PENTAGON’s ‘Coward’ Celebrates Their 10 Years Together

Debuting in 2016 from the MNET survival show Pentagon Maker, they went on to draw people in with their powerful vocals and composing abilities, with many of the members listed in the credits of their hits.

To say the group has faced an unconventional run would be an understatement. Much of that mainstream success didn't happen until after the first year of their run, with the success of 'Shine' and two of the original members (Hui and E'Dawn) forming a trio with Hyuna with their own respective hits.

However, after Hyuna and E'Dawn reported being in a relationship, both were no longer with Cube later that year. And for a while, the remaining members of the group had a difficult time gaining traction. This became especially apparent when the leader of PENTAGON, Hui, was announced as a contestant for Boys Planet, a show that was meant for trainees and rookies who wanted to break into K-Pop. Despite his years of experience and already being from a bigger label, Hui was competing against people who haven't even debuted in a group, ever.

Some time later, the group's contracts expired, and they all chose not to renew with Cube. That distinction is important. Although the members were no longer with the company, they were still together, united as PENTAGON, assuring fans that they would be back.

On September 11th, 2026, that promise became solidified with their comeback for their 10th anniversary, with the single 'Coward'. The song's message is about someone working up the courage to face another after a long time.

Written and produced by Kino, the lyrics provide visuals of them as a whole pacing back and forth. As each member sings different verses, they count down the days until the reunion and describe what it means to long for someone while being anxious to see them again.

The music video features many themes that reflect this. The boys are often seen in a subway station, a place meant for departure and arrival, waiting for their train to pick them up to theoretically take them to see their fans again. The cut to the classic boy band tropes together, such as the running, fireworks, and mid-air jumping to individual shots, shows where they started and became tied together by that same origin as a group.

Towards the end, they're seen mailing letters, presumably to their fans, known as UNIVERSE. It wraps up the song as a confession and a promise at once. The one fans have been holding onto for years, finally sent.