#eaf original

*

The next day’s Saturday, and you decide to treat yourself with a pre-workout smoothie at the café next to the gym. When you pick up your drink, though, you’re handed something different.

“Excuse me, this isn’t my order,” you say to the barista.

“Oh, sorry about that.” They check the receipts, then call out, “Who ordered a Muscle Beast Protein Mylkshake?”

“That’s mine.” A portly middle-aged man steps up to the counter — definitely not the kind of guy you’d imagined ordering that particular drink.

“Ah, this is yours, then,” you say, handing him the shake.

“And here’s your Strawberry Sunshine Smoothie, miss.” The barista hands you another cup. 

“Thanks.” You take your smoothie and sip happily.

“Hyeong, was there a problem?” asks someone else.

The man turns around, and promptly hands the milkshake to… Jongho.

“No, no problems,” he says, giving you a polite nod.

Of course, that causes Jongho to look around. His eyes widen. “Oh — noona.”

“…Hello.” You dip your head awkwardly; your feet can’t decide whether to stay or run. 

The man looks between you two. “Who is this?” he asks Jongho.

“Ah, this is…” He trails off, but only for a moment. “This is Y/N-noonim, she’s a regular at the gym next door,” he recovers, pulling up a natural-looking smile. “Are you going to work out too now, noonim?”

“Uh, yes.” You try to smile back, but it feels slightly painful.

“By the way, this is my manager-hyeong.” Jongho gestures to the man.

“Nice to meet you,” you say automatically.

“You too,” says Manager. “You’re a regular?”

“Yes.”

“Then, please look after Jongho,” he says with another dip of his head.

Eh?? “Er, um…” Why are you suddenly looking after Jongho?

“Let’s go together, noonim,” Jongho says, as if this is all completely normal.

“Okay,” is the only thing you can say, and that’s how you end up walking into the gym together with them.

“Thanks for the drive, hyeong,” Jongho says.

*

“I’m joking.” Chuckling, you reach over and ruffle his hair. “Just don’t get in trouble, okay?”

He reaches up and removes your hand, still pouting. “I won’t get you in trouble.”

“I meant you, kid.” You tug at your hand.

He doesn’t let go. “I’m not a kid.”

“Oh yeah? When did you graduate high school?”

“More than two years ago.” His chin goes up.

“Two years ago.” You cluck your tongue and shake your head. “You know how old I am, Jongho-ssi?”

“…How old are you, noonim?” 

“Thirty.”

“Oh.” He blinks. “That’s not so old.”

“But still old compared to you,” you say cheerfully, and tug at your hand again.

Jongho lets go this time. “Yeona-seonsaengnim is dating Suhyeok-hyeong, though. He’s only three years older than me.”

“That’s true.” What’s he getting at? “Wait, don’t tell me — you like her too??”

“No!” he protests. “You’re the one I like, noonim.”

You relax. “Okay, because I’m pretty sure Suhyeok would fight y…”

Wait a sec.

What… did he just say?

“What,” you say slowly, “did you say?”

Jongho’s face has flushed beet-red, and yet he still somehow has the temerity to say: “Can’t I?”

“Can’t you?” you repeat on a splutter, shaking your head. “Can’t you??”

“Do you have a boyfriend already?”

“No, I — that’s not the point — ”

“Then can’t I like you?”

You’re pretty sure your jaw is hanging wide open at this point. Where the hell is this coming from? Is this some kind of TikTok prank — make a random confession to someone you’ve talked to three times? You glance around just in case someone’s secretly filming a video nearby.

“You don’t believe me.”

Jongho says it as a statement; when you return your attention to him, he’s looking at you with puppy-dog disappointment in his eyes.

 “Um, no.” Your frankness just dials up his disappointment, and you scramble to put your thoughts together before his puppy eyes weaken you. “I mean, we barely know each other, and I’m nine years older than you, and —” You drop your volume. “— you’re an idol.”

“I know all that.” Jongho just looks at you steadily, red-faced and all. “And I know that I like you, noona.”

“You — yah, did I say you could call me noona?”

“I’ve been calling you noonim all this time,” he points out.

Okay, not the point. “Never mind. Look.” You struggle to lower your voice again. “Jongho-ssi, you know this won’t work.”

“You don’t like me?”

