The conclusion Chaeyoung came to in many of her answers was flover because, between the affection, gratitude, pride and remorse she feels every time they come to mind, she thinks, Does flover know that their existence itself is what makes us so grateful?

It’s been just four months since “Talk & Talk” earned you your first number one on a music show, and now you’re making a comeback. 

Chaeyoung: It was a bit physically challenging, but emotionally it’s been four months of happiness. (laughs) We had sort of a long hiatus and I was really missing flover. They really missed us, too. We’ve really only gotten to know each other through the content we create, so I’m happy we’re making this comeback so soon so that we can connect through the album and the music.

You saw your fans, however briefly, at 2022 Weverse Con. You waved wildly to one flover close to the stage. How did you know they were flover?

Chaeyoung: First of all, the way that flover was watching us was completely different. Other people were looking around everywhere but that flover was staring straight at us. That particular fan stood out even though there were so many people there. The flover wasn’t holding their sign up at first, but held up the sign saying “fromis_9” when we did the cover of “Sogyeokdong.'' I was so choked up. All the other fans were there in groups cheering together, but that one person was alone, and could’ve been lonely, but cheered for us so passionately that I felt overwhelmed with affection, gratitude and pride.

You had short hair in the VCR played at the 2022 Weverse Con, but your hair was actually mid-length when you came out on stage.

Chaeyoung: Honestly, if I wear my bangs down when I perform, I can’t control them or get them to stay in place, so it gets in the way of dancing, I think. That’s why I always pin my bangs back no matter what. But flover asked me so many times at the fan signing events that I finally said to myself, Fine, I’ll find a way to give performing with bangs a try and went on with bangs. But having bangs on top of medium-length hair made it impossible to keep under control. Saerom always has mid-length hair, so I asked her how I could get chummy with this [mid-length hair] and she told me if you’re going to put your hair behind your ears, you have to cut it or grow it. We’re still getting to know each other but it’s a struggle. (laughs)

What about the “DM” choreography, where you let your hair down?

Chaeyoung: You worry about how you look no matter how perfect you look, so I wasn’t sure about how I would look untying my hair like that, and thought “would it look okay?” I have to let it go in one move but I couldn’t get it untied if someone else tied it up for me so I had to make sure I tied it myself. I also had a hard time figuring out how to tie it since it couldn’t be too tight but it had to be neat, too. And we’d have to start all over from the beginning if we couldn’t get it out in one try, so all the members were like “just tear your hair down,” “we have to untie it one go.” That’s how we completed that split-second performance. (laughs)

At the “There’s just one thing I want / You know it” part of the song, you’re able to be captivating with just one move of your finger.

Chaeyoung: I’m standing at the center and four of the other members spotlight me, but I thought carefully about that part because that part had to stand out but I didn’t want to overdo the moves. I wanted to express what the lyrics say: “There’s just one thing I want / You know it / It’s so obvious.” Just before that Jiheon does her part and then points immediately to me, and then when I’m done my part, I point immediately to Jiseon next.

The unit song “Love Is Around” is a ballad so it helps to bring out your soft vocals.

Chaeyoung: I thought the priority was that flover and everyone else could tell that I’m the one singing that part, so I tried to just sing like myself. My voice is low when I talk but a little high when I sing, so people don’t realize it’s me when I’m singing. So I basically try to narrow the gap between my speaking voice and my singing voice by singing in the middle and low ranges, too. Also, I usually talk with my vocal cords a little bit open, so I try to take advantage of that clear sound when I move between low and high notes.

It reminds me of what you did when you sang “Rain” by TAEYEON on “flaylist.”

Chaeyoung: I like ballad-style songs, plus I think they suit my voice better than other genres. I like TAEYEON and IU so sometimes I think about them when I’m singing. And I learn a lot from them—about vocals, but also about acting and attitude. The same high note will sound different depending on whether you’re standing still as a tree or acting your heart out when you sing it. I consider those both to be forms of acting so I keep that in mind.

Do you have your own method of putting on a better performance in terms of attitude?

