Pentagon become manhwa characters in their new album and try to steal your heart with their music

In one month, on November 14th, Jinho will be discharged from his mandatory military service, and he will soon be resuming the activities as a member of the Pentagon. The group is currently under Cube Entertainment and is one of the most appreciated groups in the K-pop industry. In March, Pentagon made their comeback with their 11th mini-album, titled "Love Or Take". The album came out without another member, Hui, who enlisted last December and is serving as a public sector worker. Pentagon was created through the Mnet survival show called Pentagon Maker and debuted on October 10th, 2016.

Panorama.it spoke with the members of the group.

You don't need a presentation. Italian UNIVERSE know you well. But can you please introduce yourself to the Italian public?

HONGSEOK: Hello Italian UNIVERSE! How are you? It was so nice to see you guys during our World Tour 'PRISM', but we hadn't seen each other since then. I miss you so much!

SHINWON: Hi, Italian UNIVERSE! This is SHINWON of PENTAGON. Congratulations on winning EURO 2020.

YEOONE: Italian UNIVERSE! Hi, I'm YEOONE of PENTAGON :)

KINO: Hello, UNIVERSE in Italy :) I'm KINO of PENTAGON! It feels like yesterday when we performed in Italy, but it's already been two years. I can't wait to see you!

WOOSEOK: Italian UNIVERSE~~~~ I'm WOOSEOK of PENTAGON!!! How are you spending these days? I miss you so much. I'm doing my best every day, looking forward to the days we would meet at the concert. So please wait until then and stay safe.

YUTO: Hi, Italian UNIVERSE! I'm YUTO of PENTAGON. It's been a while since our World Tour 'PRISM'. I miss you so much!

Your mini album LOVE or TAKE was a success and in Italy everybody loves it. Can you please tell us more about the concept behind the album?

HONGSEOK: The concept of 'LOVE or TAKE' the album is filled with the butterflies of a one- way love. We tried to express the feelings that come as you fall in love with someone.

SHINWON: It's an album where we become the main characters of a comic and make UNIVERSE feel as if they are the partners of the main characters.

YEOONE: The title track 'DO or NOT' has the message that 'we will make you fall for someone in PENTAGON'.

KINO: There is a word called '만찢남' in Korea. It means 'a man that popped straight out of a comic book', and we got our idea from it. Each of us had a different role, and our fans get to choose their favorite character out of us.

WOOSEOK: This album is composed of many different genres. It starts with '10s and' and when you look at the tracklist of 'DO or NOT', you'll feel excited and be fluttered. I expressed these feelings of love in various colors and music.

YUTO: In this album, each of the members will become animation characters, and you'll be able to feel each of their charms.

Your title track "DO or NOT" has a catchy rhythm, I personally adore it and have it in my playlist. How would you describe this track?

HONGSEOK: 'DO or NOT' expresses a confident but introverted mind saying fall in love or not, just like 'yes or no'.

SHINWON: It seems that 'DO or NOT' means to choose one, but it's an upbeat band track that shouts out 'Do' deep inside.

YEOONE: As you may know, 'DO or NOT' is an upbeat track that starts with a capella, and it's even better to listen to in good weather.

KINO: 'DO or NOT' is a combination of band sound and pop sound. The bouncy rhythm and vocals make you feel excited.

WOOSEOK: I remember pouring out all my energy when writing the title track. I also remember paying attention to the details of the song and making it fun so that the flow from the beginning to the end of the song can be heard naturally. The lyrics are straightforward and go well with the rhythm, so I think it's a PENTAGON-like song that only PENTAGON can do.

YUTO: All the members participated in this album, so you'll be able to feel PENTAGON's unique musicality.

You came back without two members who still had the chance to deliver to you guys a great song: Boy in time. How do you deal with the distance from the other members?

HONGSEOK: We keep in touch often.

SHINWON: We keep in touch and meet often with HUI and JINHO. The members who are abroad are also working hard.

YEOONE: We've been doing well. We keep in touch and cheer each other on.

