Youth: Epilogue doesn't close EPEX's coming-of-age trilogy by tying it off. It closes it by handing the story back to the members who lived it.

Across those three records, EPEX built out a specific emotional territory: the transitional feelings sitting between adolescence and adulthood. "Epilogue" doesn't abandon this. It's what happens when the group stops narrating that in-between state and starts bringing it to life in their own creative vision.

In this exclusive interview with KPOPWORLD, EPEX talks through what it meant to take total ownership of a closing chapter, how their process has changed since debut, and why they chose to end the Sohwa trilogy on a question instead of an answer.

The word "epilogue" usually marks an ending, but you've described this album as more of a beginning. Was there a moment during the making of this record where it actually felt like an ending to you, even briefly?

MU Rather than feeling like it was the end, it made us realize that we’ve grown another step through this journey and how meaningful and precious all of those moments have been.

YEWANG For this series, all of the album covers come together to complete one big picture. When I finally saw the full image finished, it really hit me emotionally thinking that this long journey of a series had finally come to an end.

The "Youth" series has followed you for two full years, across three full albums. Now that it's closing, is there a part of operating within that world you'll miss?

WISH I think I’ll miss the fearless version of ourselves. Looking back, I think every moment from that time will always shine as part of our youth.

JEFF Honestly, I’m more excited to move on to the next chapter and see what comes next.

This is the first album where members were heavily involved in writing, composing, styling, and choreography. What was the hardest part of taking on that much ownership?

WISH Since we were telling our own story through this album, it honestly didn’t feel that difficult.

MU If anything, it was really fun and enjoyable. Because the members were directly involved, I think we were able to make the album feel much more genuine and emotionally convincing.

A-MIN Since so many of the members’ ideas were reflected in the album, I definitely felt a greater sense of responsibility. If there was anything difficult, it was constantly thinking things through and making revisions so we could create the best possible result.

BAEKSEUNG I participated in both composing and writing lyrics. The hardest part of writing the lyrics was figuring out how to naturally incorporate the key message we wanted to deliver into the song.

AYDEN Writing lyrics almost gave me a headache. I wanted them to be simple, meaningful, and clever at the same time, and balancing all three isn’t as easy as it sounds. That’s something I still want to improve.

YEWANG I was involved in directing, and honestly I didn’t find it especially difficult. Since I focused on bringing out each member’s individual personality, everyone felt freer to express themselves, so the whole process was really enjoyable.

JEFF I’d say the hardest part was probably getting caught up in my own thoughts and wondering, “Can I really do this?”

The song's been called a "2.0 version" of your debut track "Lock Down." How would you compare the growth of your musicality versus when you guys first stepped onto the scene?

BAEKSEUNG I think the biggest change is that we’re now actively involved in creating our albums ourselves. Back when we debuted, we mostly worked within the framework that had been prepared for us. This time, we were able to bring much more of our own style into the music, and we’ve also become more confident and relaxed in doing so.

This track sits right on what's been called "the boundary line between youth and adulthood." Which side of that line does it feel like you're each personally standing on right now, today?

A-MIN I still think I’m on the side of youth. I feel like I need to grow and mature a little more before I can really call myself an adult, so for now, I still see myself as being in my youth.

YEWANG I definitely don’t think I’m an adult yet. Maybe one day I’ll suddenly realize I’ve become one without even noticing, but right now, I feel like I’m still right in the middle of my youth.

The song blends hip-hop with live band instrumentation, a different texture from "BETTER DAYS" right before it. Was that contrast intentional, wanting track two and three to feel like opposite moods back to back?

AYDEN With “ECHO,” we wanted to highlight the theme of liberation, and then with “BETTER DAYS,” we wanted to deliver a hopeful message following that liberation. The order of every track on the album was carefully planned to tell that story.

JEFF We wanted listeners to experience the different emotions that come with youth all at once, which is why we placed “ECHO” and “BETTER DAYS” as the first and second tracks.

This is the only ballad on the EP, and it closes the album on a question instead of an answer, choosing someone despite still not understanding love. What does the decision to end this album in uncertainty rather than resolution say about the album overall?

MU I think every choice always leaves something behind. The moment you choose one person, you’re also letting go of other possibilities and other connections. So we wanted to show that love isn’t made up of happiness alone, but it also carries longing, regret, and lingering emotions.

What do you hope ZENITH takes away from this closing chapter that they couldn't have gotten from the three full Youth albums that came before it?

A-MIN I hope they realize that the strength to move forward comes from believing in yourself. It’s only by questioning yourself and facing those challenges that you can grow into a better version of yourself.

BAEKSEUNG With this album, we really wanted to show a more mature side of EPEX, expressing a true sense of freedom and liberation.

After everything (five years in, becoming a seven, closing a whole trilogy), what's something about EPEX right now that you're proud of, but that you don't think anyone's actually asked you about yet?

WISH I’m proud that we made it this far in the first place after short experience as trainees. As for something people haven’t asked about yet, I don’t think there is anything in particular.

AYDEN I’m really proud that all of us have stayed healthy and continued promoting together for the past five years. Releasing three full-length albums as one connected trilogy was a huge challenge and definitely not an easy path. I’m proud that we were able to complete it successfully with this epilogue album, and I can really feel how much we’ve grown throughout the process.

Which of the four tracks would you play if you wanted to convince someone to become a fan of EPEX in one listen?

WISH I’d choose “BETTER DAYS.” It has a really catchy melody that is easy for anyone to enjoy right away.