Singer, dancer, model, and actor, Cha Eun-woo has ticked all the boxes when it comes to his performance in the entertainment industry. Many people know the actor for his performance in a variety of K-dramas, but what some people don’t know is that before Eun-woo made his acting debut, he first debuted in the Kpop group Astro. It’s truly impressive that not only is Eun-woo active in Astro, but is also appearing in a variety of K-dramas. Let’s take a look at some of his best performances yet!

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

6 Sweet Revenge (2017)

     OksusuBTV

Sweet Revenge is a short web series that centers around Ho Gu-hi, a high school student who discovers an app called Revenge Note. All Gu-hi has to do is type in the name of the person against whom she wants to take revenge and the app does the job for her. In this web series, Cha Eun-woo plays, well, himself. Within the context of the drama, Cha Eun-woo is still part of the Kpop group Astro and is friends with Gu-hi’s brother. Eun-woo is not only a friend of Gu-hi but also a potential love interest. Despite Sweet Revenge being a bit earlier in Eun-woo’s acting career, the actor does a great job at portraying himself on screen; he’s as charismatic as ever.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 Soul Plate (2019)

     KBS

Aroha’s (fans of Astro) absolutely adore Soul Plate, because the miniseries not only features Cha Eun-woo, but also the rest of the members of Astro. Soul Plate was a project by KBS to help promote Korean food and culture overseas. Within the narrative of the drama, Astro members are angels that run a restaurant in South Korea to help provide comfort and healing to people.

The series is pretty short and wholesome. Eun-woo portrays the angel Raviel; he’s literally the angel of angels. He’s the one who brought the group to earth and is also the head chef at the restaurant. As always, Eun-woo’s character is as charismatic as ever, and one can’t help but melt when he smiles at the screen.

4 Hit the Top (2017)

The best way to describe Hit the Top is that it’s a feel-good Kdrama. The plot is bizarre, and the comedy is absolutely ridiculous, but somehow Hit the Top makes it all work. The audience finds themselves invested as they wipe tears of laughter from their eyes watching all the shenanigans the characters get up to. The drama follows a ’90s top idol who is transported twenty years into the future. Cha Eun-woo portrays the role of popular idol MJ. Aroha’s found the character name rather amusing considering that a member of Astro is actually named MJ in reality. Eun-woo’s portrayal of MJ shows the audience that he’s more than just a pretty face. He has a cute persona, but there are moments the audience can’t help but shake their head as he delivers yet another terrible pun and giggles at it. In addition, MJ’s friendship with the intern Choi Woo-Seung is quite endearing.

3 Rookie Historian Goo (2019)

     MBC TV

In an attempt to replicate reality, most historical dramas portray landscapes where characters are bound to traditional patriarchal ways of thinking. Rookie Historian Go diverts from this narrative to provide a different lens. The drama follows Goo Hae Ryung, a historian in training who faces prejudice in a male-dominant palace. Eun-woo plays the part of Prince Dowon Lee Rim, who hides his double life as a romance novel writer. It’s fascinating to see Eun-woo’s character develop from being a sheltered prince who mostly cares about his novel to the charming, sometimes vulnerable Prince who falls head over heels for Hae Ryung.

In addition to the sweet romance with Hae Ryung, Eun-woo’s relationship with his brothers on screen is also worth watching. Unlike the usual historical Kdrama, where Princes are often trying to kill each other for the throne, the audience actually gets to see the princes develop strong bonds with each other in Rookie Historian Go. Eun-woo won two awards for his role in the drama at the 2019 MBC Drama Awards. First for Excellent Actor, and the second he won with his co-actress for Best Couple.

2 True Beauty (2020-2021)

     tvN

Those who are regulars in K-drama land are probably already aware that True Beauty was one of the most anticipated dramas of 2020/2021. The drama definitely stirred quite a lot of attention when it aired. Based on a popular webtoon of the same name by Yaongyi, True Beauty centers around a high-school student Im Ju Kyung (Moon Ga-young), who feels insecure about her appearance but soon learns to hide her flaws using make-up.

Eunwoo portrays Lee Soo Ho, who is one of Ju Kyung’s possible love interests. Initially, Soo Ho comes off as your typical tsundere male character who is cold and aloof; however, as the drama progresses the audience is able to see that there’s more depth to his character. He’s kind-hearted, good-natured, and even dorky at times. Fans of the drama were divided on whether they shipped Ju Kyung with Soo Ho, or with Seo Joon (portrayed by Hwang In-Yeop). Regardless of the main romantic ship, fans were unanimous when it came to how adorable the bromance between the two male leads was. Many were gushing over Soo Ho and Seo Joon’s adorable rivals-yet-kinda-friends type relationship.

1 My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018)

     JTBC

Cha Eun-woo’s big break in South Korea’s acting industry was definitely because of his role in My ID is Gangnam Beauty. It’s the K-drama that introduced the audience to Eun-woo’s charms. The drama gained quite a lot of popularity not just because of the interesting storyline but also because of Eun-woo’s role in it. My ID is Gangnam Beauty follows Kang Mi Rae who has a timid personality as she feels insecure about her physical appearance. Eventually, before entering university, Mi-Rae undergoes plastic surgery to become prettier; however, people are still mean to her mocking her for her appearance. At university, Mi Rae meets Do Kyung Seok, portrayed by Cha Eun-woo, who doesn’t judge people based on their appearance. Slowly, with Kyung Seok’s help, Mi Rae learns that more than appearance, it matters what’s inside.

Eun-woo’s character appears cold at first, but slowly the audience, along with Mi Rae learns that he’s kind and caring. In addition, his chemistry with Mi Rae is amazing. The audience can’t help but gush at the cuteness when the two finally end up together.