Cha Hak-yeon's Bold Move with a Hairpiece: "50 Outfits for Fitting" (The Absolute Value of Romance) [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Interview with actor Cha Hak-yeon, who plays the role of Ga Woo-soo in Coupang Play's series "The Absolute Value of Romance"

Actor Cha Hak-yeon expressed his affection for "The Absolute Value of Romance," in which he shared acting chemistry with Kim Hyang-gi.

Recently, an interview with actor Cha Hak-yeon from Coupang Play's series "The Absolute Value of Romance" (script by Lee Min-ju, directed by Lee Tae-gon and Kim Jun-hyeong) was held at a café in Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

"The Absolute Value of Romance" is a high school comedy series featuring high school girl Yeo Ui-ju (played by Kim Hyang-gi), who writes romance novels about handsome male teachers, as she encounters unexpected moments with them in reality and becomes the protagonist of a tumultuous school life. Cha Hak-yeon plays Ga Woo-soo, a math teacher known as a Mensa member with an IQ of 156 and a math genius.

Cha Hak-yeon stated, "When I first read the script, I felt the scent of youth strongly and wanted to share that story. I also felt like I was reliving my school days. I chose the work because I wanted to convey youth well. It was also the work where I laughed the most on set. It felt like reliving my school days once again."

He continued, "Kim Hyang-gi's comedy acting was so funny. The staff also laughed along without exception, and the atmosphere was so good that we even had NGs because of the laughter. Although it was Kim Hyang-gi's first time doing comedy, she seems to have done it very well."

In "The Absolute Value of Romance," high school student Yeo Ui-ju transforms into a BL web novel writer at night. Cha Hak-yeon displayed diverse charm within the web novel.

Regarding this, Cha Hak-yeon said, "The director explained the direction very well. The director often asked, 'Is this okay?' Still, I am happy that many people enjoyed it."

He explained, "It was a challenge in terms of visuals. We prepared 50 outfits each with the stylist and did fittings. There were scenes where I wore a hairpiece. There was a process of refining it a lot with the director, and the set was not confined. The character within the play within the play seemed to have free movement, so I took on the challenge."

Cha Hak-yeon took on a BL-themed project for the second time since "The Killer Who Lives Next Door" with "The Absolute Value of Romance." He said, "I thought 'The Absolute Value of Romance' was more of a romance than a BL. During principal photography, there were many times I couldn't hold back laughter. The director probably tried to laugh a lot during rehearsals on purpose. Ironically, not holding back laughter was the know-how to hold back laughter. I think I was the one who couldn't hold back laughter the most on set," he said while laughing.

He continued, "To be honest, I don't think BL-themed works are significantly different from other works. I tried to understand and act naturally."

How was the acting chemistry with Kim Hyang-gi? Cha Hak-yeon said, "Isn't Kim Hyang-gi an acting veteran? I was so sorry because I laughed too much. Kim Hyang-gi would bring small snacks and share them. We naturally talked over those small things, and that atmosphere continued. I learned a lot by seeing her standing like a straight tree. Some staff members called her 'teacher.' I felt the power of Kim Hyang-gi, who has acted for a long time. I learned a lot by seeing her exert energy in every scene," expressing his gratitude toward Kim Hyang-gi.

He also said, "Kim Hyang-gi's appearance, which did not waver in any phenomenon, was impressive. I tend to react to even small things, but I learned a lot by seeing Kim Hyang-gi not waver. When we try to be funny just to be fun, we can become light, but Kim Hyang-gi had extraordinary concentration once filming started. I was also able to film well relying on that."

Cha Hak-yeon also mentioned his acting chemistry with Kim Jae-hyun (playing Noh Da-ju), Son Jeong-hyeok (playing Jeong Gi-jeon), and Kim Dong-gyu (playing Yoon Dong-ju). Cha Hak-yeon said, "Except for Kim Jae-hyun, all the MBTI types were I (introverted). Kim Jae-hyun was like a vitamin. Whenever I was about to slump, he would lift me up endlessly. It seems we had a well-balanced relationship," expressing his affection for his colleagues.

He recalled the filming days, saying, "When I received direction for the play within the play, I was told, 'It would be good to give impactful and more exaggerated acting, acting without limits.' The actors who appeared with me also felt like, 'Are they going this far?' There were also many scenes filled with ad-libs."

