The Dance Club President Who Became VIXX's N

Long before he was known as N — the leader of VIXX — one of K-pop's most conceptually daring groups — Cha Hak-yeon was already turning heads in the southern city of Changwon. As the president of his school's dance club, he was, by his own modest admission, "quite well known around here."

The actor and singer shared the story recently during an appearance on actor Yoo Yeon-seok's YouTube channel, Yoo Yeon-seok's Weekend Theater (유연석의 주말연석극), where he and actress Kim Hyang-gi joined as guests. What followed was a warm, candid look back at the path that led him from a small-city dance floor to the stages of one of Korean entertainment's most distinctive idol groups — and beyond.

The Dance Club President of Changwon

"Since elementary school, my dream was to be a singer, an idol," Cha Hak-yeon said during the conversation. "I had my mind made up from early on." By the time he reached high school, that ambition had already begun to take shape — he was attending auditions, doing trainee work, and leading his school's dance club.

Being club president wasn't just an administrative title. It meant being the person other students looked to for choreography, for energy, for performance. And according to Cha, it extended well beyond the walls of his own school. "I was invited to perform at other schools too," he shared with a laugh, adding that he'd been "pretty well known in Changwon."

The image is both charming and easy to believe. Anyone who has followed Cha Hak-yeon's career knows that his presence on stage — whether as N performing with VIXX or in one of his many solo or theatrical projects — carries a natural authority. Hearing that this quality was already present in him as a teenager feels less like a surprise and more like a confirmation.

He also reflected on how his school friends responded after he debuted. "The friends I danced with back then are still close to me now," he said. "At the time, they thought it was surreal — but now it's just normal." The continuity between his pre-debut self and the person he's become was something he seemed genuinely grateful for.

From Trainee to VIXX

Cha Hak-yeon debuted as N with VIXX in 2012 under Jellyfish Entertainment. The group — which also includes N, Ken, Ravi, Hongbin, and Hyuk — quickly distinguished themselves in the K-pop landscape by leaning into bold, theatrical concept albums. Releases like Error, Jekyll, and Chained Up cemented the group's reputation for dark, cinematic storytelling, and the group's powerful vocal delivery became one of its defining characteristics.

While he's continued to release music as a solo artist — including the introspective album Canvas — it is perhaps his acting career that has shown the broadest range of what he's capable of. He appeared in several stage musicals and Korean dramas, building a reputation as a versatile performer comfortable across formats. The dance club president from Changwon had, it turned out, more than a few stages left to conquer.

What's Next: Romance's Absolute Value

Cha Hak-yeon's upcoming project will give new audiences a chance to see him in a very different register — and it comes with a remarkably fitting casting detail. On April 17, Coupang Play will premiere Romance's Absolute Value (로맨스의 절댓값), a romantic drama in which he plays a math genius teacher with an IQ of 156. In real life, Cha Hak-yeon is a certified Mensa member with a reported IQ of 156 — meaning the role is, in a sense, not much of a stretch. He stars alongside Kim Hyang-gi — the same actress who joined him on Yoo Yeon-seok's channel for this very conversation.

Kim Hyang-gi is a widely respected actress who began her career as a child performer and has grown into one of Korean drama's most compelling leads. Her pairing with Cha Hak-yeon — two performers with very different trajectories who have each earned their place through consistent work — has generated considerable excitement ahead of the April 17 premiere.

Details about the drama's plot have been kept relatively quiet, but promotional character posters released in late March suggest a story built around emotional complexity and slow-burn romance — territory both leads are well-suited for.

The Fan Response

For long-time fans of VIXX and Cha Hak-yeon, the YouTube appearance served as a reminder of something that can sometimes get lost in the carefully managed world of K-pop: that behind the polished performances and concept albums is a real person with a real history, full of specificity and texture.

Fans responded warmly online, with many sharing their favorite moments from the clip and expressing excitement about Romance's Absolute Value. The detail about other schools inviting him to perform was a particular favorite — the kind of small, vivid story that makes a public figure suddenly feel much more human and accessible.

There is something quietly universal about the kid who knew what he wanted before he had the words to fully explain it, who practiced in a school gym and performed for strangers, and who found that the path from there to here was more direct than anyone might have predicted. Cha Hak-yeon's story, told in an afternoon conversation on YouTube, is exactly that kind of story.

Where to Watch

Romance's Absolute Value premieres on April 17 exclusively on Coupang Play. For fans of Cha Hak-yeon's work with VIXX, his solo music discography is available on major streaming platforms, with Canvas serving as an excellent starting point for new listeners.

The broader context of Cha Hak-yeon's appearance is worth noting. Yoo Yeon-seok's Weekend Theater has built a quiet reputation as one of the more thoughtful celebrity YouTube channels currently active in Korea — a space where guests tend to open up in ways they might not on standard promotional interviews. Yoo Yeon-seok, an actor himself with strong instincts for conversation, creates an atmosphere where the usual promotional script falls away. The result, in Cha's case, was an unexpectedly touching portrait of where he came from.

For fans who discovered him through VIXX's darker conceptual material, seeing the backstory of a teenager in Changwon who just loved to dance is a surprisingly moving experience. It humanizes the mythology of the idol industry — reminding you that behind the styled photoshoots and the precisely choreographed performances is a person who once stood on a stage in his hometown and felt the first, pure version of the thing he has been chasing ever since.

With Romance's Absolute Value about to add another chapter to that story, Cha Hak-yeon seems to be in exactly the right place. The dance club president from Changwon has earned his moment, and it arrives on April 17.