K-Pop Soloist Evan Opens Up About Battling Cancer as a Child

Evan, formerly known as Heeseung of ENHYPEN, revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer as a child. This marks the first time he has disclosed details about his past illness since debuting as a member of the K-pop boy group in 2020 and, later, as a soloist in 2026.

In an interview with Weverse Magazine, the 24-year-old idol said that he was diagnosed with cancer—specifically malignant lymphoma—when he was only in fourth grade. He shared, “I kept coughing, and at first I just figured it was a cold and didn’t think much of it, but then when I was playing soccer, I took four or five steps and suddenly couldn’t breathe. I found out at the hospital later that it was cancer.”

Music was naturally one of the things he leaned on. “When the hospital held events like talent shows for the patients, I’d play guitar and even host them.” This traces back to his childhood dream of becoming a singer, but he admitted not having “the mental bandwidth to even think about that” while he was in the hospital. “I’d watch my friends pass away and kept thinking, ‘I want to live so badly, I want to go home.’”

While he successfully made it through the treatment process, he also faced challenges as he tried to make friends. “I had a lot less energy, and since my hair was still growing back from chemo, I got teased a lot for it.” He recalled hearing his friends compare his short hair to grass and tell him that he looked like a monk. “I just took it because I wanted to fit in.” According to Evan, these experiences made him become more of an introvert as he grew up.

Years have passed since then, but he continues to rely on music for strength and comfort. “I wanted to use the start of my music under the name Evan to tell people that good days do eventually come around,” he concluded.

The lymphatic system is a “network of tissues, vessels and organs that help your body fight infection,” as explained by Cleveland Clinic. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, in which white blood cells become cancerous and continue to grow uncontrollably. “Like most cancers, most of the genetic mutations that cause lymphoma happen spontaneously, without a clear cause.” The illness usually begins in the lymph nodes or other lymphoid tissue, which are part of the immune system.

In Evan’s case, he had malignant lymphoma, which means his cancer was malignant and had the potential to spread to other parts of his body.