Cha Hak-yeon expressed a special affection for the Coupang Play series ″The Absolute Value of Romance.″ In a recent interview held at a café in Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, he shared the reasons for choosing the project, behind-the-scenes stories from the filming, his chemistry with fellow actors, and updates on his fellow VIXX members.

In ″The Absolute Value of Romance,″ Cha Hak-yeon played the role of Ga Woo-soo, a math teacher who is a Mensa member with an IQ of 156 and a math genius. He said, ″When I first read the script, I felt a strong scent of youth, and I wanted to share that story. It also felt like reliving my school days. I chose this work because I wanted to convey youth well. It was also the project where I laughed the most on set. It felt like going back to school again.″ He also mentioned, ″Kim Hyang-gi’s comedic acting was so fun,″ adding that the atmosphere on set was filled with laughter.

Within the story, Cha Hak-yeon showcased various charms inside the web novel. He said, ″The director explained the direction well. The director often asked, ’Is this really okay?’ But I’m happy that many people enjoyed it.″ He revealed that there were many visual challenges as well, explaining that he prepared 50 outfits with the stylist and tried various things, including wearing hairpieces.

Regarding his acting chemistry with Kim Hyang-gi, Cha Hak-yeon said, ″She’s a veteran actress. I’m sorry for laughing so much. Kim Hyang-gi would bring small snacks and share them. Those small moments naturally led to conversations and continued the atmosphere. Watching her stand like a straight tree taught me a lot. Some staff even called her ’teacher.’ I felt the strength of her long acting career. Watching her exert energy in every scene taught me a lot.″ He also expressed admiration for Kim Hyang-gi’s concentration and unwavering attitude.

He also mentioned his chemistry with fellow actors Kim Jae-hyun, Son Jung-hyuk, and Kim Dong-gyu. Cha Hak-yeon said, ″Except for Kim Jae-hyun, everyone’s MBTI was I (introverted). Kim Jae-hyun was like a vitamin. Whenever I was about to slump, he lifted me up endlessly. It felt like a well-balanced relationship.″ Regarding the play-within-a-play scenes, he recalled receiving direction to ″give impactful, exaggerated, and limitless acting,″ and said there were many ad-libs during filming.

He explained that he put a lot of effort into memorizing math formulas for the role of Ga Woo-soo. He said, ″It was difficult to memorize math formulas, but I tried. I memorized them really hard without shortcuts. I memorized the formulas first and then learned the lines. I watched many lectures. I didn’t imitate any particular instructor but tried to find the unique traits of the character Ga Woo-soo. I also got many items. There were chalks that produced a lot of dust and others that didn’t. I ordered a lot from Coupang and have them.″

Cha Hak-yeon said he immersed himself in the role in a room he set up at home for acting. He said, ″Before starting a project, I decorate the space to fit the role. I happened to organize that space two days ago. I once sat my elementary school nephew there and acted. The nephew seemed troubled, saying ’I don’t understand,’ so I bought him something delicious.″

To capture Ga Woo-soo’s speech style, he practiced inversion and spent about a month adjusting his way of speaking. He said, ″I usually speak like that with my friends, so sometimes they say, ’Why do you talk so rudely?’ The director explained the role by saying, ’It would be good if he was so closed off that people wonder why he’s like that,’ so I thought the same and acted relying on the sense of the scene.″

Regarding the bold fashion of the character Zion in the web novel within the drama, he said, ″At first, I didn’t expect it to go that far,″ explaining that at the director’s request, he gradually wore flashier outfits. He added that they rented various costumes with the wardrobe master and prepared collection outfits.

About concerns before the release of the work, given that it is a high-teen romance featuring teachers and students, Cha Hak-yeon said, ″Honestly, I didn’t have such worries. I heard it would only be about a student admiring a teacher, and the actors were aware of that and acted without concern.″ He emphasized, ″Even when acting, I didn’t have those (romantic) feelings. That emotional line is not supposed to appear from start to finish.″

When asked if it reminded him of his school days, he said, ″There wasn’t a cold teacher like Ga Woo-soo. I remember my senior year gym teacher a lot. That teacher caught friends who tried to skip night study and ate jajangmyeon with us. When I contacted that teacher during this project, he said I caused a lot of trouble. I remembered myself as a model student, but I wasn’t. The teacher hasn’t watched ’The Absolute Value of Romance.’″

Since debuting in 2012 with the group VIXX, Cha Hak-yeon has appeared in various dramas. He also shared his thoughts on holding a full VIXX fan concert for the first time in seven years. He said, ″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, living like that.″ He mentioned his camaraderie with the members, saying, ″Recently, Hyuk sent me a screenshot of a scene where I was dressed as Pythagoras in the drama. The members give feedback like that. Not long ago, we all gathered at Leo’s house. When I have difficulties with acting, I talk with the members. Recently, we even read scripts for other projects together.″

Approaching VIXX’s 14th debut anniversary, Cha Hak-yeon said, ″The members are quietly working on things. I’m grateful to receive many good acting offers.″ He also said he worked hard to manage his weight during activities by eating salads.