CIX's Hyunsuk Says K-Drama 'My Idol at Work' Mirrored His Real Group's Disbandment

CIX's Hyunsuk Says K-Drama 'My Idol at Work' Mirrored His Real Group's Disbandment

Former CIX member Hyunsuk says his role as a leader of a disbanded idol group in tvN drama "My Idol at Work" hit close to home after his own group went their separate ways.

Former CIX member Hyunsuk says playing the leader of a disbanded idol group in tvN's "My Idol at Work" felt uncomfortably close to his own experience. The actor and former idol recently sat down at the TenAsia office in Cheongpa-ro, Jung district, Seoul to talk about the drama and the parallels he couldn't escape while filming.

"My Idol at Work" follows Nam Da-reum, played by Kim Hye-jun, who joins the startup Apello in hopes of meeting her favorite idol. The show tracks her growth and romance at the company. Hyunsuk plays Hyuk, the oldest member and leader of D.N.X, a fictional boy group that has already disbanded when the story begins.

The character's situation closely mirrored with Hyunsuk's own recent years in CIX. "It feels like yesterday that the five of us were joking around at practice, but so much changed in such a short time," he said. "While we were filming, I kept thinking back to that period. It was too close to real life."

CIX continued as a four-member group after Bae Jin-young left in August 2024. The group released its final album in September of last year, held a concert in November, and officially disbanded in April of this year.

Looking back on preparing that last concert, Hyunsuk said, "It was a really strange feeling. Jin-young's empty spot was there, and things had ended up this way whether we wanted it or not." He added that the members spent the second half of last year having serious conversations about the group's future. "We respected each other's opinions and made the decision together," he said.

In the drama, D.N.X is also a group that has been forced apart. Hyuk, the leader portrayed by Hyunsuk, cares deeply about his members and carries the weight of a breakup he did not choose. For someone who had just lived through the real version, the role hit him hard.

"I think I projected a lot of myself onto the character," Hyunsuk said. "The drama's situation and my own were so similar that I went through a lot of complicated, mixed emotions."

One scene between the D.N.X members changed on set at the suggestion of co-star Cha Woo-min. Originally Hyunsuk's character was supposed to grab Cha Woo-min's character by the collar. To heighten emotion further, they changed it to a punch. "Woo-min said, 'If the group is breaking up over something this big, just grabbing my collar isn't going to land. I'm fine with it, so hit me,'" Hyunsuk recalled.

The line that stayed with him most was one about D.N.X's fans. "Our fans waited nine years," one character says in the drama, hoping the group might reunite. "I feel the same way," Hyunsuk said. "I hope the CIX guys keep working hard at whatever they're doing now, and that someday we can all get back together."

He also connected with a line from the character Lee Chan, who tells the D.N.X members, "Let's meet up again someday, for sure." "That line hit me so hard. Filming it really meant something," he said. Right now the CIX members are each following their own paths. Yonghee enlisted in the military in May, and leader BX enlisted four days ago.

Hyunsuk landed the part through an audition. When he heard the production was casting an idol for the role, he submitted a dance video, went through an acting audition, and was cast as Hyuk, the leader of D.N.X.

Since he was the youngest in CIX, playing a leader was a welcome change. "I really wanted to play a leader," he said with a smile. "I was the youngest in the group, so I wanted to try being the leader at least in a drama, and I was so glad I got the chance." He added that he is the oldest son at home and often played leader roles as a trainee. "It was only in CIX that I was the youngest, so being the leader actually feels more natural to me."

"My Idol at Work" is also the project that marked his full-time shift toward acting. "Working on this show is when I really started moving toward acting full time," he said. "I took away much more from it as an actor than as an idol."

As an idol, he said, he spent a lot of time worrying about how he looked. "There was so much effort put into styling and trying to look pretty. This time I didn't think at all about how my hair was moving, how my skin looked, or which angle was flattering. I only focused on the acting." He asked viewers to look forward to his work as an actor from now on.