Chaeyoung: The first thing I do at the start of every performance is to think that I’m the star on this stage. I think a lot, actually, so the better I want to do on stage, the more I get nervous and think things like, I’m not going to be very good, or, What if I can’t do this? But the second the song starts, I change my mind. Anyway, I’m responsible for these three or four minutes, so I’m going to try to be beautiful and do a good job. It’ll be fine.

Maybe that’s why you’ve had so many incidents during TV performances but barely seem fazed by them.

Chaeyoung: The other members call me the accident queen. (laughs) I remember way back when we did a live performance of “LOVE BOMB” where I didn’t have any problems with my draped skirt—it just had the two snaps—during the camera rehearsal or the dry run, and I don’t know if it’s because I ate too much or something, but three seconds after we went live, bang—it snapped open. I still remember it like it was slow motion—people looking away, and seeing the faces of 10 or so flover suddenly covering their mouths and saying, “Oh no, oh no!” But luckily I was wearing shorts underneath to hold the mic transmitter in place, so I felt relieved thanks to that. (laughs) I think the most important thing to do in those situations is not to panic. It’s important to take care of the situation, but the most important thing is to not mess up the choreography. As long as you keep going and avoid making any mistakes you won’t draw attention to yourself, so I just keep telling myself to do the choreography.

You said you were curious as a trainee what it feels like to be up on stage and that that’s why you never even considered giving up, even when you were having a hard time.

Chaeyoung: If I had to do it all over again, I’d still go through with being a trainee. It was really challenging but I was deeply passionate and really wanted to do it. I hadn’t debuted, so I was curious and I was so eager to get up on stage, and I wanted to try even harder. I think seeing everyone my age and older than me debut and go on to be successful really lit a fire under me.

You spoke to your old trainee self when you were on KBS’s Return to Sender and said that you wish you could’ve just enjoyed your middle and high school years.

Chaeyoung: I went back and forth from outside the city to Seoul for many years, and other than in elementary school I couldn’t go on any overnight school trips when I was too busy practicing for monthly evaluations, but now that I’m older I realized it’s important to make those kinds of memories. The monthly evaluations were a huge part of my life, and I had to do really well on them, so I couldn’t go on field trips a lot of the time because I was so focused on practicing. But I don’t really regret it because I was able to debut at such a young age and experience things that other kids my age never could. But whenever I meet my friends from back then it’s a bit of a letdown in a way because they have all these wonderful little memories that I don’t.

Did your habit where you hide your feelings and laugh whenever you’re facing difficulty change a little?

Chaeyoung: I guess I’m trying to fix that in my own way now. I figured out it’s okay for me to have some alone time since we’re all living in the same home together 24 hours a day. I managed that just by listening to loud music with earphones and reading a book or focusing on something without any interruptions from anyone. And I didn’t realize it when I was a kid, but I have fun being alone. Sometimes I’ll go to the movies by myself and watch two or three; everyone goes to really packed, popular restaurants with their friends to eat, but I put my earphones in and watch Netflix, and eat ramyeon alone; and sometimes I’ll go shopping all day, just me.

You went back and forth between Seoul and your home for several years as a trainee, and you’ve been living with the group since you debuted, meaning you probably haven’t had as much time to spend with your family.

Chaeyoung: True, but my sisters are like my soulmates and I feel like them, my mom and me are like four sisters. We’ve been close ever since we were young so we call on the phone or video pretty much every day, talk in our group chat every day, too, and I always have to send them my outfit-of-the-day photos. And I’ve got a niece I’m crazy about, so I have to video call her once or twice a day to see her face. Whenever I see her in person—kids like to play, right? If they say “ah,” I have to say, “auuuugh!” I have to go big and lead playtime, so I distract them by doing goofy stuff. And you need to make sure you don’t get tired. I’m tired by dinner, but she’s so cute, so I love it. (laughs)

It seems like you’re always very observant around the other members, maybe because you’re always with them 24 hours a day.

