This Man is the debut single album by Jeonghan x Wonwoo, a sub-unit of the South Korean boy band Seventeen. It was released on June 17, 2024, alongside its lead single "Last Night", featuring guitarist Park Ju-won, and currently holds the highest first-week sales record for an album released by a K-pop sub-unit.
On May 19, 2024, Pledis Entertainment announced a new Seventeen sub-unit comprising group members Jeonghan and Wonwoo via a logo trailer and a video teaser entitled "The City", revealing news of their upcoming single album This Man. This release marked the debut of Jeonghan x Wonwoo as Seventeen's second official sub-unit, after BSS' inception in 2018.
Prior to its release, This Man was promoted with the staggered rollout of a scheduler video, various teaser clips, and a soundtrack film. On June 8, 2024, the album was revealed to be composed of three tracks: the lead single "Last Night", Jeonghan's solo track "Beautiful Monster", and Wonwoo's solo track "Leftover". Concept photos of the single album were digitally released and later used as outdoor advertisements across districts Seongsu, Myeongdong, and Gangnam in Seoul, as well as Shibuya in Tokyo. On June 13, "Profile of This Man", an audiobook teaser video narrated by Jeonghan and Wonwoo, was released. A themed pop-up store featuring clothing, merchandise, and a photo zone was open from June 18âÂÂ24 at the Times Square mall in Seoul to commemorate the release of the album.
This Man was digitally and physically released on June 17, 2024. Its lead single, "Last Night", was released alongside a music video on the same day. On non-Korean platforms, the album was released under the artist name JxW. On June 18, Full Story of This Man, an audiobook voiced by Jeonghan and Wonwoo, was released.
On June 20, a collaboration between Jeonghan x Wonwoo and luxury chocolate brand Godiva was announced, launching Godiva's This Man Edition, a limited edition offering that includes three types of chocolates selected by Jeonghan and Wonwoo, as well as a special package that features chocolates and biscuits reflecting the album's design. Desserts inspired by the album were also made available across all Godiva stores located in South Korea.
Inspired by an urban legend that people from all over the world encounter the same mysterious man in their dreams, the album's story was written by Cho Ye-eun, a thriller and horror novelist whose achievements include the Excellence Prize at the 2nd Goldenbough Time Leap Fiction Contest and the Grand Prize at the 4th Kyobo Story Contest. As revealed in the audiobook teaser, the titular man is introduced by Jeonghan as a fugitive who had turned to the world of dreams to escape the feeling of losing someone precious; in contrast, Wonwoo described him as an "observer of the city", who gifts people who wander through shallow dreams with sweet sleep.
On the first day of its release, This Man was reported to have sold 537,083 copies. Four days after its release, the album surpassed the first-week sales record for a K-pop sub-unit, recording 694,009 copies sold. By the end of the first week, the album extended the record, totaling to 787,046 copies sold.
Credits adapted from the single album's liner notes.