Entertainment As Cha Eun-woo begins his military service, we’re counting down the top five K-dramas that have defined his acting career so far Cha Eun-woo’s military enlistment has left fans heartbroken, with the Korean superstar and Astro member set to serve for 18 months before his expected discharge in January 2027. At the time of writing, 28-year-old Cha Eun-woo joined the South Korean mandatory military service as an active-duty soldier on July 28. According to Korea Dispatch, he’ll undergo training at the Nonsan Training Center before serving in the military band. Ahead of his enlistment, the singer and actor shared his thoughts in a YouTube live stream about his new cropped haircut, saying, “It’s the shortest it’s been since I was two or three.” He added, “It feels strange. I can’t believe this day has come for me.” He also expressed his desire to bid farewell properly, assuring fans, “Let’s meet again with a stronger body and mind. I’ll be back safely.” Before his enlistment, the K-pop idol made several heartfelt gestures for his fans—he featured in IU’s music video, “A Beautiful Person,” and then treated fans to an immersive experience with his VR concert, Cha Eun-woo VR Concert: Memories, which was screened in 21 cities globally, including Seoul, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. Subsequently, he hit the stage with the fan meet-and-greet, The Royal, at Kyung Hee University in Seoul and even jammed with Arden Cho for a cover of the song “Free” from Netflix’s hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters. Cha Eun-woo’s next big projects include the highly anticipated superhero action-comedy drama The Wonderfools alongside notable Korean actors like Park Eun-bin, and his debut film role in First Ride with Kang Ha-neul. But before we look forward to these new roles, we’re hitting rewind with a look back at the K-dramas that have defined his acting career to date. Here are Cha Eun-woo’s top five roles, ranked. 5. Island (2022-2023) Unfolding on Jeju Island, this webtoon-based fantasy, action, and horror series stars Kim Nam-gil as Van, a half-human, half-monster; Lee Da-hee as Won Mi-ho, a chaebol heiress exiled to the island; and Cha Eun-woo as Yohan, a priest who joins forces to take down evil forces threatening to destroy the world. Yohan is charismatic, skilled in exorcism, witty, and fully dedicated to redeeming humanity. Cha Eun-woo’s performance captures all these facets with nuance, adding layers to the character’s complexity. He visits Jeju Island primarily for Mi-ho, who becomes embroiled in the mystery and horror plaguing the island. Their chemistry adds emotional depth to the story’s otherwise pervasive darkness and fear, humanizing Yohan’s supernatural skills and grounding him in humanity. 4. Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung (2019) Shin Se-kyung plays the titular role, while Cha Eun-woo plays Yi Rim, a prince moonlighting as a romance novelist. The drama narrates Goo Hae-ryung’s journey as she challenges a society that belittles women. She questions norms, prioritizes knowledge that empowers herself and those in need, and gradually becomes one of Joseon’s most respected female royal court historians. Meanwhile, Cha’s Yi Rim appears to have it all—a perfect profile and attention from women. But behind the facade, he struggles with feelings of loneliness and despair. Despite being an heir to the kingdom, he remains unaware of his true ancestry. But his life changes when he meets Hae-ryung, and sparks fly despite their clashing opinions. Cha fully embodies Yi Rim’s sense of isolation, vulnerability, and emotional depth, as well as his growing feelings for Hae-ryung, culminating in a complex love story amid the Joseon dynasty’s power struggles and political intrigue. 3. True Beauty (2020-2021) True Beauty explores the idea that appearances can be deceiving, underlining the message that beauty is only skin-deep. Lim Ju-kyung (Mun Ka-young), the heroine, learns makeup tricks to camouflage her perceived unattractiveness, and her makeover soon crowns her the school goddess. However, “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” as she fears her true face being exposed. Her growing apprehensions intensify when Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo), the cold and curt campus heartthrob, enters her life and becomes drawn to her. Cha perfectly portrays Su-ho—quiet, withdrawn, and serious—his cold exterior rooted in a troubled past and broken family. Yet, Ju-kyung helps him cope with his long-held grief, just as he helps her overcome her deep-seated inferiority complex. 2. My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (2018) This hit webtoon-turned-drama follows Im Soo-hyang’s Kang Mi-rae, a college student who undergoes plastic surgery after years of bullying, only to realize that the ridicule doesn’t stop—it just takes on a different form. On the other side, Cha Eun-woo’s Doh Kyung-seok is the show’s handsome male lead, a mysterious genius hiding emotional scars. He’s not just interested in looks and falls for Mi-rae’s awkward charm. As they grow closer, they heal each other, learning to look past appearances and appreciate inner beauty. Cha Eun-woo brings a lot of depth to a perfect-looking, reserved Kyung-seok, seamlessly balancing his aloofness with a sensitive side that Mi-rae successfully draws out of him. The drama is an insight into love, self-acceptance, and the subtleties of human relationships. At the same time, it’s a mockery of societal standards and the importance we place on our looks through “Gangnam beauty,” an insulting term for Koreans who have had plastic surgery to look a certain way. 1. Wonderful World (2024) One of his most intense performances to date, the character Kwon Seon-yul, showcases Cha Eun-woo’s growing range as an actor. Wonderful World, one of our 10 best K-dramas of 2024, follows famous psychology professor Eun Soo-hyeon (Kim Nam-joo), who loses her child and vows vengeance after being denied justice. She comes face-to-face with an elusive Seon-yul, a moody, guarded figure whose life is entangled in a web of crime, deceit, misery, misunderstandings, and above all else, revenge. Wonderful World meanders through a maze of twists and turns, ultimately arriving at themes of repentance and reconciliation in the wake of hard-won confessions. Cha Eun-woo brings his A-game as Seon-yul, channeling a pain that’s as intense as his thirst for justice—all of which