Chaeyoung: I’ve never thought of myself as someone who’s focused on other people that much, but the other members told me that I’m really interested in people. They said I know things about them even their moms don’t know about. I guess I have this personality where I’m always observing what other people are doing. Like, if I go to a cafe, if the person at the table next to me is click-click-clicking their pen, I just assume that’s a habit of theirs. My mom does the same thing. I guess I’m like my mom that way. (laughs) And when we’re shooting something, I’m thinking about which member of our group hasn’t been talking much. Some of us are really energetic, myself included, so I’m trying to be responsible and trying to allocate time because I don’t want the content to be unbalanced or for anyone to talk less. Since it’s a show, I try to ask something to whoever’s not talking, like, Let’s let Seoyeon say something, or, What do you think, Gyuri? We’re all really trying to energize one another.

Is there another side to yourself that the rest of us aren’t aware of?

Chaeyoung: I’m not really sure, but the other members all say I have very high standards when it comes to choosing photos. If there’s even the slightest thing I don’t like about it—“Not using it!” So they say it’s really scary when I ask to have my picture taken. (laughs) All the pictures look the same when I look through my Instagram feed, though, so now I can acknowledge there needs to be a little more variety in the composition and it needs to look more natural, and I’m trying to break away from my obsession with having to look perfect in my pictures.

Do you talk with the other members about the content much?

Chaeyoung: Most of the content we make features more than one of us, and we’re all close with one another, so in the beginning there were many times we were walking a careful tightrope to make sure it was fun. So anytime we filmed something as a group, we’d get together after and open up to each other, wondering if it was sort of risky to do or if it was okay since we made it in-house and what would’ve happened had it been with an outside studio. We talked, then adjusted things, and we bonded even more, and it put our group all on the same level. It’s only fun when it’s fun for everyone. It isn’t fun if only one person enjoys it. I think I’m trying to consider other people’s feelings and think about whether they’re going to find something funny before I make a comment about them.

That’s similar to a moment in the “fashion_9 for 2041” episode of Channel_9 where you called Jiwon “priceless” after she put eyeliner on.

Chaeyoung: That was a sincere reaction, because all the members are so good—sort of a legit reaction, I guess you could say. (laughs) I react that way because they come off as so beautiful to me when they’re trying their best, not worrying too much about their appearance. I think it’s so nice when one of the members who doesn’t have that kind of personality sees the other members trying their best and then works up the courage and thinks, I should try that, too. I feel thankful every time that kind of thing happens and I’m trying to encourage them by saying things like, “you’re priceless,” or, “good job.”

On the V LIVE you did for your first anniversary, you said you felt you were the only ones for each other and that you’ll continue to rely on one another.

Chaeyoung: As the years go by I feel like it’s good that we have each other because there are so many people who only say good things to us. I was scared because the number of people giving us brutally honest feedback slowly dwindled. At this rate, how will I even know if I’m really doing something wrong? What if nobody tells me? But us members hold each other up and give each other feedback, so I feel like we should hold each other up and bond together. And we hang out with each other at home, and we even go out to spend the day together, and we figured when us members are all together, it’s the best, so I’m reminded that there’s no one else for us but each other.

And that was the day flover was revealed to be the fandom name.

Chaeyoung: flover made us who we are and always support us, and I’m so grateful for that. And when I feel bad, I talk to flover. I don’t go on Weverse and start saying I had a bad day; I just go on and say, So, what’s up? It’s nothing special. Even that makes me feel better. And flover are so loving toward me. If I tell them I did something, they end up complimenting me, like, Oh, did you? Good job! I can’t begin to express my thanks, since they love me just for existing. I’m just sorry I can’t do more for each and every one of them. So I always think I’d like to do something for them someday. I really hope someday I can. I don’t know what or when, but it’s always in my mind that I want to do something for them myself. And of course, we think Does flover know that their existence itself is what makes us so grateful?

That was your first anniversary; now, it’s your fourth.

Chaeyoung: We debuted when I was 17 and I’m already 21. My thinking seems to be getting more mature with every birthday, though. Now that I’ve met so many different people, I think I can handle meeting anybody without feeling flustered, and I think I’m growing to understand people better.

Are you satisfied with who you’ve grown up to be?

Chaeyoung: I still have a long way to go. I have a lot of room for improvement, so I have to keep working to grow more.