Boy band Enhypen's vampiric bite lust to explode with 'Desire: Unleash'

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Boy band Enhypen's vampiric bite lust to explode with 'Desire: Unleash'

Published: 11 May. 2025, 17:15 Updated: 12 May. 2025, 13:51

SHIN HA-NEE
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Boy band Enhypen poses for the cameras at its short film “Desire: Unleash″ premiere event held at Megabox, Coex branch in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on May 11. [BELIFT LAB]

Perhaps it might not have been the brightest idea to invite a vampire to a live television talk show — but let’s just leave it at that for now, for the sake of fans yet to experience boy group Enhypen’s latest short film teasing its upcoming sixth EP, “Desire: Unleash.”

The septet, fresh off its debut appearance at Coachella in April, reunited with fans Engene at home for the first time in a while for a “concept cinema” premiere event held at Coex in southern Seoul on Sunday.

“Our concept used to be more centered on young love and romance,” said member Sunoo, during the event. “But this time, it feels like the concept has matured to reflect a deeper side of us.”

A poster for boy band Enhypen's concept cinema short film “Desire: Unleash″ [BELIFT LAB]

Directed by Park Min-soo, known for his works such as the award-winning short film “Merlin” (2022) and K-pop music videos, the nine-minute short film serves as an extended teaser to the upcoming album, which delves into the concept of desire.

Following the online reveal of the “Desire: Unleash” concept cinema, scheduled for midnight on Sunday, the same-titled EP will be released on June 5.

The latest short film marks the second concept cinema experience presented by Enhypen, following the previous work tied to the group’s second full-length album “Romance: Untold” (2024) released in July last year.

Enhypen’s concept cinema expands on the group’s unique fantasy world where all seven members — Sunghoon, Jay, Jake, Jungwon, Heeseung, Sunoo and Ni-Ki — are portrayed as vampires in love with a mysterious girl named Sooha, a symbolic representation of Engene, who appeared in the previous concept cinema under the name Chloe.

Boy band Enhypen poses for the cameras at its short film “Desire: Unleash″ premiere event held at Megabox, Coex branch in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on May 11. [BELIFT LAB]

But this time, Sooha’s barely part of the story — as she’s “kinda on brief vacation,” as per Sunghoon’s words — as the spotlight is on the vampires’ internal conflict: a desire so intense that it is threatening to destroy what they cherish most.

Inspired by the 2024 horror movie “Late Night With the Devil,” the film blends supernatural imagery with seductive charisma, set in a 1970s American late night talk show. Jay and Jake play two sides of a single character, as do Ni-ki and Heeseung, each pair symbolizing the vampires’ inner struggles between conflicting desires.

“Everyone has a desire — it’s part of human instinct,” Jake said, describing desire as something that motivates and drives people toward their goals.

“For us, our desire and goal this year is to deliver stronger performance and reach new milestones, to show everything we’ve worked hard to prepare,” Jake added.