his way, he pulls through, like he always does.

It’s hard not to root for someone who sees things through to the end. You also talked on Weverse LIVE about how you were a really hard worker back when you were a trainee.
YUNAH: I was totally a hard worker. There were so many trainees who were better than me, and I was just alright at both singing and dancing. I was such a klutz on the dance floor that they nagged me every month at evaluations, but then one day my skill level just skyrocketed, and from that point on I finally started dancing with confidence. You know, when you’re a trainee, practicing for a long time doesn’t guarantee you’ll debut. I got so frustrated and annoyed when I just couldn’t do something, and there were days I didn’t want to practice at all because it felt like I’d never make it. I lived with all that uncertainty and impatience until I debuted and finally had enough breathing room to realize I can eventually do things even if it isn’t right away. And thanks to that, I started to get the hang of things more quickly, even things that would normally take a long time.

Did you have any experiences that you didn’t realize were helpful until later?
YUNAH: When I was a trainee, I learned heels choreography. I didn’t think much of it then, but when I looked back after debuting and asked myself which style of dance shaped my movement the most, it was heels choreo. It helped me move in a smooth, fluid line. It also helps when I have to wear heels onstage. If we ever do a song with heels choreo for fans, I’m sure people will be blown away, like, “ILLIT can do that?” (laughs) For now, heels choreo is basically my secret weapon, so I’m really grateful for it.

And in that way, you’ve been widening your range, bit by bit.
YUNAH: Whether it’s singing or dancing, as long as I keep at it, I can eventually make it mine. It becomes a part only I can pull off, one that feels empty without me. I just keep practicing and trying until I feel it in my bones. I know it’ll work out in the end. Honestly, I’m always like this. I feel way more locked in doing music shows than recording vocals, and after doing TV, I get even better at concerts and other events. I think time helps with everything. As long as you just keep at it!