The birth of GQ Hong Kong’s inaugural issue marks a beginning that cannot be overlooked, a testament how taste, creativity, and attitude converge into a force that subverts and reshapes. While at it, S.COUPS shines in Piaget jewellery and watches, his radiance like the first light of dawn.
On the day of the shoot, rain drifted outside the window, as though brewing a kind of tension, signalling that a transformation was imminent. The crew stood was on standby, as alternating test lights flickered on and off, building an unspoken anticipation for S.COUPS’s arrival. This year-long project — all the waiting, preparation, sweat, and nerves — would crystallise into the team’s labour of love, frozen in front of the camera.
The moment S.COUPS stepped into the studio, everyone held their breath. His hair was a golden shade, signalling a shift from the flower-boy image of the past into a more rugged, untamed masculinity. With every shutter click, every flash, his gaze, his breath, his thoughtful silhouette conveyed a silent, magnetic power stronger than any explosive gesture. His chiselled jawline, refined features, and sculpted contours magnified under the play of light and shadow, carrying an ambiguous charm that hovered between youth and manhood.
Between him and the lens exists a kind of symbiotic energy. He doesn’t rush to project anything; instead, he lets himself melt into the moment, allowing light and shadow to dance across his skin. Focused and immersed, every move was exact, as if sharing an unspoken rhythm with the photographer. At times, S.COUPS embodied gentlemanly poise in a tailored suit; at others, he channelled rock rebellion in leather; and then again, he revealed an understated purity in minimalist monochrome. In his own words: “sexy, clean, and pure.” True charisma, after all, lies in effortless shifts between restraint and release.
During pre-production, one question lingered: how to express a quiet kind of strength through images? The answer revealed itself in rippling projections that transformed into surging tides, every wave brimming with potential energy; in cobalt beams cutting through space, coating everything with a metallic sheen; in reflections and shadows weaving illusions of reality and imagination, refracting infinite inner possibilities. Here, the Piaget Polo watches became the finishing touch, balanced delicately against the shifting lines of his wrist — an extension of his aura. A Possession ring glimmered across his knuckle as he adjusted his collar, like glints of light across a midnight sea; a necklace sparkled against his collarbone like stars in the deep ocean. Together they fused — steel and softness, wildness and elegance in perfect accord.
Standing at the centre of the frame, gaze fixed on the distance, lips curved in a confident smile, his calm composure embodied exactly what GQ Hong Kong sought in a cover star: the emblem of a “Next Wave” generation. Not just another perfect face, but a spirit that keeps evolving. Beyond the flashes, S.COUPS is a radiant, down-to-earth soul, putting everyone at ease with his warmth. In conversation, he speaks little but with intention; the silences between his words reveal an inner richness. It is this paradox that makes him so captivating.
As the interview begins, a playful glint flickers in his eyes, as though ready for any question. When asked who he’d invite as a guest if he hosted a talk show, he answers without hesitation: “SEUNGKWAN — because he knows how to keep the atmosphere alive.” Asked what superpower he would want if SEVENTEEN were a team of superheroes, he replies thoughtfully: “The power to heal everything — and to heal the members and people who get hurt while helping others.” Even in the simplest moments, such as sharing something that recently made him smile, his response stays tethered to the group: “I watched HOSHI x WOOZI’s concert. Being able to watch my members perform, not as an artist but as a fellow SEVENTEEN member, may seem small, but to me it’s pure happiness.” And if he could travel through time? His answer comes with excitement and certainty: “I’d go 10 years into the future and pull an all-night concert with all 13 members.”
Every time he speaks of the group, his gaze softens. It’s no wonder he admits that whether as an artist or as the ordinary Choi Seungcheol, SEVENTEEN are his greatest source of strength. His view of past and future is strikingly clear-eyed: he neither clings to former glory nor frets about the uncertainty ahead, but anchors himself fully in the present. In facing hardships: “I won’t run away, nor obsess over winning. I simply accept what is, and then focus on moving forward.” On SEVENTEEN’s current chapter, he adds: “If we live well in this moment, then 10 years from now we can still create music happily together.” No flowery rhetoric, no performative sentimentality — simply: “My next dream is for all 13 of us to stay together.” It is friendship forged in steel, the truest embodiment of SEVENTEEN’s collective spirit.
As the conversation turns to deeper ground, his words take on weight. Asked what it means to lead, his answer is disarmingly simple: “Don’t think of yourself as the leader.” A paradox, but also a truth: real leadership is not about standing above others, but standing alongside them. Not about command, but about presence. To him, he is one member among many, never an authority looming over the group. In this, he offers a modern blueprint of masculinity: leadership defined not by personal shine, but by amplifying the brilliance of others.
If his life philosophy had to be distilled into a single sentence, it would be this: “The world will not bend to my will.” Honesty like that often comes only after weathering storms. And you can hear traces of that journey in his music: Me captures the confusion of injury and vulnerability; Jungle (S.COUPS Solo) radiates a determination to cast aside negativity, focusing only on creativity and love. Whether in doubt or in trial, he chooses growth amid the storm. So when asked for a life motto, he smiles lightly and says: “Don’t worry too much.” Simple words, but layered with years of outward observation and inward reflection.
It all points to a truth: true extraordinariness is built from countless ordinary moments, tested and polished by time before it can shine.
“Although not every day brings good things, I hope we can all find happiness in the little things, and greet each day with gratitude.” These were S.COUPS’s parting words to readers — a gentle reminder that in the pursuit of greatness, treasuring the small daily joys may be the secret to keeping one’s heart intact amid the noise.
Photographer: Kim Hee June
Editorial Director: Jumius Wong
Fashion Director: Jenine Oh
Executive Producer: Lee Kyung Kim @ BL Creative House
Casting: Second Li
Project Co-ordinator: Cyrick Leung
Artist Management: Seraphic Studios
Stylist: Lim Jin
Hair Stylist: Jang Hae In
Makeup Artist: Jung Su Yeon
Set Design: Choi Seo Yun
Photo Assistants: Lee Ji Won, Kang Seok Jin, Park Seong Hwan
Production Assistant: Lee Jin Kyung
Translator: Jane
On-site Co-ordination: Witty Lau
Cover Wardrobe: Boss
Cover Watches & Jewellery: Piaget
