Ni-ki of ENHYPEN made a dramatic style transformation at a major year-end music festival, immediately becoming a top social media trend and sparking excitement among fans for the group’s next musical chapter.
At the 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 25, the group’s youngest member arrived on the red carpet with a look that marked a complete departure from his recent appearance. Ni-ki debuted a new hairstyle featuring black hair with bold silver-white streaks at the front and crown, creating a distinct and eye-catching “Oreo” effect. The style was completed with a freshly buzzed undercut and a notable slit in his eyebrow. This visual shift happened just weeks after he was seen with long blonde hair during a live broadcast in mid-December, taking fans by surprise and dominating online conversations about the event.
Ni-ki’s look at the Inspire Arena in Incheon was carefully crafted. His hair was cut in a sharp undercut style, with the sides and back kept very short. The longer hair on top was styled in a slightly messy, spiked-up look, with his fringe swept to one side of his forehead. The most striking feature was the color: deep black hair dramatically contrasted with chunks of bright silver-white at the front, resulting in the “Oreo” nickname given by fans. The addition of a clean slit shaved into his eyebrow added an extra edge to his overall appearance.
This style is not entirely new for Ni-ki. Fans online noted it as a return of his “infamous oreo hairstyle,” suggesting he has sported similar two-tone looks before, which have become a signature part of his image. The sudden change from his previous blonde hair made the reveal on the red carpet even more impactful.
The reaction from fans on social media was instant and overwhelmingly positive. The Korean phrase for “Ni-ki’s hair” quickly became a top trend on the platform X, climbing to the number 10 spot on South Korea’s trending list. Fans flooded social media with praise, expressing their admiration for his bold new look.
He looks so fine wtf 😭❤️🔥❤️🔥
HIS NEW HAIRSTYLE’S SO SEXY 😖🖤🤍
the coolest maknae in kpop u cant convince me otherwise
Many fans focused on the styling details, with one user pointing out, “it’s not even just the color the styling is so perfect too”. Others celebrated his influence, predicting the look would inspire many others. One fan wrote, “I just know he’ll inspire a lot of ppl again to do this kind of hairstyle 🔥🔥🔥 Ni-ki always a trendsetter”. The look was also linked to the group’s upcoming projects, with fans connecting it to their new era.
Ni-ki’s striking new appearance is closely tied to ENHYPEN’s imminent musical return. The group has announced their seventh mini-album, titled The Sin: Vanish, scheduled for release on January 16, 2026. This album is described as the group’s most direct exploration of vampire mythology yet, a theme that has been central to their story universe.
The album’s concept is built around a forbidden love story between a human and a vampire, with themes of desire, sacrifice, and exile. Belift Lab, the group’s agency, has framed it as the beginning of a new chapter called The Sin series within ENHYPEN’s dark fantasy narrative. To build the world of this comeback, the group launched a fictional digital news outlet called Vampire Now, which gained over 47,000 Instagram followers in just one day.
Also Read:
A teaser trailer released on December 19 offers clues about this darker direction. The video shows the members, including Ni-ki, running from an unknown threat, interspersed with scenes of them together. The trailer is captioned “Vampire is coming”. Ni-ki’s edgy, monochromatic red carpet look is widely seen by fans as the first real-world glimpse into this new, intense vampire concept for the The Sin: Vanish era.
The 2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon is one of South Korea’s major year-end network music festivals, where top artists perform and celebrate the year’s achievements. ENHYPEN’s attendance and red carpet moment came on the heels of significant recognition. Just recently, the group won the Visa Fan’s Choice of the Year award at the 2025 MAMA Awards in Hong Kong. Their last release before the upcoming album was DESIRE: UNLEASH in June 2025.
The group’s commitment to an interconnected storyline across their albums adds deeper meaning to stylistic choices like Ni-ki’s hair. With The Sin: Vanish, they are adopting the format of a fictional investigative broadcast, complete with narration and skits, to explore an unresolved case in vampire society. The physical album will extend this immersive experience with themed items like flyers, stickers, and advertisement cards from the album’s fictional world.
Also Read: Idol I Episode 2 Recap: Lawyer Maeng Se Na Faces Off Against Prosecutor Kwak Byung-gyun in Court
