What it Means to Be ENHYPEN

Connecting ENHYPEN’s sources of literary inspiration to their complete discography reveals their characters’ evergreen goals.

THE SIN : VANISH era is a meta one, with the album taking the form of investigative audio journalism. The podcast-like program unfolds through a mix of songs, a commercial break, witness statements, and news segments. This is the gist, as described at the start of ENHYPEN’s “Knife” music video: 

“Breaking news: Seven vampires under a red notice for breaking a major taboo have been spotted moving openly through the city. Despite repeated efforts by the VPU [aka Vampire Pursuit Unit], the group continues to stay one step ahead.” 

The rest of the video shows various “vampire sightings,” during which ENHYPEN taunt those who are after them:

“Chase us, we’re miles above like a satellite / You can try, but you’ll only hit air with your slice.”

“It’s obvious what cards you’re holdin’ / So much for what you scheming.” 

“You’re welcome to try and provoke me, it’s cute… It’s funny how worked up you get, it’s pathetic / And your rotten smile’s so phony.” 

In short, they taunt “Catch us if you can,” and the humans cannot! They get more and more brazen, dancing for a swarm of phone-carrying, camera-taking, social media-posting spectators. 

They even stayed in character for an album press conference, saying they were comfortable disclosing their current location because of how little faith they had in the VPU catching them! They answered all of the reporter’s questions, from how they would respond in “hypothetical” close-call scenarios to what props they like to use for concealment! They even posed for pictures to verify their identities!

They gave away more of their tricks in an in-character YouTube upload, a “What’s in my bag” video released prior to the album. In that video, they not only showed the underground bunker they were presumably trying to hide out in, but they revealed how they disguised weapons, like making brass knuckles look like dumbbells! It is as if ENHYPEN are checking off every box on a list of what not to do when on the run! 

A question that is just as interesting as why they are being so reckless is why they are still not caught. Their cockiness is not unearned; they are practically handing themselves over to authorities, yet they remain a step ahead of them. Theoretically, it should only be getting easier to nab them, as more and more media attention shines on them, as they get even more careless, and as surveillance and tracking abilities become more sophisticated (at least compared to any previous attempts to catch them - in ENHYPEN’s story, they travel through time, and they appear to be in the present day for this era).

The simplest explanation: ENHYPEN are really good at this! They are quick-thinking, observant, and intimately aware of human shortcomings that they can bypass, or can at least analyze and apply in helpful ways. During the press conference, when discussing the props used to blend in, one member said it actually helps to use props that stand out, because that makes passersby feel uncomfortable and avert their eyes! He mentioned carrying an umbrella on sunny days, because “if you walk around acting really strange, people actually avoid eye contact”! That is their strange logic in the “Knife” music video, when they openly run and dance for the crowds. ENHYPEN have people right where they want them, having learned that witnesses can quickly turn into spectators if they are entertained or taken aback enough. They seem to know humans better than humans know themselves, keeping themselves one step ahead in terms of psychological games, too. By learning how to rig “the dice” (as they say in “Knife”) in their favor, they indicate an underestimated intuition for how to control human behavior, and by efficiently applying that intuition, they show how vampires are not so different from humans after all. In short, they use humans’ faults against them.

As explained in a previous essay, ENHYPEN’s storyline (which spans videos, songs, a Webtoon, and more) centers vampire characters for deeper-than-assumed reasons. Vampires are the conduits through which they explore the human condition; seeing the world from a vampire’s perspective gets people to see aspects of being a human being that they usually overlook and take for granted, like a sense of belonging and visibility. 

Besides all of THE SIN : VANISH’s corresponding videos, the most important video to recall is the “DESIRE” short film. JAKE appears on a late-night talk show and is asked why he is now ready to talk about what vampires are really like. After locking eyes with a literal monster in the live studio audience (one that no one else seems to see), he says:

“Because I want to be seen. To remind you that I exist. To remind myself.” 

Everything ENHYPEN do goes back to that answer. They see themselves as the monolithic monstrosity that humans have labeled them as (in their story, vampires are not only treated as evil but are jailed or outright banished). It is an active, constant effort to counter that narrative, to see and to show the real them. ENHYPEN’s public antics while the feds are onto them make much more sense with this desire in mind. Part of their reckless behavior might be fueled by their egos, which are bolstered every day they are still not caught, but they also love the attention. They love getting as close as they can to being a part of human society, and they love feeling the adrenaline rush. They love feeling, period, and they are energized at the thought of having a place in humans’ minds and memories. They want to prove to and remind both humans and themselves that they matter - that they have a set space and time to call their own.

Read the rest of this essay here and a little behind-the-scenes information about writing it here!