“I — it’s not that I don’t like you, okay, but —” A smile lifts the corner of his mouth, and you hurry to squash it. “You’re an idol, you know? You’re not allowed to date. You’re not even allowed to have crushes.”

“We’re human, too. We get crushes,” he argues.

“But are you allowed to confess? What would your manager say if he were here right now? What would your members say?”

Jongho has no response for that, just a pout that makes you want to melt despite yourself.

“Jongho-ssi. I’m flattered, I really am. And thank you for having the courage to confess. Let’s just move on from here and remain gym acquaintances, all right?” You try an encouraging smile.

“…Fine,” he says, eyes downcast.

“Okay. Good. Great.” How does one exit these kinds of conversations?? You could really use Yeona’s expertise right now. “Then… I’ll get going first —”

“We’re gym friends, at least, aren’t we?” He meets your gaze again, almost defiantly.

Uh. “…Sure,” you say, though you’re really not that sure.

“Okay.” Jongho gives a stiff nod.

You nod back, equally stiff. “Well, have a nice day.”

You resist the urge to glance back as you make your escape to the cardio machines. Man, what an otherworldly experience.

You get in thirty straight minutes of cycling thanks to your preoccupation with Jongho’s confession. Before you know it, your water bottle’s empty and your legs are aching; time for a break.

You hop off the bike and head for the water fountain. You’re so concerned with trying not to seem like you’re watching out for Jongho that you bump straight into someone who’s filling up their own bottle already.

“Sorry!” You quickly bow. “My bad.”

“That’s all right.” The man bows back.

“Oh, noona!” Suhyeok appears from behind the man with a grin. “You’re here today?”

“Oh, hey, Suhyeok-ssi.” You glance around automatically for Yeona. “Yeona’s not working today, is she?”

“Eh, come on, noona, I can visit the gym without my girlfriend, can’t I?” His grin grows bigger.

You smile at his cheek. “Did you ask her whether you could start calling her your girlfriend?”

“I’ll ask her next time I see her,” he promises. “Oh, hyeong —” He turns to the man. “This is Y/N-noona, she’s Yeona-ssaem’s best friend. Noona, this is… er, hyeong, am I allowed to tell her your name?”

“You just call me Manager-hyeong anyway,” the man says dryly, offering his hand to you.

“Right, he’s one of Ateez’s managers!” Suhyeok says. “He’s how I met Jongho.”

You shake his hand and say jokingly, “I’ll call you Manager-oppa, then.”

To your surprise, he blushes a little. “Um, okay.”

“Ooh, you made him shy,” Suhyeok says with a chuckle. “It’s because you spend all your time around boys, hyeong, you need to get out more.”

“Be quiet, you punk.” Manager elbows him.

“Manager-hyeong?”

Another voice makes the three of you look around, and you’re alarmed to see Jongho approaching with an inquiring look.

“You know Y/N-noona?” he asks, coming to a stop as his gaze moves between the three of you.

“Hm? No, Suhyeok just introduced us,” Manager says, puzzled.

“I liked her first,” says Jongho.

What?

“What?” says Suhyeok.

“What?” says Manager.

“I mean…” Jongho flushes.

“Jongho,” Suhyeok says, a smile slowly spreading on his face. “You… like Y/N-noona?”

“No, of course not,” you say quickly. You’re not even sure why you’re covering for Jongho, except that it feels wrong somehow to expose his schoolboy confession. And you don’t want him to get in trouble with his manager.

“Jongho?” Manager asks him.

He looks back, and repeats: “I liked her first.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know we have the same taste,” Jongho says stubbornly, even as his face turns redder and redder.

“The same taste… in women?” Suhyeok asks.

Eh???

“I wasn’t thinking anything like that,” Manager says, having moved on from puzzled to dumbfounded. “Hang on, wait — you like her?”

“No,” you say loudly.

“…Yes,” says Jongho.

 You nearly facepalm.

“Choi Jongho.” Manager’s tone gets stern.

“I don’t like him back!” you say quickly. “Nothing’s going to happen, Manager-oppa.”

“Why are you calling him oppa?” Jongho asks you, frowning.

You suck in a breath. “Is that really the point right now?” you hiss. “I’m saving your butt here.”

“I don’t want to be saved.” He scowls. “I want to date you.”

“Yah!” You have half a mind to leap forward and clamp a hand over his mouth.

