With ‘Monkey Mode’, DAILY:DIRECTION Picks Up the Momentum

The rookie group debuted in February, but many of the members are already experienced idols. Now, they open up for the first time about the unexpected turns that brought them to their new team.

Earlier this year, DAILY: DIRECTION, a six-member boy group emphasizing change and growth, debuted with FIRST:DELIVERY.“Rather than allowing each day's direction to be predetermined,” YOONSEOK, the youngest, told me about their concept, “we want to show that we choose our own direction and move toward it ourselves.”

Last week, DAILY:DIRECTION made their first comeback with a new single album titled MONKEY MODE. The album is led by the title track “DOWN WITH IT” and a message that you can stand out by leaning on what makes you unique. MONKEY MODE tells a story about accepting your imperfections as they are, believing in yourself during moments of uncertainty, and continuing to move forward,” JIHWAN explained.

Though they come from a small company, it would be a mistake to underestimate DAILY:DIRECTION. Take their stage performances for “DOWN WITH IT”: The team is not only synchronized in their choreography, but each member holds their own vocally. “My favorite part is the introduction because it immediately captures the audience’s attention,” JOOHYOUNG said. He’s right: I love the first few seconds where the members loosely freestyle before snapping into formation. They’ve got some sauce, too, as WONWOO raps, “I wanna dance with somebody/ Take a chance with somebody.”

“The choreography was physically demanding, and the formations and details were extremely important, so the members practiced a great deal together,” JIHWAN said. “I remember repeatedly reviewing videos and matching even the smallest details.”

The members were involved in the creative process for the performance, which JOOHYUNG appreciated. As they focused on small details, he told me, the performance began to come together. “I enjoy trying different things during my parts, and I liked exchanging opinions with the performance director and other members,” he added.

The group wanted to raise the bar with this comeback, and EN-KIM, the leader, observed it “required a great deal of effort to learn and perfect movements not commonly used.” Even now, he added, “we are working towards fully perfecting the performance.” WONWOO explained the choreography was challenging because it “requires us to pay close attention to the angle and feeling of every movement.”

Throughout our interview, I learned that the team's process of creating the performance for “DOWN WITH IT” reflects how the group operates. They move quickly and efficiently, and as their leader told me, they don’t give up easily. “I think DAILY:DIRECTION’s concept is about constantly accepting new challenges,” EN-KIM said. “Even when we fail or make mistakes, we do not collapse. We acknowledge what happened, stand up again, and continue pushing forward.”

YOONSEOK and EN-KIM

When YOONSEOK thinks back to his childhood in Anyang, he remembers how his maternal grandmother doted on him and helped him with his schoolwork. “She would scold me when I did something wrong,” he said, but she also supported and ultimately raised him as his parents worked long hours. “I think she helped me a lot,” he told me. “Her care helped me grow into a good person.”  

Originally, YOONSEOK wanted to be an actor. “I liked singing, but I had never considered becoming an idol until I was approached through street casting and decided to give it a try,” he said. YOONSEOK enrolled in the Flowing K-Pop Idol Academy, an intensive training program for kids who want to be idols. At the Academy, YOONSEOK auditioned for K-pop companies and learned the foundations of choreography. He stayed until he scored a trainee position at DAILY:DIRECTION's company when he was 18.

At times, YOONSEOK said, he’d look at other trainees and feel pressure to catch up. “Because I started later than others, I tried my hardest to seize every opportunity,” he said, “and that effort allowed me to join DAILY:DIRECTION.”

Aside from YOONSEOK, the members of DAILY:DIRECTION are all Seoul-born and raised. “Mountains surrounded my neighborhood, and I remember taking a burlap sack into the mountains and using it as a sled during winter,” EN-KIM recalled. “Growing up in that environment kept me away from media and helped me focus more deeply on my relationships with others.”

EN-KIM’s career took several turns and plateaus before joining DAILY:DIRECTION. When he was a teenager, he joined SM ENTERTAINMENT’s trainee program where he met some of the most influential idols in K-pop. In 2023, when EN-KIM was 19, he was selected to compete on NCT UNIVERSE: LASTART, a competition show that formed NCT WISH. Looking back now, EN-KIM found the experience valuable but grueling. “Competition naturally makes you compare yourself with other people,” he explained. “There are many people in the world who are more talented, charming, or accomplished than you, and seeing them can cause you to diminish yourself.”

