Singer Hwang Chi-yeol embarked on a rigorous diet for his new album, but brought big laughs to fans as he stepped up to make a rather aggrieved explanation due to an unexpected "muscle overabundance" situation.

On the 15th, Hwang Chi-yeol held an Instagram live broadcast in his car on his way home from work, spending an enjoyable time communicating with his fans. During the broadcast, he revealed that he had recently entered strict dietary management, such as drastically cutting carbohydrates, ahead of shooting photos and videos for his new album jacket.

However, Hwang Chi-yeol shared an unexpected grievance, saying, "I tried to lose a lot of weight to look sharp like last year, but I was shocked because I didn't lose as much weight as I thought." Yet, the reason for his weight loss failure was none other than an immense "increase in muscle mass." He revealed an astonishing InBody result, saying, "My body fat is in the early 10% range, which is actually lower than last year, but my muscle mass went up to 41kg."

When fans listening to this sent playfully suspicious glances, saying, "We want to see washboard abs" and "Aren't you just mistakenly thinking it's muscle?", Hwang Chi-yeol couldn't hide his sense of unfairness. He showed a sudden burst of emotion, raising his voice and saying, "I'm not mistaken, I actually took a test and it came out as 41kg!" making the fans watching the broadcast burst into laughter. He then showed an awkward smile, adding, "It's true that I gained a lot of muscle. I feel like I'm making excuses."

Nevertheless, the positive effects of the "muscle overabundance" were clear. Hwang Chi-yeol shared an even healthier update, saying, "When I shot the jacket last year, I had so little body fat and was so skinny that I had absolutely no energy, but now that I've gained muscle, I definitely get less tired."

Hwang Chi-yeol, who proved his successful 'bulk-up' amidst pleasant banter with his fans. Expectations from fans are reaching their peak as to what kind of solid visuals and unrivaled charm he will showcase in this new album when he returns with a healthy muscular body after thorough self-management.