“Are you serious, Jongho-yah?” Manager’s staring hard at Jongho. Meanwhile, Suhyeok’s mimicking eating popcorn behind his back; you send him a glare.

“Yes.”

You groan under your breath.

“She says she doesn’t like you back.”

“For now,” Jongho says.

“I’m thirty,” you interject. “I’m way too old for Jongho.”

“I like older women,” Jongho says, and flushes harder.

“So do I,” Suhyeok says cheerily. Everyone ignores him.

“What if she doesn’t come to like you back?” Manager questions.

“Then… I won’t date her,” he says, subdued.

Manager seems to think this over.

“Manager-oppa, you’re not actually considering this, are you?” you demand. “He’s your company’s idol. Isn’t this against the rules?”

He turns to you. “We do have a rule about dating,” he states. “But it’s dependent on the circumstances.” Without elaborating further, he asks next, “Has Jongho caused you any trouble? Do you want him to stop coming to this gym?”

“What?” You’re taken aback. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Shouldn’t you tell him to stop?”

“If he does cause you any trouble, please feel free to contact me at any time.” Manager takes out a business card and hands it to you.

“Er, okay.” You take it. This is a surreal conversation.

*

“Remember how you hit on Jongho that time?”

“You better have a good reason for bringing this up again.”

“Uh, never mind then.” Maybe you shouldn’t tell Yeona, you think as you pedal furiously on your bike. K-pop idols probably don’t want their rash confessions being aired.

“Wait, now I’m curious.” Yeona puts an elbow on the bike handlebars and props her chin on her palm. “Tell me.”

You whip out your phone and snap a photo. “How can you pose like that and bike at the same time? I should send this to Suhyeok.”

“Yah, you should at least show me the pictures before you send them to people.”

“You always look fabulous anyway.” You show her the photo.

“Stop complimenting me and tell me why you brought up my cursed episode with Jongho again.”

“Cursed episode?” You laugh.

*

*

Shownu adores the fact that you get along with all of the Monsta X members. They’re his found family, and it means a lot to him that you, his lover, understand them and their world.

So when Kihyun gets a text from you about their “Follow” comeback, Shownu doesn’t think anything of it.

“Hey.” In the back of the company van, Kihyun leans over Shownu and shoves his phone in Changkyun’s face. “What does this mean?”

“‘I need you to come’, cry-laughing emoji,” Changkyun reads. “It’s your line from ‘Follow’, so what?”

“No, I mean, why did Y/N-noona add that emoji? The English isn’t wrong, is it?” Kihyun asks. “Is she making fun of me?”

Shownu perks up at your name, and glimpses the text as Changkyun hands the phone back to Kihyun. He hasn’t heard from you since last weekend; you know comebacks are intense, so you usually give him space and let him reach out when he has the time.

“No, it’s not wrong,” says Changkyun. “Y/N-noona’s not the type to make fun of our English, anyway.”

Shownu gives a silent nod in agreement. You’ve patiently practised English with him and other members countless times before, helping them grasp common phrases and conversational nuances so they can interact with foreign fans.

“Then what’s with the emoji???” Kihyun demands. “What’s she laughing at?”

“You can just call her and ask, hyung.” Changkyun’s not interested in entertaining Kihyun’s anxious ass this early in the morning.

“It’s still early, though.”

“She’s awake early on weekdays,” Shownu speaks up. “She’s probably getting ready for work.”

“Oh. Really? Then I’m calling her.” Without hesitation, Kihyun dials.

*

You’re in the middle of making breakfast when your phone rings.

It’s seven-thirty am, way too early to deal with a work emergency, so you sigh in relief when you see the caller ID.

“Hi, Kihyun-ah, what’s up?”

“Noona, hi!” Kihyun’s loud voice fills your ear. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I was already awake.”

“Okay, good. So what does your text mean?” He launches in to his question right away.

You blink. “What text?”

“The last text you sent me! You wrote, ‘I need you to come’, and then a cry-laughing emoji.”

The words automatically trigger a giggle from you, which you try to stifle. Not fast enough, unfortunately.

“Are you laughing? Are you laughing at me?” Kihyun’s tone is growing more and more high-pitched.

“No, no, Kihyunnie, I’m not,” you reassure him hastily before he can work himself up too much. “It’s just the line itself, it’s…”

You trail off, unsure whether you want to explain over the phone what come can also mean in English, and Changkyun’s voice fills the silence.