Competing for a spot at one of the top entertainment companies in K-pop can be a particularly intense experience, and I wondered how much of that played into the pressure EN-KIM felt on NCT UNIVERSE. The most important lesson he learned, though, was that the only person he was playing against was himself. “I realized that it is better to compete against who I was yesterday and focus on my own improvement.”

JIHWAN, who participated in the survival show B:MY BOYZ in 2025, echoed this thought and explained why the shows are so different from performing as a team. “A survival program creates a lot of pressure because you have to prove yourself within a very short period of time,” he said. “In contrast, idol activities are a process of growing together with the other members as one team.”

JIHWAN sees himself as someone who enjoys connecting with different people. Growing up in Seoul pivotally placed him in an environment where he met people who were completely different than him. “I think because  I was able to encounter many different people and cultures close to me, I became naturally interested in [exploring] new things.” Most importantly, JIHWAN said, “I enjoyed spending time with people from a young age, and I found joy in the process of creating something together.”

When he first discovered K-pop, JIHWAN was drawn to the relationship between fans and idols. “As time passed, I started wanting to become someone who could give strength to others as well,” he said. “It was not easy, but I was determined to achieve this dream.”

JIHWAN credits his upbringing – and his time on survival shows – as the reason he is so open-minded. “I think those experiences still have a major influence on the way I respect the other members and try to grow alongside them as part of a team,” he explained.

JOOHYOUNG also valued community from a young age. “My school was located within our apartment complex, so everyone played together, and there was hardly anyone who did not know everyone else,” he recalled.

Two major events occurred when JOOHYOUNG was in middle school: he performed for the first time with friends at a school festival, and he discovered K-pop after a friend recommended some music videos to watch. He was captivated by BTS, and by high school, wondered if he could be an idol.

JOOHYOUNG first debuted as a member of NINE.i in 2022 and eventually competed on the survival show Universe League, where he was eliminated in the final episode. Both experiences, he said, were positive. “I met good friends, and I felt grateful to the many fans who recognized and supported me,” he recalled. “It became an opportunity to reignite the passion behind my challenge.” Ultimately, he saw his time in NINE.i and Universe League as opportunities for self-improvement. “I think my previous experiences gave me time to grow not only as a group member, but also as a person.”

WONWOO and E-VAN

Growing up, WONWOO and E-VAN were both heavily influenced by their brothers.

When he was fifteen, WONWOO’s brother WONJUN debuted as a member of E’LAST. “Watching him debut helped me mature from a young age,” WONWOO told me. It also helped that his parents encouraged him to give being a trainee his best shot. “My parents always supported what I wanted to pursue, which allowed me to dream of becoming an idol,” he said.

WONWOO’s first memory of K-pop was in elementary school when he saw BTS’ JIMIN perform on stage. He soon began training and practicing dance daily. “I loved that dancing allowed me to focus entirely on the moves themselves,” he remembered, “and I began thinking it could be a good career for me.”

E-VAN’s brother likely saw his potential before he did. “I first started dancing because my older brother told me that if I was not going to study, I should at least try dancing,” he told me. E-VAN began watching weekly variety shows where idols appeared and took notes. What if he could be on that stage too? He started practicing and eventually joined the training program at a small company named DSP. “Those performances helped me define my dream clearly, and I continued practicing,” he said.

WONWOO and E-VAN each went through several different stages of the K-pop system before joining DAILY:DIRECTION. WONWOO was in the pre-debut group for ALL (H)OURS and competed on BOYS II PLANET. Competing on a show like BOYS II PLANET was especially illuminating, WONWOO said, “because it brings together people who are all incredibly desperate to achieve their dreams.”

While WONWOO was busy competing on BOYS II PLANET and preparing for his debut, E-VAN was already an established idol as a member of MIRAE. The group lasted only three years and had a few minor hits, but E-VAN was determined to carry on. Debuting with DAILY:DIRECTION allowed him to try again and prove to himself that he could succeed. “I tried to improve upon the areas where I had felt disappointed in myself during my previous activities,” he told me. “I poured a great deal of effort into this debut.” The result, he said, was that he could debut feeling more confident and relaxed.

