Few would dispute that Enhypen now stands among the biggest names in K-pop, proven by how the boy band won the grand prize at the 2025 MAMA Awards. But for casual listeners who are not necessarily part of Enhypen's core fandom, the vampiric mythology woven into the group’s entire discographymay feel like a world that is difficult to enter.

With its seventh EP, “The Sin: Vanish,” Enhypen takes a bold and witty step toward widening that door. The release marks the group’s latest musical and visual experiment and doubles down on what it does best: immersive, addictive storytelling.


“We’ve been aiming to present new, different aspects of ourselves with every single release,” said leader Jungwon during a roundtable interview in southern Seoul on Wednesday, ahead of the EP’s release on Friday. “But this one is special in the sense that we tried to use storytelling to make our vampire concept easier to approach.”

“Of course, we ourselves have sometimes struggled with the concept, and the public may find it difficult to understand at first,” said member Sunghoon. “But at the same time, the narrative is what has brought us this far, and once you start to get it, it has this strong, addictive pull that draws you in.”

Arriving about seven months after the group’s previous EP, “The Sin: Vanish” stands out for its ambitious and creative tracklist.

The EP comprises six songs that are interwoven with four narrations and a skit to form a single storyline in which seven vampires, played by the members, and their human lover, who represents the fandom, escape a society in which humans and vampires coexist under strict rules and restrictions.

The lead song, “Knife,” is joined by “No Way Back,” featuring singer So!YoON! of indie rock band Se So Neon; “Stealer”; “Big Girls Don't Cry”; “Lost Island”; and “Sleep Tight,” written by member Jake.

The four narrations — “The Beginning,” “The Fugitives,” “The Voice” and “The Beyond” — add a dramatic, almost cinematic touch to the story of the vampires’ elopement. The narrations are delivered in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese and feature actor Park Jeong-min, Japanese actor Kenjiro Tsuda and Chinese singer Lars Huang.

The skit, titled “Witnesses,” depicts witnesses' reactions to the fugitives' escape, bringing listeners deeper into the fictional world.

Even the album's promotions are playing a role in the storytelling. Enhypen launched the mock online news portal “Vampire Now,” which reports on events within the fictional world, with sensational headlines such as “National Blood Supply 'Red Alert'...Both Human and Vampire Societies on Edge” or “Garlic & Silver Allergy Resistance Achievable Through Immunotherapy — Clinical Success Announced.”

Currently dominating the site, of course, is the ongoing coverage of the seven vampires’ escape — the central premise of “The Sin: Vanish.”

According to the members, the EP helped them achieve a new creative high.

“For me, this is the most satisfying album that we've made since our debut,” said member Ni-ki. “Every single song in the album is so good that I even found myself wondering whether we could make another album like this again.”

This EP also signals what Enhypen describes as the beginning of its second chapter.

The group debuted in 2020, but 2025 marked a turning point as it won three major awards — including Fan’s Choice of the Year, one of the four grand prizes given at the 2025 MAMA Awards — which had been its “goal for what [it] considers the end of chapter one,” according to member Jay.

“Now, at the start of chapter two, we prepared this album to prove that we can go even further with something new and refreshing and to show our growth,” Jay continued.

Looking ahead, the group's ambitions extend beyond its already impressive milestones.

“We hope to top the Billboard 200 albums chart and also enter the Hot 100 songs chart,” said Jungwon. “And personally, because my favorite track in this album, ‘Stealer,’ draws inspiration from Latin music, I’d love to perform it in Latin America one day.”

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]