“It’s proper English, isn’t it, noona?”

“Oh, Changkyun-ah, hey! Yeah, it is. Where are you guys?”

“The van,” he replies, “we’re heading to a morning show. Shownu-hyung’s here, too.”

You smile. “Hyunwoo?”

“Ah, yes,” comes your boyfriend’s voice. “I’m here.”

“Hey,” you say. It’s an inadequate word to express everything you want to say, but you know he’ll understand.

“Hi.” You can hear the faintest smile in his voice, too.

Kihyun clucks his tongue impatiently and takes over again. “Noona, tell me, if the line is proper English, what are you laughing at?”

“I’m—it’s…” You decide you aren’t up to the task of explaining over the phone. “Look, I’ll tell you the next time we see each other in-person, okay?”

“Whaaat?” he whines. “We’re so busy right now though, we won’t see you for forever.”

You suppress a chuckle and soothe him, “I promise I’m not laughing at you, Kihyunnie, don’t worry. Your English pronunciation is still as sexy as ever.”

Changkyun snorts audibly. You hear Kihyun hiss at him.

“Hyunwoo, is Kihyun blushing?” you ask.

“Mm,” your boyfriend confirms.

“Mission accomplished,” you joke.

“Yah, noona,” Kihyun says sulkily.

“Yes, Kihyun-ah?”

“...Never mind.”

You laugh. “Hyunwoo-yah, text me when you have time, okay?”

“I will,” Shownu says firmly.

“Then, I’ll let you guys get to your music show. Have fun!”

“Don’t forget, you owe me an explanation, noona,” Kihyun says.

“I got it, I won’t forget.”

“Bye, noona,” Changkyun chirps.

“Bye, Y/N-ah,” Shownu says, his gentle voice leaving a smile on your face as you hang up.

*

The next time you see them in-person turns out to be only a few days later. Shownu texts you to say that they’re at the company building for the day, so you head over from your work on your lunch break.

After passing security, you’re led to a large conference room by a Monsta X crew member. You thank them, knock and let yourself in.

The boys are grouped around the end of a long table, feasting over a huge array of take-out boxes. All of them look around at your entrance.

“Hey, noona!” Changkyun reacts first. “How come you’re here?”

“I work close by, I just walked over on my lunch break.” You smile and walk over. “Shownu didn’t tell you?”

“No, he didn’t,” Minhyuk exclaims, rising to greet you with a hug.

“All this time you’ve worked near our building and we never knew?” Jooheon boggles as he lines up for his hug next.

“I knew,” Kihyun says in a superior tone.

“Sure you did, hyung.”

“What, are you doubting me??”

You laugh and pause behind Kihyun’s seat to give him a brief backhug. “You guys are never here at the company anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Did you get in okay, noona?” Hyungwon asks.

“I did, thanks, Hyungwon-ah.” You ruffle his hair as you pass around him to reach Shownu, who’s seated the farthest away.

He watches you approach, eyes creasing in the start of a smile. “Y/N-ah.”

“Hi.” You lean down, peck him on the cheek and then back away, because usually that’s the extent of PDA he can take.

But today he lifts a hand and wraps it lightly around yours, keeping you from going too far. “Did you eat yet?”

“Not yet.” You glance around at the other boys, then lower your voice. “How’s Hoseok-ah?”

The smile lines fade from his eyes. “He’s… I think he’s holding on. It’s a struggle.”

Your heart goes out to Wonho, fighting to hold on to his reputation and his name, and also to your boyfriend, who’s trying to hold this group together. “Tell him I’m thinking of him.”

“I will.”

“Are you okay?”

Shownu blinks, then gives you that lethal soft gaze of his. “Yes. Thank you.”

Before you can get too lost in his eyes, Kihyun calls, “Hey, noona?”

You straighten and look round. “What’s up, Kihyunnie?”

“Not to interrupt you and hyung, but—”

“You’re totally interrupting,” Hyungwon points out.

Kihyun shoots him a glare before turning back to you. “You still have an explanation to give me, yeah?”

“Oh. Right, for the text.” You glance around at the full audience. “How about we eat first?” you suggest. “I’m starving.”

“Let’s eat,” Shownu says immediately, and that’s that; Kihyun will just have to wait.

*

Lunch is finished soon, and while the others are clearing away the take-out containers, Kihyun corners you at the other end of the meeting room.

