On February 22, 2021, through a private message, Hyewon introduced the preface to author Ha-hyun’s *This Is My Tenderness* and said that asking about little things was her way of showing tenderness. This echoed things she had said in an interview with a magazine late in 2020, such as “I like little things people say” and “I draw strength from things one can say in everyday life.” The passage offers a glimpse of Hyewon’s usual thoughts and attitude; it also shows that her repeated questions to fans through private messages—whether they had eaten and what they were doing—were, in the end, synonymous with saying “I love you.” On March 13, while talking about her feelings after the online concert, she once again told WIZ*ONE to be sure to eat properly, giving fans a small smile in an emotional moment. Later, Hyewon’s past remarks came back into the spotlight, highlighting her thoughtful and tender side. 4. Position 4.1. Dance During *Produce 48*, her dancing was considerably weaker than that of the other members. However, this was not so much because she lacked talent for dancing as because her trainee period was short and she did not receive proper training during that time.[21] Fans therefore expected her skills to change depending on the results of further training. After IZ*ONE debuted, her skills continued to improve as a result of her agency’s training and her own steady efforts. She handled her parts competently on music shows and at year-end award ceremonies. In particular, she impressed fans with her progress by performing the dance-break section very well at MAMA in Korea 2018. As her activities continued, she blended seamlessly into the group choreography at IZ*ONE’s various performances and concerts and continued to grow. On the group’s third mini album, she showed remarkable improvement in the precision and power of her choreography, as well as in her varied facial expressions, earning praise from fans. In the music video for “Panorama,” the title track of *One-reeler / Act IV*, there is a brief scene in which she performs the choreography on her own. The B-side “Sequence” also includes a paired dance with Yena, one of the team’s stronger dancers after Chaeyeon and Eunbi. Her share of the choreography had grown compared with before, showing that she had improved enough to be entrusted with a point-dance section. 4.2. Rap and vocals She serves as the team’s lead rapper and sub-vocalist. Her specialty is buoyant, lively rap that suits her distinctive, bouncy vocal delivery and bright moods. In calmer songs, she also sometimes performs singing rap in a lower register. The difference can be heard by comparing her raps in “Violeta” and “Really Like You” with the one in “Airplane.” One of her strengths is that her rap style changes from song to song, giving her a different kind of appeal in each track. She had never rapped as a trainee,[22] but rapped three times on *Produce 48*. The first time, she volunteered because nobody else would take the part; the second time, she took it on as a challenge; and the third time, she ended up taking the rap part because she was the only Korean in the team who could do so. She unintentionally acquired an image as a rapper. In the debut song “La Vie en Rose,”[23] she received a part as lead rapper, and she took the main rap part in the B-side “Beautiful Color,”[24] receiving a decent assessment. Depending on how she develops in the future, the proportion of her rap parts may increase. As a sub-vocalist, she received quite a few memorable parts in “La Vie en Rose,”[25] partly because she stood out visually and had a rather lovely vocal tone. At the Japanese showcase on January 20, 2019, she performed the rap part in “I AM” very well, continuing to demonstrate her ability in rap parts. She also handled a rap part in “Violeta,” the title track of *HEART*IZ*,[26] presenting a more developed rap and receiving a positive response. She performed rap and vocals on the B-sides “Sunflower,”[27] “Airplane,”[28] and “Highlight,”[29] and it seemed likely that she would continue to be assigned sub-vocal or rap parts. There was some change in her position on the title track “FIESTA”[30] from the full-length album *BLOOM*IZ*: for the first time, she took a vocal part rather than a rap part.[31] Whether this marked a change from her usual rap-focused direction would become clearer depending on how parts were allocated on subsequent albums.[32] On the title track “Secret Story of the Swan” from the third mini album *Oneiric Diary*,[33] she received a part in the chorus. It was one of the most prominent parts she had received during IZ*ONE title-track promotions, and it was also in a relatively high vocal range.