When he's on stage

he isn't just a leader or the oldest brother of the bunch.

This article is dedicated towards recognizing S.Coups.

Recognizing S.Coups as a musician.

Hi all, I'm Seventeen's S.Coups.

Dispatch: Please introduce yourself as Seventeen's leader.

S.Coups: "Seventeen" consists of thirteen members. We are split into hip hop, performance, and vocal teams. We produce our own albums. Woozi of the vocal team composes our songs at the moment. The performance team creates the choreography. We're most confident in our performance."

D :How did you become the leader?

S.Coups: I'm not actually one that possesses the qualities of a leader. I'm not the type to lead anyone. But our chairman had assigned me the role of a leader with the following sentence: A role creates a person. Ever since then, I felt a responsibility to my job and have tried to do as well as I can.

D : When were you happiest during your time as a leader?

S.Coups : When my members tell me that I do a good job in leading the group. I feel best when I'm complimented on my role and responsibilities. That's when I'm happiest. It's too ordinary though, isn't it?

D : We assume there are times when it's hard too, as the leader and oldest of the bunch.

S.Coups : Of course, it's also hard. Often times, I have to spare my thoughts. It's a role where you have to listen to others, consider, and reflect. The members and I disagree on some things. But if the majority agrees on one idea, I need to work it out with the company. It wasn't easy at first.

D : Sounds like a big responsibility.

S.Coups : I don't feel the pressure when we're in front of cameras, because Seungkwan is excellent at variety shows and more. Woozi, Hoshi, and the others are great when performing. The responsibility is usually needed when the cameras aren't around. That's because I need to hear the perspectives of all the thirteen members. It's important to lead the group through the thoughts of the others rather than mine. Isn't that responsibility?

D : Are there any tips on how you approach your members well?

S.Coups : Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone. You have to know how to understand and support it. When a mistake is made, people will often sulk with guilt. I try to understand and tell them "It's okay, I understand you."

Q: How do you spend your free time?

S.Coups : Our group is divided into members who likes playing games and those that don't. I play games with Wonwoo and go shopping with Mingyu. All of the members have lives of their own and I need to respect that. If our free time adds up around the same time, then naturally we spend that together.

Q. Do the members come to you to talk about their problems?

S.Coups: The members go to Jeongha to talk about their problems. They come to me for conflicting ideas with the company. I too want to talk to the members about the little things but it's usually work-related. That's why I'm a little envious of Jeonghan at times. Haha.

Q.  How do you try to resolve any conflicts between the members and the company?

S.Coups : To be honest, our members are all close in age. My answer may not always be the best. But, when I speak to company staff, I always ask as if it were my opinion and my thoughts. I ask "What should we do in situations as such?", negotiate, and then tell my members.

Q. We're sure the company upholds an image of you as a leader, and the members also have am ideal idea of a leader.

S.Coups : Yes, it all differs. I think the younger members want me to be laid-back, the members that are the same age would like me to be more strict, a few company staff tell me to enwrap the members in love and care, and others tell me to be focused and scold them when they're wrong. The idea or standards for an ideal leader differs all the time depending on the people.

Q. How do you resolve things when everyone is different?

S.Coups: In the past I would be firm and a lot of what I said was very limited. I would say "Don't do that. That's a really bad thing to do." But now, I try to offer reasons and explain what I mean. Other times, I try to be honest and raw with the members. I let my guard down and voice "This part is really hard for me too."

Q. Thirteen members are in one group. Surely there are conflicts within the group?

S.Coups : Hmm, there are times when it's obvious that they've argued. That's an indicator that it was a pretty big argument. That's when we need to resolve this. When you lose the chance to resolve during the "golden time", it impacts our teamwork. There are always two stories and reasons during an argument. It's often caused by misunderstandings and snowballs into a big argument. But misunderstandings are often understood when the problem is solved. I try to arrange a talk for the members to listen to each other. That's my job.

Q. Time has passed and it's been four years since the group's debut.

S.Coups: I've only looked ahead and worked very hard, every day since. So much so, that no one can suspect or take this from us. After we passed the three-year mark, it's gotten easier. But things started to get tricky again after four years. I felt like it was important to look back on our roots. We promoted with minds of newbies during "Oh My!" promotions.

Q. We assume it would've been hard for the group to trace your roots as newbies. Are there any interesting occurences that happened during the promotions?

S.Coups: We've found that we've gotten slightly lazy after getting comfortable. It happened naturally, out of habit. So the members talked about it afterwards, about stages that we have yet to stand on, that we can't be satisfied with this. We were very busy during "Oh My!" promotions, to the point where we lost many nights of sleep. But the members never reacted negatively to it. That's when it hit me, "We really did go back to our roots."

Q. Promotions are always difficult to keep up with. Health-wise too, it sounds hard to digest all the busy schedules.

S.Coups : Our group has an unbreakable bond. But at times, this could be a negative factor. If one person loses the energy to keep up, all of the members get influenced by that one person. The members to break that domino effect are Seungkwan, Dokyeom, and Hoshi. When the boys are exhausted, they make sure to keep the atmosphere. I support them from the sides.

Q. We also think you would play a big part in keeping the mood of the group.

S.Coups : There were times when my knees and back wasn't in great condition. It hurt so much that I felt like I wouldn't be able to perform. But if one member is missing, others or someone has to fill that void. I didn't want to place that burden on any of them. Stage work is always hard, as it is. I didn't want them to feel that pressure. This isn't from my responsibility as a leader, but as the biggest brother in the group.

Q. We also think you bear the responsibility of delivering company news to your members.

S.Coups: Truth be told, that was a hard thing to do at first. I too, want to get along with my members, comfortably. Nobody wants to be the person to nag at others. I once expressed this to Hoshi and Woozi. They said, "We'll help you." I felt at peace and like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Q. But there are times when you speak in favor of the company rather than your members. Aren't there?

S.Coups : I'm actually the total opposite. I even argued with the company staff many times. Of course, I 100% understand where the company staff are coming from. I'm not sure if this is okay to say but my priorities are my members before it's my company. It might sound cold, but my members are more precious to me than the company.

Q. How does the future of Seventeen look like?

S.Coups : The youngest member, Dino, often says "I want to be a team that promotes for a long time. I want to make music as a whole for a long time." I think we'll be even happier and do even better. I too believe that we don't lose out to anyone in terms of performances or music. Recently, I had a conversation with our vice president and along the day, we came to the conclusion that people are more important than money. The members and I have all spent our early childhood days together. If this bond breaks, I don't think there'll be anything meaningful left.

Q. If Seventeen wants to promote for a long time, it sounds like you'll need to support them.

S.Coups : There's not much I can do. Woozi is responsible for the music and the performance team is amazing with the choreography. My role is to do the work given to me by the company and to blend our colors well. I add the balance between an idea, ideal to our company and the members' goals. I am the one to support the members on their wish and desires to make music comfortably, with no restrictions.

Q. Lastly, is there anything you'd like to say to the members?

"I know that I lack in some areas as an older brother. I'm always sorry for that. However, we're Seventeen. There's nothing we can't do when the 13 of us are together. Let's support each other through our worst and the best. I'll try to do better. I love you." (S.Coups)

This was Seventeen's S.Coups. His dedication and love he has for his members is admirable. We got to know the leader on a deeper level. Behind that charismatic face and aura, is a sensitive and kind heart.

More of S.Coups stories will be told next week. Next up is about the youngest in the family, Choi Seung Chul. The article will be dedicated to shedding light on the star's perspectives.

<Photos by=Hyojin Song(Dispatch)>

<Translated by=Justina Kim(Dispatch)>