The Fresh Face Behind Su-ho: From Guardian Angel to Dark Soldier… What’s His Next Role?

📍 How a baseball player stumbled into acting and won hearts worldwide as the protective guardian in Weak Hero! In this post, I’m delving into his “Ghang” – that mental toughness he’s referring to and examining why directors consistently praise his “good eyes.” We’ll trace his journey from baseball player to his emerging potential as an action star.

Honestly, I discovered so much while researching this (and I bet you’ll be surprised too). But really, when you think about it – who else could have brought Suho to life the way Hyun-wook did? I genuinely can’t imagine anyone else in that role.

There’s something uniquely compelling about actors who stumble into their craft through circumstance rather than ambition, and Hyun-wook’s journey from baseball prospect to one of Korea’s most promising young actors is exactly that kind of serendipitous path.

What impresses me is how he discusses his “GHANG” — this Korean concept that extends far beyond simple courage to embody unbreakable mental toughness and grit.

And trust me, after reading countless interviews and behind-the-scenes stories, you begin to see how this athletic mindset entirely shaped not just his approach to acting, but his whole portrayal of Ahn Su-ho.

This exploration delves into the remarkable parallels between Hyun-wook’s struggles and his breakthrough role as Ahn Su-ho in Weak Hero Class 1, revealing how life’s unexpected detours can lead to extraordinary destinations.

When a Twenty-Year-Old Meets His Future

Picture this: Director Yoo, a grown man in his late thirties, meeting Hyun-wook, who was just turning twenty back then. Reading Director Yoo’s description of this first meeting brought such a vivid picture to my mind that I couldn’t help but smile throughout.

Hyun-wook rolled into the office wearing this baggy basketball tank with his cap backwards, and apparently, he seemed way more shy than anyone expected.

But here’s what stuck with Director Yoo — there sat Hyun-wook, quietly grinning and going to town on a whole chicken and a half while all the adults were shooting the breeze around him.

I can just imagine how cute that must have been! This young guy, who’d barely hit twenty, was probably feeling awkward sitting with all these adult directors, just quietly munching away like any shy young person would do when nervous.

That image became so ingrained in Director Yoo’s memory that when he was putting together the Weak Hero script, he remembered how Hyun-wook could pack it away and decided to make Suho a total foodie.

From Baseball Dreams to Acting Reality

For nearly a decade, from fourth grade through his first year of high school, Hyun-wook lived and breathed baseball. He wasn’t just another player on the team — he was the baseball player at his school, earning recognition and scouting offers that promised a bright athletic future. That explains his impressive physique perfectly — the foundation that would later serve him so well in action sequences.

Then came the injury at seventeen. An elbow problem that refused to heal despite dedicated rehabilitation efforts. Before the injury, he was known at school as “baseball player Choi Hyun-wook.” After pouring over ten years of his life into baseball, watching that dream slip away must have been crushing.

Yet Hyun-wook’s response reveals the core of his character: instead of wallowing in disappointment or hitting the bottle and going off the rails, he immediately began searching for his Plan B.

This resilience finds its fictional echo in Su-ho’s storyline — another fascinating parallel.

Both the character and the actor faced career-ending injuries in their respective fighting disciplines. Su-ho had to bail on MMA because of an injury, just like real-life Hyun-wook had to give up baseball. Both responded not with self-pity or destructive behaviour, but with pragmatic determination to forge new paths forward. Both stepped up as breadwinners, juggling responsibilities while maintaining that rock-solid mental game.

The Philosophy of “GHANG”

Hyun-wook attributes much of his mental fortitude to his athletic background, describing his sports experience as something that “pushed him to the breaking point” and, through that process, helped develop his “GHANG.” This concept — encompassing mental toughness and grit — becomes visible in what directors consistently praise as his “good eyes.”

Directors on every set tell him he’s got “good eyes” — meaning his sharp, alert eyes just draw people in somehow. Whether I’m watching Hyun-wook as the mysterious and sketchy soldier A-hwi in D.P., or as the guardian angel Su-ho looking out for Si-eun, the first thing that always grabs me is those razor-sharp, captivating eyes.

He says athletics were this experience that pushed him to his limits, and through that process, he built up this mental toughness. You can see Hyun-wook’s sports-forged GHANG in those viewer-pulling eyes.

As time goes on, I keep thinking – my sports background became such a huge asset for me.

Hyun-wook reflects.

Athletes naturally develop better stamina, which also gets the blood pumping to the brain better, boosting mental focus and staying power. Directors on every set tell him he’s got good eyes — meaning his sharp, alert eyes just draw people in somehow.

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These aren’t merely aesthetically pleasing features. They’re windows into a quiet determination that draws viewers in, whether he’s portraying the mysterious and sketchy soldier A-hwi in D.P. or the protective guardian Su-ho.

That athletic-forged mental toughness translates into a compelling screen presence, a quality that seems to emerge from genuine inner strength rather than manufactured charisma.

You can see Hyun-wook’s sports-forged “GHANG” in those viewer-pulling eyes. He says athletics were this experience that pushed him to his limits, and through that process, he built up this resilience.