“Just hurry up and tell me, noona, quit stalling.”

“Okay, okay.” You glance around to make sure nobody’s in ear-shot, then sidle in and lower your volume. “So, the lyric is I need you to come.”

“Yes, and?”

“Well… in English, come has another meaning.”

“What? What meaning?”

You hesitate, because hey, you’re not used to talking about this kind of thing in the middle of the work day, and Kihyun straight-up whines.

“Just tell me.”

“Okay, well, you asked for it.” You take a deep breath, lean in and whisper: “It means to have an orgasm.”

Kihyun processes this for three seconds. Then he reels away, jerking himself a foot from you as though suddenly burned. His eyes are huge.

“E-excuse me?”

You’re torn between slight embarrassment and hilarity at his reaction. “And the line is I need you to come,” you repeat, with just a little emphasis on the last word.

Kihyun stumbles back another step and bumps right into the table. “Oh. Wow.” His face is turning red at an alarming rate.

“So, you see how it’s kind of funny to hear you demanding in English that I need you to co—”

“Okay! I got it!” He hastily cuts you off. “Jeez…!”

At this point you can’t help chuckling at how flustered he is. It’s times like this when you really appreciate their innocence.

Seeing you laughing, Kihyun goes on the offence. “Why did you have to tell me that?” he attacks. “The original meaning makes perfect sense by itself! We’re saying follow, the line says come—”

You snort.

“As in, come along with me, not—not—” He gestures wildly in the air.

“Not have an orgasm?” you finish, and start laughing again.

“Ughhhh.” Kihyun plasters his palms against his cheeks and turns away, evidently deciding to make a tactical retreat instead.

He bumps right into Shownu, who’s drifted over without either of you noticing. “Oh, sorry, hyung.” Keeping his head down, Kihyun side-steps Shownu and scurries away as fast as his feet will take him.

Shownu watches him go with a bemused expression, then looks to you. “What were you talking about?”

You’re still chuckling. “I just explained to him the other meaning of his English line in ‘Follow’.”

“Other meaning?”

“Yeah. You know how the lyric goes, I need you to come?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

With effort, you suppress your laughter and lower your tone again. “The word come in English also means to have an orgasm.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “What?”

“The word—”

“No, wait.” He blinks, shakes his head and then takes a step closer. “You told Kihyun that?”

“Well, yeah, he’s the one singing the line, he should know.”

“Why?”

Your turn to blink up at him. “Why what?”

Shownu shifts. “Why should he know?”

Eh? “I mean… I’d want to know if I was accidentally singing something dirty in Korean.”

“But none of us knew it was dirty.”

“Of course, it’s not your fault or anything. But if Kihyun’s singing English lyrics, he should—”

“Have there been other lyrics like that?” Shownu cuts in.

“Uh… yes,” you say, a little carefully, because you’re not sure you can discern his mood right now.

“Like what?”

You shift your weight backward; he’s moved in closer when you weren’t paying attention and now you’re craning your neck looking up at him. “Well, ‘Turbulence’, for one.”

“‘Turbulence’?”

“Yeah. You know, the chorus goes, Come, yah-yah-yah…”

“…That’s Kihyun’s part.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it is.”

Shownu twists around, searching the room. His gaze lands on Kihyun, who’s scrunched into a corner by himself, typing furiously into his phone.

You snicker. “I bet he’s looking it up right now.”

Shownu turns to you again, and you’re startled out of your laughter by the stern set to his eyebrows. “Y/N-ah.”

“What is it?” You search his expression for some hint as to why he looks so serious.

He opens his mouth to speak, then decides against it and just takes your hand in his. You follow him to the tiny bathroom attached to the meeting room and watch, bemused, as he closes the two of you inside.

“The boys will tease you if any of them saw us,” you note. You know Shownu doesn’t like to flaunt his relationships in front of others.

But he doesn’t respond. He just looks at you, broad back to the door.

“Hyunwoo?”

“Can I… ask you to not talk about sex with Kihyun?”

The question is so out-of-the-blue that you just stare for a moment. “Uh?”

At your bafflement, Shownu steps forward into your space, clasping both your hands in his. “I don’t want to… I don’t mean to tell you what to do. But…” He looks deep into your eyes. “Can you please not talk about sex with Kihyun-ah?”

“Um,” you say, caught in his gaze, “yeah. Sure.”

