Former CIX member Hyunsuk says his role in My Bias, My Boss marked his true acting debut and a new chapter after the group’s end.

Hyunsuk, formerly of CIX, announced his full-fledged first step as an actor through My Bias, My Boss. Hyunsuk recently held a wrap-up interview for the tvN Monday-Tuesday drama My Bias, My Boss -My Bias, My Boss- (written by Lee Young and Kim Ji-an, directed by Park Ji-hyun and Jeong Da-hyeon) at the Newsen building in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. My Bias, My Boss is a work depicting the office growth romance of a new employee, Nam Dal-reum (Kim Hye-jun), who joined the company to meet her favorite, Lee Chan (Cha Woo-min), but somehow ended up becoming the “most favorite employee.” Hyunsuk played Hyuk, the leader of the group D.N.X, in which Lee Chan was active. In fact, with CIX’s group activities having ended this April, Hyunsuk portrayed the process of an idol group’s disbandment, conflict, and eventual reunion in My Bias, My Boss. He revealed, “I was cast after auditioning, but filming overlapped with the time when my contract with the agency was ending, so it felt strange. While my chest felt tight, I wanted to do well, and rather, my immersion in the role became even deeper.” He continued, “They probably did not cast me because they knew that, but the timing of the drama and reality overlapping is not something easy, is it? So I think it became a precious memory. In some ways, there were times when I felt sad, but through acting, while recalling my own situation, I think it rather helped me get through it more easily.” He said there were many moments while acting that brought back real memories, such as winning first place on music shows and concerts. Hyunsuk said, “It felt strange to film as a different occupation in places I had naturally been going to. It was also fresh to have staff and actors in that space, and it was strange to act as a team called D.N.X. It is impossible in real life, but even fighting in the waiting room was a new experience. The waiting room was spacious, so it was easy to fight (laughs).” Asked what it felt like to act as an idol while being an idol, Hyunsuk said, “It was even harder. In the drama, when you are an idol, you have to look more brilliant and glamorous, so I think I paid a little more attention to appearance than in real life. I do not go overboard with aegyo, but in the drama I think the eyes are important. Even when filming stage scenes, I tried to give off sparkling eyes and a bright, shining impression.” Hyunsuk said he studied the character Hyuk while thinking about what he would have done if he were Hyuk, and he had many similarities with the character. He said, “I myself also had deep affection for the group CIX. When it was time to renew our contracts and we discussed it with the agency, I wanted to keep the team going even if we had to enlist together with the members. I debuted because I wanted to become an idol, and the time that passed was a special memory.” He added, “Hyuk was the same. He had great affection for the team and a strong sense of responsibility as a leader. In a situation where the group was at its peak, he felt disappointed in Roy (Jeong Woo-jin), and he also felt betrayed by Chan, who knew about it but did not tell them until the article came out. Although the deeper backstory was not shown, while Chan was living as a top star, Hyuk must have been doing part-time jobs and occasionally going to the broadcasting station. Because his affection for the team was so great, I interpreted that his pride was hurt and his resentment was deep.” Having challenged himself with acting through the 2021 web drama Falling for a Bad Guy, and continuing to act in works such as The World of My 17, The Probability of Falling in Love on a Trip Season 3.5, and The Chairman Is a Delinquent High School Student!? he has, through My Bias, My Boss, taken a full-fledged start as actor Hyunsuk rather than as an idol. Regarding the changes from his previous works, Hyunsuk said, “If before I was acting in a fixed, set way one by one, this time there were many moments when I acted while truly putting my own emotions into it. I received many comments that my eyes were good, so I want to make use of that strength and show acting that speaks a lot through the eyes.” He added, “I was able to relax more than when I was doing group activities in parallel. When I was doing web dramas, I was careful to look pretty, but this time I lowered my skin tone quite a bit, and even if I sweated and my hair got wavy, I acted without minding it. I realized that this is how acting should be.” Hyunsuk said that not only has he changed from idol to actor, but it also feels as if he has opened the page to a second chapter as the person Yoon Hyunsuk. He said, “While filming My Bias, My Boss, I auditioned for Study Group 2, and during the first round the director said, ‘It did not feel like I was talking with you.’ Because I am an idol, perhaps there was a part of me that was a little too polished. Hearing that, I was greatly shocked and thought, ‘So this is how I look to others.’ Along with those words, while watching Cha Woo-min’s unadorned and free-spirited presence, I was able to let go of many things too. Recently, my mind has become lighter.” Having decided to walk the path of an actor in earnest, Hyunsuk is steadily watching various works, learning acting, and applying it to his own performances. He said, “I am quite good at imitation. My acting teacher also says I have a good ear, and I think that can be a strength as an actor too. Recently, I went to a preview of the film The Intern. Choi Min-sik senior was acting very naturally, as if he were quietly exhaling his lines, but there were countless details in the dialogue. I thought, ‘So that is how such acting is born.’” He added, “I went straight home and reviewed the script. I reconstructed each detail again.” Hyunsuk, who wants to be active as an actor and hopes to win a rookie award next year, emphasized, “I want to keep meeting great works without rest, do good acting, and become a rising star that is not ordinary. And I also want to repay the company. The agency’s representative and staff take such good care of me, so I want to work hard and hope everyone succeeds too.”