[34] She also received a high falsetto part on the B-side “With*One,”[35] showing growth as a vocalist. On the title track “Panorama” from the fourth mini album, she took a paired part with Sakura and was responsible for interjections throughout the song. She also had a memorable part in the B-side “Mise-en-Scène,” showing further improvement. She also rapped briefly in the B-side “O sole mio.” 5. Character 5.1. Nicknames Nicknames officially mentioned by her or a member during activities, or widely known and used by fans, should be described with sources. Nickname — Description Kanchan: Originally, Sato Minami and Chiba Erii used this as a friendly Japanese-style way to address Kang Hyewon. After Hyewon’s debut, it became her official nickname in Japan. Since it is written in Japanese as カンちゃん, its actual Japanese pronunciation is “Kanchan.” During activities in Japan, most of the other members are called by their names, while Hyewon is called Kanchan. Officially, of course, she works under the name Kang Hyewon, but she also introduces herself as Kanchan. It seems she is more accustomed to it in Japan. Gwangbae / Gwangsoon: These are official nicknames that are used more often than her real name. The nickname Gwangbae arose after IZ*ONE’s debut. On 5ch, Kang Hyewon was called “Kanchan”; when a thread using that nickname was translated with Papago, it became “Kang Gwangbae,” which led to the nickname. It is a catchy nickname recognized by both herself and others. When she is in a “skinship villain” mode or turns into a big-eating character filming a mukbang, people call her “Mr. Kang Gwangbae” or “Gwangbae hyung.” Fans both in the East and the West use the nickname.[36] In the early days of becoming fans, many WIZ*ONE members thought her real name was “Gwang Hyewon.” Later, a story became known that Ahn Yujin, who shared a dorm with her, called her “Gwangsoon,” and the Gwangsoon character was added. Sejeong-flavored Sohye: A nickname used during *Produce 48*. At the time, she seemed not to have received proper training after going through various difficulties. She appeared to have joined to pursue her own growth, like Kim Sohye,[37] but in reality, she more often had to step forward herself, like Sejeong. Pure-hearted rapper from hell: In the English-speaking world, she is known as “INNOCENT RAP QUEEN,” “PureRapGod,” and “shy shy rapper.” The nickname came from her performances on *Produce 48*. Gear-gap: During the broadcast of *Produce 48*, she showed Monkey D. Luffy’s technique, Gear Second, as a personal talent several times. It is sometimes shortened to “Mongdi.” A variation on Monkey D. Luffy also gave rise to the nickname “Gwangbae D. Hyewon.” Minami’s mom: This nickname arose because she stayed close to and looked after Sato Minami during *Produce 48*. Some fans occasionally called her “Hyewon’s mom,” but that expression was completely mistaken, as it meant that Hyewon was Minami’s mother. Fans gradually settled on “Minami’s mom,” and in episode 6, when Sato Minami asked Kang Hyewon to rap, the subtitles described her as “a.k.a. Minami’s mom.” After IZ*ONE debuted, during a V LIVE held in Japan, Chaeyeon mistook Minami for Nanami. Hyewon reacted indignantly, saying, “It’s Minami!” Kang Hamzzi or Kang Hyemzzi: Sato Minami said on her Showroom that she called Kang Hyewon by this nickname. Kang Hyewon, in turn, called Minami “Sato-kki.” “Hyem” is an expression Hyewon used in her private messages, and fans have consequently started using it frequently. Ending fairy: This nickname arose because, at the end of a V LIVE broadcast, while the members were lamenting that the broadcast was ending, she promptly pressed the end button and finished the stream. Kang Coral: A nickname based on her representative color, coral. It came up on *Weekly Idol*. Airport warrior: A nickname given because her beauty was always on full display in airport photos, no matter the situation (night or dawn), angle, or outfit. Gwangtographer: A combination of Gwangbae and “photographer.” This refers to how she appeared in episode 1 of *IZ*ONE Chu: Secret Friend*. Ice princess: A nickname from *My Little Television*. It came from how she could keep her composure without changing her expression even while putting her feet in cold water. Skinship villain: A nickname that arose from how frequently she engaged in skinship with the members, beginning during *Produce 48* and continuing after her debut. Gwangyomi: A combination of Gwangbae and “cutie.” During promotions for the first full-length album, she showed a cute side that she had not shown before in various videos, including Arcade, ENOZI Cam, and Star Road. Fans were surprised and wondered what had happened to Hyewon during the break. Grape or grape berry: A very literal nickname that arose after she dyed her hair purple for promotions for the third mini album. It was simply because she looked like a purple grape. Eunbi also said on V LIVE that Hyewon’s purple hair looked like a grape. After Hyewon later dyed her hair a green color close to blonde, some fans called her “green grape.” She called herself “Green Hyem.” Kang Dajeong: Hyewon’s thoughtful and tender side came into focus around the time of the second online concert in 2021. Her fans in particular increasingly called her “Kang Dajeong.” The “Dajeong” part of the name was taken from the title of a book Hyewon recommended to WIZ*ONE through a private message.
