ENHYPEN’s Jungwon Talks About His Role As The Leader, His Personality, And What Makes A Good Team

He has a huge responsibility at just the age of 16.

ENHYPEN’s Jungwon is only sixteen years old, but his strong mindset allows him to carry the members in the right direction as the leader of the group. In his recent interview with Weverse magazine, he talks about his role as the leader, what kind of personality he has, what makes a good team, and more.

With the group finally making their debut after a grueling survival process through Mnet’s I-LAND, it is finally sinking in for Jungwon as he sees their faces on music shows and videos.

As for the leader selection process, he initially thought that member Heeseung, who is the oldest of the group, would become the leader. However, Heeseung called him over and asked him if he could be the leader. “He thought it would be better if he remained a team member and the oldest member because if the oldest member also becomes the leader, the other members might become hesitant to express their emotions clearly.”

Jungwon also received advice on being the leader from Heeseung, who was the leader during I-LAND. “He told me that he doesn’t want me to feel too much pressure, and this is something eh mentioned very casually, but he said if I know something, I should pretend to know more, and the members will have more trust in me.”

Do you think you were born with that kind of personality? Or has it changed after you experienced that big event of your life, “I-LAND”?

I am a very shy person, and I don’t usually wear my feelings on my sleeve, but I was really stressed out. But I think I’ve found a way to let go of stress while filming “I-LAND.” I talked a lot with the other trainees during that period. I even cut back on sleep to talk, and the producers would tell us to go to bed. We had to wake up at 10 a.m. the next morning, but we would talk until 6 a.m. Even when we finished practicing at 2 a.m., we would keep talking after taking off our microphones. We were all very anxious so I think talking to them often helped me hold myself together.

What kind of team do you want to make with the members? What’s your definition of a good team?

One whose members always think about the team. The members of SEVENTEEN told us that we should do what’s best for the team, not what’s best for a particular member. But if we only do what’s best for the team, some members might end up doing the things they don’t want to do. So, in the end, I think the best team is the one that does what everyone wants to do.

Although they are busy with promotions and activities, they have yet to meet their fans in person due to the pandemic. Hopefully things get better in the New Year so that both artist and fan can come together face-to-face.

ENHYPEN