He stares at you for a bit longer.

“I won’t,” you say, adding a bit more conviction to your tone, even though you’re not sure why he needs the conviction. “I won’t talk to him about sex.”

“Thank you.” He loosens his grip enough to slide his hands up your arms, and pulls you into his embrace.

“No problem,” you say, your confusion muffled in his shirt. “But you know, I’m not regularly going around talking about sex with people.”

“I know.” His tone is sheepish as he eases you back to look into your face. “I don’t mean to be… it’s just that Kihyun…” He frowns.

You tilt your head as he seems to struggle with his next words.

“Kihyun idolizes you,” he finally bursts out.

Your head tilts further. “Eh? What do you mean?”

“He looks up to you. He likes you.” Shownu takes a breath. “He’s attracted to you.”

“What? Kihyun? Me?”

“I know he doesn’t mean anything by it,” Shownu continues, now determined to get it all out. “And he knows we’re together, you and I.”

“Hyunwoo, he’s never made a move or anything like that—”

“I know. I know he wouldn’t. And I know you wouldn’t,” he adds. “But…” He ducks his head a little. “I don’t want him thinking about sex when he looks at you.”

His tone is sheepish, like he knows he sounds just a little jealous, and you reach up to press a kiss to his mouth. “I get it. I’ll be careful with my words, okay?”

Shownu lifts his head to look at you. “I didn’t want to control you,” he says, a bit fretfully. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to change to make me feel better.”

His sweetness is going to be the death of you. “Hyunwoo-yah.” You lean up to kiss him again. “You’re asking me to not talk about sex with Kihyun, that’s it. It’s not like you’re telling me to block his number and never talk to him again.” You give him another peck. “You’re not asking for a lot, okay?”

“Mm.” This time he follows your lips, supporting you with his hands at your back to draw out the kiss.

He lets you up for air only when you start pushing at his chest. “Hey,” you say a little breathlessly, “we should probably get back outside before the others start thinking things.”

“Yes,” he says with a nod. Then, completely contrary to his words, he leans down and softly takes your mouth in his again.

You give in for a few more seconds before you pull away. “Hyunwoo-yah?”

“Hm?” His gaze finally moves from your mouth to your eyes.

“Are we okay? Everything’s good?”

His expression clears as he nods. “Yes.”

“Any other folks with secret crushes you want to tell me about?” you joke.

“No. One is more than enough.”

“Agreed,” you say wryly. “Honestly, I never would have guessed.”

“I know. That’s why I trust you, and I trust Kihyun,” Shownu says simply.

Good lord, this man is something else. “You must be the least jealous man in the world,” you inform him. “Why are you so sweet, honestly?”

He ducks his head and rubs at his neck like he always does whenever you compliment him. “Well. Not really.” The sheepish tone is back. “I was going to ask…”

“Yeah?”

Shownu looks up. “Is it okay if you stop telling Kihyun his English pronunciation is sexy?”

What???

You burst into laughter. He flushes, but waits patiently for your answer.

“Of course I can stop telling him that,” you reassure him through your mirth, and his answering smile is enough to light up the rest of your day.

*

7) Shownu - As much as I think Shownu is a good person, he just isn’t really interesting, nor does he seem interested in other people. He’s solid in carrying out his designated roles (as leader, idol, father figure, etc.) but doesn’t express empathy or affection openly. Actions speak louder than words, but when even the actions are whisper-quiet, it all just feels like silence.

ETA: 6) Changkyun - Honestly, Changkyun gives off a definite immature vibe. By this I don’t mean that he’s childish; it’s more that he hasn’t finished developing his own personality. He doesn’t necessarily fool around in similar ways to the other members, which is why he often gets labelled as the grandpa of the group. But he gets defensive easily and is often unsure how to react to situations, which shows that he isn’t confident of how to carry himself.

5) Hyungwon, Minhyuk - These two are similar in that both seem to prefer being sassy and smart-ass in favour of positivity and sincerity. It’s true that carrying around a chip on your shoulder makes you funny and good variety show material, but as people in real life? Not always enjoyable.

3) Kihyun, Jooheon - While Kihyun’s humour sometimes leans a bit too savage, he’s also expressive and outgoing enough to be engaging, and carries an intriguing balance of self-assurance and self-consciousness. Jooheon’s weak point is his childishness, but that also fuels his enthusiasm and passion, as well as how easily he expresses affection toward others.

