Billlie may be two members short, but the girl group is still confident with its single “side-B : memoirs of echo unseen.”

“It really was a time where we could feel how precious each of our members really are,” Haram said of the group as they prepared for the single, during a press showcase on Monday at the Shinhan pLay Square in Mapo District, western Seoul, ahead of the release of the girl group’s first single “side-B : memoirs of echo unseen.”

The group has seven members — Siyoon, Tsuki, Suhyeon, Haram, Moon Sua, Haruna and Sheon — but Suhyeon paused her group activities in June, followed by Moon Sua in September, both citing health reasons. While the members of Billlie did not mention when the other two would return, they made it clear that their good health is prioritized over anything.

“If we were to promote longer as a group of seven, I believe it is crucial for all of us to take good care of ourselves,” Siyoon said. "Instead of saying when they will return, I think it is more important for us to stay strong as we wait for the two members to return healthy."

“While I, too, was worried [about the comeback], I think our members did very well. The five-member version of 'DANG! (hocus pocus)' is great, and I’m also looking forward to the seven-member version [in the future],” Haram said.

“We’ve been extra diligent in preparing for our single, even when compared to our previous releases, so I hope you look forward to our release.”

“side-B : memoirs of echo unseen,” has four tracks, including its lead track “DANG! (hocus pocus),” followed by the pre-released track “BYOB (bring your own best friend)” and English versions of “DANG!” and “BYOB.”

“DANG! (hocus pocus)” is a fusion electro-pop score that mixes polka rhythms with hip-hop and synth-pop tunes.

“In the lead track, we are trying to unpack the story that what others think about you may be different from what you think about yourself; but in fact, they are all who you are,” Siyoon said.

The name of the lead track refers to the surprised expression "dang," which reflects the exclamation of people realizing that their world is larger than they think it is, according to Tsuki.

“We are very much loved for our ‘Billlieverse’ and the story that we try to tell to our listeners,” Siyoon said, explaining that the group’s latest single is no exception. “We are also known for our stellar performances, so I hope you take a look at our choreography as well.”

Members of the band added that they took extra steps when recording the two English tracks.

“It wasn’t an easy task, but we tried very hard to make it sound natural, even to native English speakers,” Haram said.

“All of our members studied and practiced individually to make the English versions of the tracks have the same vibe as the Korean version, while also adding touches to make the English version unique,” she added.

Tsuki shared that the group is currently in preparation for overseas activities, as the group also dropped its first Japanese single “GingaMingaYo (the strange world) - Japanese ver. -" in May.

“I really value the moniker ‘treasure-like group,’” Siyoon said. “Our fans often tell us that we are their treasure, and it really cheers us up. Just like that, we want to be a treasure-like group, sharing our music to an even wider audience.”

“We’ve been working very hard for our single, and I’m confident that it’s a good song,” Haruna said. “We want to receive even more weekly music show trophies and even aim for the girl group of the year awards!”

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]