KINO: We keep in touch often and whenever they are on a military vacation or whenever the time fits, we always gather and eat together.

WOOSEOK: We actually keep in touch more often. It seems like HUI became healthier and more relaxed, and I'm excited because JINHO's vocal skills have improved too.

YUTO: I keep in touch with HUI often and ask him how he is doing.

Can you tell us more about the process of creating your music? What inspires you, especially right now in a difficult time where Covid-19 has cut out most of the things we were used to?

SHINWON: We talk to each other a lot and get inspiration from many different things.

YEOONE: I get inspiration from various fields, but nowadays, I've been working on the songs with a heart longing to meet UNIVERSE.

KINO: Normally, I get inspiration from conversations with other people but since it's impossible to do so these days, I try to dig into as many books, movies, and video clips as I can. It's almost like searching for inspiration instead of naturally getting it.

WOOSEOK: I write music by looking back to my former experiences and everyday life as if I'm writing my diary.

YUTO: We've been always writing songs even before Covid-19 happened. When the time allows, I refer to movies, dramas, or friends' stories and apply them to the song.

Your last album has a unique concept. It looks like a comic book, you need to collect all of them to understand better each one of you. Who are Pentagon now?

HONGSEOK: PENTAGON is a group that progresses every day. We are always thinking a lot about PENTAGON's music and album concept because we write our own songs. Please look forward to our next comeback.

SHINWON: PENTAGON is a group that continues to try new things and seeks out new development. We are always figuring out a way to show various concepts and stages to our fans.

YEOONE: I would say PENTAGON as a group is like the color white because we are a group that can pull off any color.

KINO: We've been doing many different kinds of albums, concepts, and various genres of music so far. There are fans who've been with us since our debut but for the fans who are not, I recommend you listen to how our music has developed since the beginning. If you walk through our footsteps, you'll be able to understand PENTAGON completely.

WOOSEOK: PENTAGON is a consistently improving group that continues to challenge, develop, and grow stronger. No one knows where and how the new PENTAGON will be presented. As we receive more attention and anticipation, we will show you a lot better music and various performances.

YUTO: We do our best in our individual activities and try to learn more about music.

What do you miss the most about doing live performances?

HONGSEOK: I miss seeing UNIVERSE the most. I can't forget UNIVERSE's facial expressions, voices, and waves of lightsticks that I saw on stage. I miss it so much.

SHINWON: We prepared an unreleased unit song that will make the most out of your concert experience, but sadly we weren't able to show it to you guys.

YEOONE: I miss performing in front of our fans the most. I want to see them as soon as possible.

KINO: I miss seeing our fans' eyes that glow like stars. I can't help but feel encouraged whenever I see their sparkling eyes.

WOOSEOK: I miss UNIVERSE's cheer, energy, and eye contact that I made with each of them. So as time passes by, I become more earnest and my biggest hope is to meet UNIVERSE as soon as possible.

YUTO: It's sad that I can't feel our fans' energy on stage.

You already visited Milan, what do you think about your Italian fanbase? Would you like to come back - and maybe visit a few other cities - when the times will be safe again?

HONGSEOK: When the situation gets better, I really want to go to Italy. I also want to visit countries that I wasn't able to visit during the 'PRISM' tour.

SHINWON: There are so many places that I want to visit because the cities in Italy are beautiful and amazing. If I had to pick one, I would want to visit Venice, the city of water.

YEOONE: I can't wait to meet my Italian fans because I have such good memories. We will visit Italy again when the situation gets better, so please wait a little more.

KINO: Italian UNIVERSE had really good energy for sure. Although we came from a faraway country, we felt glad and happy as if we met an old friend. If time allows, I would like to visit Firenze too.

WOOSEOK: The first time I visited Italy was when we performed in Italy. I fell in love with the beautiful city and I experienced a lot from visiting other cities in Italy. I also thought I wanted to explore the things I would only be able to feel in Italy. I really want to make time to visit again.

YUTO: I was so touched that our fans sang along to our song. I will study more so that we can communicate better when I visit next time.