Before 'Chakgak (착각)', an ONEW starter guide — from '1 of 1' to 'TOUGH LOVE', and from lyricist 'Lee Jin-ki' to composer 'ONEW'

ONEW's first single album, 'Chakgak (착각)', comes out today at 6 p.m. KST, and it has no fewer than three title tracks. The trailer released on September 4 listed September 29, October 7 and today, in that order, as the dates for those title tracks. The first is 'Mind Games', sung with YUJU, and the second is 'Tic Tac Toe', made with ZICO. To trace the ONEW who came before, we followed the credits. On the first mini album in 2018, the real name '이진기' (Lee Jin-ki) was on the lyricist list for two album tracks; on 'TOUGH LOVE' this March, '온유 (ONEW)' heads the list of composers for the title track. We connected those two points with one SHINee song and five solo songs. Song descriptions and credits come from Bugs, and scene times from the official music videos.

At a glance

Year	Song	ONEW in the credits	Watch first
2016	SHINee '1 of 1'	Lyrics for album track 'So Amazing'	3:21 a circle that becomes the 'o' in the logo
2018	'Blue'	Lyrics on two album tracks (as Lee Jin-ki)	0:57 a clear crystal on a stand
2022	'DICE'	Lyrics for album track 'In the whale' (as Lee Jin-ki)	1:39 a die caught in a white glove
2024	'Beat Drum'	Lyrics for the title track and every song on the album	1:15 dancers on a drumhead
2025	'ANIMALS'	Lyrics, arrangement	2:20 a wolf silhouette in the fog
2026	'TOUGH LOVE'	Composition, lyrics	0:01 a white ball rolling down a cliff path

2016 · SHINee '1 of 1'

The title track of SHINee's fifth full-length album. On this album, which the Bugs notes call an 'analog comeback', SHINee brought back new jack swing, a sound that was popular in the 1990s. It's a dance song that lays a smooth R&B melody over a funky rhythm. ONEW's name is on the album's very last song: the special track 'So Amazing', whose Korean lyrics ONEW wrote alone. The song likens the joy of meeting fans up close at a concert to a drive to the sea with someone you love. At 3:15 in the music video, SHINee, in suits of every color, are framed inside a circle, and at 3:21 that same circle drops straight into the place of the 'o' in the '1of1 SHINee' logo. Apple Music

2018 · 'Blue'

The title track of the first mini album, 'VOICE'. It's R&B with the feel of old pop and jazz, and the tension in the piano playing stands out. Tensions are extra notes stacked on top of a basic chord to add a subtle, curious kind of strain. Kenzie wrote the lyrics, which compare loneliness to a blue sea. ONEW's name appears, as the real name '이진기', on the lyricist lists for two album tracks, 'Illusion' (사랑이었을까) and 'Shine On You' (온유하게 해요). 'Shine On You', with lyrics by ONEW alone, is filled with nothing but guitar and voice. At 0:57 in the music video, in a dark room, two hands close around a clear crystal on a golden stand. At 4:25, the same crystal glows blue between those hands. Apple Music

2022 · 'DICE'

The title track of the second mini album. Over a guitar plucked in short, clipped bursts and a crisp synth, it sets lyrics about betting everything on love even when you know it's a losing game. ONEW is credited as a lyricist, alongside Ji Eum Seo (서지음), on the album's last song, 'In the whale'. Here too, the name in the credits is '이진기' (Lee Jin-ki). It's said to be a song for fans, promising to stay close even in deep darkness. At 1:12 in the music video, ONEW, in a 'WEEKEND BOY' hat and a pink bellhop uniform, pushes a luggage cart down a hotel corridor. At 1:37 a clear blue die tumbles through the air, and at 1:39 a hand in a white glove catches it. Apple Music

2024 · 'Beat Drum'

The title track of the third mini album, 'FLOW', released through Griffin Entertainment; its Korean title is '매력 (beat drum)'. The album notes say that, unlike the earlier albums, which centered on voice and emotion, this one focuses on songs you can enjoy together. ONEW produced the album, and '온유 (ONEW)' is on the lyricist list for all six songs. The title track was written with 박랑, and it likens a heart that races for something to a drumbeat. At 1:13 in the music video, ONEW grips the drumsticks in the dark, and at 1:15, seen from above, dancers move across a drumhead. Apple Music

2025 · 'ANIMALS'

The title track of the second full-length album, 'PERCENT'. ONEW wrote the lyrics with IZE and is also on the list of arrangers. Arranging means deciding which instruments come in, when, and how they're stacked. The album notes single out a clean bassline and the rhythm of an acoustic guitar as the heart of the song. Our main photo comes from 0:17 in the music video, with ONEW standing in the middle of a subway car. At 2:20, a silhouette with a wolf's head stands in white fog, and at 2:37 a single silver microphone falls from space toward Earth, landing in the middle of a crowd at 2:40. Apple Music

2026 · 'TOUGH LOVE'

The title track of the fifth mini album, released this March. '온유 (ONEW)' is the first name on the list of composers, and the lyrics were written with Lee Seuran (이스란) and Ryan Bickley. ONEW is also credited as a composer on the album track 'Lie'. Count the Bugs credits for the 29 songs on 'FLOW', 'CONNECTION', 'PERCENT' and 'TOUGH LOVE', plus 'Mind Games', and ONEW is on the lyricist list for 25 of them. And 25 of those same 29 songs credit ditch david for composition or arrangement. The album notes sum up the message of the lyrics as 'because it's love, you bear the pain and awaken your potential.' The music video begins at 0:01 with a single white ball rolling down a cliff path. At 2:08, the words 'Won't stop till you reach your potential' cross the screen in red, and at 3:17 ONEW, lying among flowers, holds that same white ball from the opening. Apple Music

October 20 'Chakgak (착각)'

In the trailer, people on a street at night look up at something in surprise. At 0:53, when the picture moves to a giant electronic billboard, you see ONEW smiling and a red band that reads '착각 1ST SINGLE ALBUM'.

The first title track, 'Mind Games', released on September 29, is a duet with YUJU. It moves forward on vocals and a single acoustic guitar, and ONEW wrote the lyrics with Jiggy. Once again, ditch david is among the composers and arrangers. Why we chose this song is in our NONOL PICK. Apple Music

ONEW once compared love to a game in 'DICE', and the two title tracks so far have games right in their titles. 'Tic Tac Toe' carries ZICO's name alongside ONEW's, and it reportedly started from tic-tac-toe, the game where two players take turns placing O's and X's. It's an R&B hip-hop track in which the two artists read 'sseom' (썸), that undefined stage before two people start dating, in different ways, and it reportedly lays a crisp-textured beat over a bouncy low-end rhythm. The Bugs credits list ONEW, ZICO and Liljune for lyrics, and six composers, including ditch david, ONEW and ZICO. On the Bugs weekly chart for the second week of October (October 5–11), it came in at No. 1 just five days after its release. The visualizer, which came out first at midnight KST on October 7, is shot like a record of studio sessions. At 0:51 the two high-five, and at 1:12 a film slate has 'Onew & Zico' written on it by hand.

The third title track arrives today at 6 p.m. KST, along with the whole single. From October 30 to November 1, the solo concert 'ONEW THE LIVE : Q' takes place at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Seoul.