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As the eldest member and leader, SEVENTEEN's S.Coups shoulders many responsibilities. Despite coming across as intimidating, S.Coups (given name: Choi Seungcheol) is a reliable leader; firm when needed but gentle otherwise.
Taking care of the needs of 13 individuals with diverse thought processes and bringing them together as a group is certainly not easy. S.Coups pushes his members to do their best while taking care of themselves.
Apart from being the overarching leader of the group, SEVENTEEN's S.Coups also leads the Hip-Hop Team wherein he contributes his rap verses to songs such as Check-In and Clap.
Five times SEVENTEEN's S.Coups was an amazing leader
From taking on challenges the members have difficulty with, to hearing out their troubles, S.Coup leads from behind, allowing the members to take centerstage while offering support as needed.
Here are 5 times that SEVENTEEN's S.Coups proved himself to be a terrific leader.
1) The interview where S.Coups said that the members are more important than the agency
One quality of any levelheaded leader is that they will always put their members above everything else. In his V LIVE interview with Dispatch in 2018, Choi Seungcheol elaborated on what makes SEVENTEEN click, how the team resolves issues and why the members are more precious to him than his agency.
When asked about talking on behalf of the members, SEVENTEEN's S.Coups responded quickly, saying that he had even argued with the corporation for them, and that he cherished them the most.
In another instance, the rapper said that he often attends agency meetings discussing the concepts and relays the same to the Rock with You group. After taking the members' opinions, he would return to the company with their feedback. This would allow the members to work on music and choreography without worrying.
2) When Heechul identified S.Coups as the leader on Knowing Bros
Despite being someone with little experience in heading a team prior, the Hip-Hop Team leader has always tried his best to do well by the members. His impulse to put the members first was the reason that Super Junior's Heechul picked him as the leader.
The cast of Knowing Bros (aka Men on a Mission) tried to pick out the leader of SEVENTEEN. DK, Mingyu, and Woozi were the other prospectives picked out of the lineup, but Heechul insisted that it was S.Coups. The Super Junior member stated that he observed S.Coups letting the other members speak despite having things to say himself, and that made him leader material.
In the end, Heechul's reasoning turned out to be sound, and the Don Quixote group re-introduced themselves, the dynamic leader starting the greeting this time.
3) When S.Coups spoke about his anxiety on SEVENTEEN: HIT THE ROAD
Being a K-pop idol and a leader at that is a job that comes with immense pressure, namely, the pressure to put out good music, performances, fan services, and keep up the energy for the fans who love them unconditionally.
S.Coups took a hiatus from group activities when this pressure led to him experiencing symptoms of psychological anxiety.
In his HIT THE ROAD episode, he elaborated on what he was feeling while he was on stage. He apologized to the fans for being absent, and promised to come back stronger. The 1995-born rapper mentioned that he did not like seeing empty spots on stage. So, it was hard on him when he had to give up performing for a while.
SEVENTEEN's S.Coups also spoke of how being on stage made him happy, so he held it together in the concerts he performed in, pushing hard so as to not affect the team. But eventually he took a break to recuperate, and he and the HOT group came out stronger from that.
4) When S.Coups volunteered to do missions in place of his members in Project Seventeen
Even when they were younger, S.Coups always stood up for his team, putting them before himself. During SEVENTEEN's initial journey, the group participated in Project Seventeen where they had to complete different missions to eventually introduce themselves to the world. It was during that time S.Coups offered to complete all missions that the members were unable to complete.
To contextualize, the production team had planned the missions in line with the film Kingsman: The Secret Service. The leader-rapper took it upon himself to explain the significance to the members who happened to be minors (Kingsman was rated R), before agreeing to perform whatever missions that the other couldn't.
While the mission turned out to be a mini-vacation before the group's debut, SEVENTEEN's S.Coups later expressed his concerns about working cohesively as a group and sorted out his issues with the members, showing glimpses of the strong leadership he would be known for in the future.
5) The multiple times S.Coups watched SEVENTEEN with a smile
For more than seven years, S.Coups has led a group as large, diversified, and skilled as SEVENTEEN. He feels proud of all the members and sometimes just wants to take a minute in the middle of a show to observe their camaraderie from afar.
SEVENTEEN's S.Coups, as the group's eldest member, feels responsible for bringing forth the finest of all thirteen distinct identities, similar to a parent seeking the best for their children.
He never forgets to acknowledge his team's contributions, admiring others as they go about making music, creating choreography, polishing performances, and bettering themselves.
Choi Seungcheol celebrates his 27th birthday on August 8, 2022, while the Very Nice group was enroute to Canada for their upcoming concert in Vancouver on August 10.
The concert will kick off the North American leg of the group's BE THE SUN World Tour. They will perform at various US locations and in Canada before moving to Asia, and eventually concluding their tour in Aichi, Japan in December.
