During their two-and-a-half-year hiatus — practically an eternity in the K-pop world — the members of boy band Verivery kept busy, from acting in plays and musicals to one member even placing ninth in Mnet’s “Boys II Planet” audition program.

But at the end of the day, they agreed that there really is no place like home.


The members recently renewed their contracts with Jellyfish Entertainment, choosing to continue as Verivery.

That makes the group’s latest single, “Lost and Found,” feel as much like a bittersweet end as it does a fresh start.

“I’ve grown to be afraid of releasing an album,” admitted member Kangmin, looking back on the group’s long hiatus during a roundtable interview on Thursday in southern Seoul.

“We’ve come to realize the harsh reality [of the industry],” he shared candidly, alluding to frustrations over a six-year career that fell short of expectations. “So during that hiatus, we focused on improving ourselves and finding a new path forward.”

Verivery debuted in January 2019 as a septet, consisting of Dongheon, Hoyoung, Minchan, Gyehyeon, Yeonho, Yongseung and Kangmin. But only five members will be promoting “Lost and Found,” as Hoyoung currently serves in the military and Minchan has been inactive since pausing group activities in 2022 due to health concerns.

Verivery struggled to get a foothold in the fiercely competitive K-pop scene. The group’s first-week album sales, a key benchmark of popularity in the genre, hovered between 100,000 and 140,000. While no single metric defines commercial success, Hanteo Global CEO Kwak Young-ho has previously noted that roughly 200,000 is the bare minimum for a sustainable career.

Dongheon, Gyehyeon and Kangmin stepped back into the spotlight this year as contestants for Mnet’s hit audition program “Boys II Planet,” which aired from July to September. Kangmin even made it to the final round in ninth place before being eliminated, just missing the eight-member debut lineup for Alpha Drive One.

“It’s still hard to describe how I felt at that moment,” Kangmin said. “Facing yet another new start [after the show] was scary, but at the same time, it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest.”

The other Verivery members livestreamed their reactions while the show aired, cheering him on.

“When the members were sad on screen, I was sad, and when they were happy, so was I,” said Yongseung.

“When Kangmin made it to the final round, I could see that he was ready to return to the spotlight and find new opportunities, so all I wanted was for his wishes to come true.”

Now, Verivery is back together after renewing its contract in October, releasing music for the first time in more than two years.

The group’s fourth single, “Lost and Found,” comes two years and seven months after its seventh EP, “Liminality - EP. Dream,” and features three songs: the lead track, “RED (Beggin’)” and B-sides “empty” and “Blame us.”

“RED (Beggin’)” is an intense dance track that interpolates the 1967 pop classic “Beggin’” by The Four Seasons.

The single centers on the Korean concept of han, a complex feeling of deep regret, sorrow, frustration and anger — which the members have in abundance.

“Everyone has their own goals and dreams,” said Yeonho. “Our underwhelming results became han, and because we didn't resolve or reconcile with that resentment, the hiatus created even more.”

The members admit that they’re still nervous about how their new release will be received, but they remain confident in the work itself.

“I’d like to shake away my fears with this single,” said Gyehyeon. “That’s the message. Our desperation and will are in [the single], so my wish is that it helps me feel less afraid.”

The new release will be the first time that the members showcase their personal growth as well. Yongseung, who was active in the theater world last year, said he learned a lot about self-expression and body movement.

“We’ve all learned and experienced different things, but at the end of the day, we came back home to spend our days together again,” he said. “That made the hiatus meaningful. I’d like to think of it as a process [instead of a pause], and I hope listeners can feel the positive energy that we built during that period.”

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