Cha Hak-yeon took on the role of a teacher with "The Absolute Value of Romance." Regarding this, he said, "It was difficult to memorize math formulas, but I tried to memorize them. I memorized them very hard without taking shortcuts. I memorized the formulas first and tried to master the lines. I watched many lectures. I tried not to imitate a specific lecturer but to find the unique characteristics of the character Ga Woo-soo. There were also many items. There was chalk that scattered a lot of powder and chalk that was the opposite. I ordered a lot from Coupang and have them," which elicited laughter.

Cha Hak-yeon said, "I have a room at home made for acting. Before starting a work, I decorate that space to fit the role. I happened to clean up that space two days ago. I once acted there while sitting my elementary school nephew. The nephew seemed to have been troubled saying 'I don't know,' so I bought him something delicious," expressing his affection for the role.

What efforts did Cha Hak-yeon make to play the emotionless Ga Woo-soo? Cha Hak-yeon said, "I practiced inversion a lot. I spent about a month changing my speech pattern. Even in daily conversations with friends, I spoke that way, so I was told, 'Why do you speak so rudely?' The director explained the role by saying, 'I want him to be so impenetrable that you might wonder, "Why is he like this?"' So I thought so and acted relying on the sense of reality," he joked.

Regarding Ga Woo-soo's unique reaction to reading Yeo Ui-ju's web novel, Cha Hak-yeon said, "I laughed a lot. I think the scene where Ga Woo-soo realizes he is the sub-hero makes him look more charming, so I like that scene."

In the play, the character Sion, played by Cha Hak-yeon in the web novel, drew attention with striking external changes, such as wearing a long bangs reminiscent of the 1990s and a red leather coat.

Regarding this, Cha Hak-yeon said, "At first, I didn't think it would go that far. The play within the play is written more like a scene of romance than comedy. Actually, at first, the costumes were ordinary and pretty clothes, but then the director said he wanted them to be more glamorous later. He wanted Ga Woo-soo and Sion to contrast."

He continued, "From then on, I was excited, and the costume designer was excited too. We rented various outfits and brought in collection fittings. We brought outfits that we really thought were stylish," which elicited laughter.

"The Absolute Value of Romance" also faced some concerns because it was a high school romance featuring teachers and students before its release. Regarding this, Cha Hak-yeon said, "Actually, I had no such worries. I heard that students would only admire their teachers, and the actors were aware of that part and approached the work without worries, acting freely."

He also emphasized, "In fact, when acting, we did not act with such (romantic) emotions. There will be no such emotional line from beginning to end."

Did your school days come to mind while filming? Cha Hak-yeon said, "There was no cold teacher like Ga Woo-soo. I remember my high school third-year physical education teacher a lot. I caught friends running away from night study with that teacher and also ate jjajangmyeon. When I contacted the teacher while working on this project, he told me, 'You caused a lot of trouble.' I remembered myself as a model student, but I wasn't. The teacher did not watch 'The Absolute Value of Romance,'" he confessed, eliciting laughter.

Cha Hak-yeon debuted in 2012 with the group VIXX's single album "Super Hero." Since then, he has appeared in dramas such as "Hotel King" (playing Noah) in 2014, "Go Go Squid," "Tunnel," "Perfect Wife," "My Husband Got a Family," "Red Moon, Blue Sun," "Mine," "Diva on the Desert Island," "Lawyer No Mu-jin," "The Killer Who Lives Next Door," "Eun-jung and Sang-yeon," and others.

On this day, Cha Hak-yeon said regarding the VIXX full-group fan concert held last February after seven years, "We filmed 'The Absolute Value of Romance' in Jeonju. I think I went to every gym in Jeonju. I filmed in Jeonju and then went to prepare for the fan concert, and that's how I spent my time."

He said, "Recently, member Hyuk sent me a screenshot of a scene where I dressed up as Pythagoras in the drama. Members give feedback like that. Recently, we also gathered together at Leo's house. If there are difficult parts in acting with the members, we talk about them. Recently, we also read the script of another work together," boasting of his enduring friendship with the VIXX members.

He continued, "VIXX's 14th debut anniversary is coming soon. The members are quietly making plans. We are also receiving many good acting proposals, and we are grateful."

He also revealed his weight management secrets during his activity period. Cha Hak-yeon said, "My face tends to get round easily. Since the Ga Woo-soo role had to be sharp, I tried not to gain weight. I also made sure to eat salads for meals."

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*This content was translated by AI.