If there is one connecting thread among all the members of DAILY:DIRECTION, it is that their path to becoming an idol was not linear or easy. I look to EN-KIM as perhaps the best example of this. Beyond his time at SM, EN-KIM trained at another company and was selected to be in UNNAME, a pre-debut group that failed to launch. They officially disbanded last September. EN-KIM credits the fans he made along the way as a source of strength when he experienced setbacks. “The support I received from fans helped me endure difficult moments,” he told me. “Their support allowed me to challenge myself again through this group while always carrying a sense of gratitude.”

His resolve to continue came from a desire to show up for himself. “I think I arrived here,” he told me, “because of a small desire to let the world know who I am.”​

The members were all together when they learned they would debut as DAILY:DIRECTION.

“It was the day our story began,” EN-KIM told me. “I was overwhelmed with emotion and felt as though I had the entire world. I remember seeing our fans directly from the stage and performing while my legs trembled from nervousness. Even now, my legs feel like they are shaking whenever I remember that moment.”

Many of the members rushed to tell their families or tell friends. YOONSEOK went to dinner with his family, but remembered, “It did not feel real. I felt like I was in a daze.”

“I was so happy that I do not think I had room to think about anything else that day,” JOOHYOUNG told me.

JIHWAN was sentimental as he thought about his emotions when he learned he made it into DAILY:DIRECTION. “My first thought was not simply that I was happy, but that this was finally the beginning,” he said. “I had waited so long for that moment that it did not feel real.”

As their debut showcase approached, E-VAN remembered feeling a mixture of nervous energy and anticipation. “I approached the showcase thinking, ‘I need to do well. Let’s try to stay relaxed. Don’t be nervous,’” he said.

As he received congratulatory messages from friends and family, WONWOO felt proud – and hopeful. “I felt very excited about everything that was ahead of us,” he said.

JIHWAN and JOOHYOUNG

During his most difficult times in training, JOOHYOUNG would only focus on one thing: debuting. But after his debut, he noticed something fascinating: how many fans supported him without question. “The most surprising thing about becoming an idol was that although no one knew who I was the day before, fans began supporting me only a day after I was introduced to the world,” he said, adding, “I am always grateful to everyone who supports me.”

Of course, becoming an idol didn’t solve all of the members’ problems. For E-VAN, debut only  proved that the hardest work would come now that he had a group to promote. “I discovered that the reality was even more difficult and frightening than I had expected. Debuting turned out to be another new beginning,” he said. “It was a completely different kind of new experience from being a trainee.”

The members credit their fans, known as DELLY’s, for inspiring them and pushing them through when times get tough. “I think our fans give meaning to our lives. Without them, we would not exist either,” WONWOO said. JIHWAN echoed this, adding,  “DELLY’s support is the greatest force that allows us to continue moving forward. Even during difficult moments, every encouraging message gives us so much strength and makes us want to show you an even better performance.”

The group hopes that when fans listen to MONKEY MODE, they can find strength in it. “I think MONKEY MODE contains a message of hope. Anyone can make mistakes, and they can happen at any time. What matters is not giving up because of them,” EN-KIM said. The record, JOOHYOUNG explained, “captures the courage to continue moving forward even when you are inexperienced, as well as the process of transforming your imperfections into your own source of strength.”

The members hope that, perhaps, their stories will inspire fans to see that no matter where life takes you, you can always choose a new path. “I think we are a group that shows a new direction every time,” JIHWAN said. “Rather than remaining within a single image, our greatest strength is expressing different styles of music and concepts through our own color.”

Together, the members feel the future is bright. It took many years – and some wrong turns – for the members to arrive here. But it feels right to be here now, as DAILY:DIRECTION.

“We can be here because our fans work so hard to support and love us, so DAILY:DIRECTION will always think of them and continue working hard,” YOONSEOK said. “We love receiving our fans’ support, and it gives us tremendous strength. I hope they will continue loving us so that we can create wonderful memories together for a very long time.”