4) Changkyun - Changkyun doesn’t really have a defined style, and needs to work on his expressions instead of just relying on aggressive faces to go along with shouted raps. From what I’ve observed, he also tends to slip up more than other members. But he’s strong enough that nobody can really say Monsta X has a black hole when it comes to dance.

3) Minhyuk, Wonho, Hyungwon - Minhyuk and Hyungwon share similar dancing styles: controlled and flowing with icy-cool facial expressions to match. They don’t tend to shine as much in choreographies focusing on pure power (e.g. “Rush”, “Jealousy”) versus those focusing on details (e.g. “Dramarama”). For Wonho, it’s the reverse, and as a result I often find his movements a little messy. None of the three consistently catch my eye when in performances, so they get lumped together.

2) Kihyun, Jooheon - What draws me to these two is the attitude and stage presence they bring to their dance movements. Kihyun kills the facial expressions and backs them up with accurate and emphatic movements, while somehow Jooheon is able to interpret the choreography so that even if it’s technically “wrong”, it looks incredibly charismatic and idiosyncratic.

7) Hyungwon - My beauty standards must be truly divergent from Korean standards. His face is so long and narrow that it’s basically an egg; his eyes almost seem to bulge out of his face.

6) Minhyuk - I don’t actively dislike his face, but it’s still on the too-small side to me. There’s nothing really interesting about it, aside from his late blink (which is, truthfully, very cute).

4) Wonho, Changkyun - These two rank about the same to me in very different ways: Wonho’s face is average like Minhyuk’s, although with more defined lines, while Changkyun’s face is unique but not exactly attractive.

2) Shownu, Jooheon -  There’s a reason why Shownu is the only member my sister can recognize. His square jaw and large eyes give off a mature, manly air that suits his ultimate-boyfriend vibe to a tee. As for Heony, his heart-shaped face is a perfect frame for his delicate features and lets him span the spectrum from adorable babyish looks to mysterious bad boy vibe. He looks fantastic with or without make-up, and those dimples are to die for.

7) Changkyun - Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to have any technical vocal expertise, so while he has a lovely tone, he doesn’t know how to use it except within a very limited range.

6) Hyungwon - Almost the same as Changkyun, except Hyungwon has more of a range. He also seems to have some concept of chest/mixed/head voice, even if he does have zero breath support.

5) Wonho, Minhyuk - While I do think Wonho has a grasp of his range, it’s quite limited still and inconsistently stable. His singing is usually accompanied by quite a bit of nasal strain, especially for any high notes. Minhyuk doesn’t sing quite enough for me to be 100% sure about his voice; although his timbre is very smooth, I’ve never heard him sing with any dynamism.

3) Jooheon - You know your group is weak on vocals when your main rapper is in third position 😅 Jooheon has a good range and is flexible and stable at the same time, and his breath support is surprisingly good.

2) Shownu - Shownu is a strong step up from the rest of the boys. He has solid control of his tone and range when he uses proper breath support, and his stronger vocal technique and understanding of his voice is clear whenever he does runs.

1) Kihyun - Kihyun is WAY better than literally everyone else in Monsta X, and this is a testament to both his skill and talent and to the sad vocal training that the other members have (not) received. Unlike the other members, he is consistently stable and on-pitch, he has excellent breath support which makes his singing feel effortless, and he has a well-developed tone that he is clearly comfortable using (very important) and adapting. He also can belt, do solid vocal runs and harmonize on-the-spot, which are all technical capabilities that almost none of the other members can do.

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End notes:

It astonishes me sometimes when I think about the fact that Kihyun does 99% of Monsta X’s ad libs. Other boy groups with 7+ members like BTS, BToB, EXO and GOT7 all have multiple singers performing ad libs by the time they’re in their fourth year. Even smaller or newer boy groups have different singers adlibbing (SHINee, A.C.E., Vixx, SF9, Astro). 

There’s no doubt that Kihyun’s capable of carrying these vocals; what’s bizarre is that literally nobody else in his group can. The gap is so wide that it’s scary. Let’s imagine Kihyun is out sick or injured, and Monsta X has ten concerts booked solid on their world tour. Who would replace him? Perhaps Shownu for lower notes, and maaaaybe Wonho and Jooheon for higher notes. All the boy groups I mentioned above have multiple contenders.