Wait, He Almost Didn’t Want to Play Su-ho?

Here’s something that completely blew my mind when I read it. Even this GHANG-powered Hyun-wook had second thoughts when he first landed the Su-ho role. In a magazine interview, he confessed:

Could I really play someone this cool? Honestly, I didn’t want to do it. Not because I didn’t want the role, but because I wasn’t confident. The Su-ho in the script felt like someone to look up to, to admire.

Can you imagine? This guy was so intimidated by playing someone admirable that he almost turned it down! He said the character felt like “an object of admiration”, and that made him wonder if he could pull it off.

From what I gathered from various interviews, Hyun-wook put massive energy into filming, came home, and sometimes broke down.

Am I doing this right? Am I nailing this?

Even though he kept working hard, when he was alone, the doubts would come flooding back.

But here’s what gets me — reading through his interviews, I learned that he even felt bummed out after that first table read. The irony is so touching. A young actor with genuine resilience is worrying about portraying a resilient character.

But the results speak for themselves. It’s hard to imagine anyone else bringing Su-ho to life quite the way Hyun-wook did.

When the Director Cried Watching Him Act

The Episode 7 boxing sequence demonstrates Hyun-wook’s commitment to authenticity. This behind-the-scenes story from that emotionally challenging episode — you know, the one where you need to hug a pillow and cry to get through it — shows the true depth of his dedication.

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They had to complete this entire sequence in one day.

After Hyun-wook worked intensively for over ten hours, he was completely wiped out and dehydrated. When Director Yoo yelled,

Cut!

Hyun-wook just crashed spread-eagled on the ring. The director was about to suggest taking a break, but Hyun-wook suddenly popped up, chugged water, and said he could go more rounds — let’s keep rolling! The next scene they shot was him getting worked over by Woo-young.

Seeing him go from exhaustion on the ring to instantly snapping back into Ahn Su-ho… reading about Director Yoo’s reaction to this moment and the emotions he felt, you could almost picture yourself feeling that same rush of emotion that moved him.

This wasn’t just professional dedication; it was a young athlete’s instinctive understanding that good performance requires pushing through challenges. That energy from the director and actors gets transmitted to viewers watching Weak Hero, and you feel Hyun-wook’s drive and GHANG every time you watch that scene.

Small Changes, Big Impact

Hyun-wook’s creative contributions extend beyond physical performance to dialogue refinement. His most celebrated improvisation — changing “guardian deity” to “guardian angel” in Su-ho’s iconic line,

Me? Just a guardian angel who woke up from sleep — demonstrates an intuitive understanding of character voice.

Originally, the script said “guardian deity” instead of “guardian angel.” ‘Su-ho’ literally means ‘to protect’ in Korean, so we have both “guardian angel” (suho-cheonsa) and “guardian deity” (suho-sin) in Korean.

But in that scene, “guardian angel” felt more fitting for Su-ho’s personality than “guardian deity.” Hyun-wook’s improv made it feel more natural for the character.

For a newcomer to confidently suggest script changes among veteran directors shows considerable self-assurance, another manifestation of his “GHANG.” This openness wasn’t limited to Weak Hero — interviews reveal that he actively contributed ideas during D.P. filming as well, earning praise from seasoned actors like Son Seok-gu for his natural acting instincts.

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There’s a sweet story about D.P. where Hyun-wook had this idea for how A-hwi should smoke more stylishly, but as a newer actor, it would’ve been tough to confidently pitch that idea to the production team.

So he deliberately experimented with the lighter according to his vision, hanging around Director Han to try to get his concept across. Director Han picked up on it — such a behind-the-scenes story that shows Hyun-wook’s care for his character.

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Meanwhile, what makes Hyun-wook’s portrayal of Su-ho particularly nuanced is his understanding of the character’s underlying loneliness. Su-ho projects confidence and natural leadership, yet beneath that exterior lies a seventeen-year-old shouldering adult responsibilities as his family’s breadwinner.

This duality — strength masking vulnerability — resonates because Hyun-wook himself embodies it. His athletic background provided genuine confidence, yet his transition to acting required navigating new insecurities. That authentic complexity elevates Su-ho beyond typical “cool guy” stereotypes into something more psychologically realistic.

Creative Collaboration and Emotional Release

The filming of the emotionally intense karaoke confrontation between Su-ho and Beom-seok illustrates how deeply the cast invested in their characters.

This might be one of my favourite sequences overall — that karaoke scene where things get heated between Su-ho and Beom-seok, where Su-ho grabs Beom-seok by the collar and Beom-seok, knowing it’ll hurt Su-ho, spits out:

Are you showing off to me right now? Should I cover your part-time job wages instead?

And we see Su-ho’s face completely hurt by those words.

Hyun-wook said this was the most difficult scene for him. He talked about getting “a feeling I’d never experienced before” from Hong Kyung’s performance.

Kyung-hyung was so good to me, gave so much, that I got completely immersed. The director said I wasn’t acting as Su-ho but as myself being angry, and that looked like Su-ho, which was good. The afterglow lasts the longest.

From a viewer’s perspective, the tension between the three was intense. After filming this scene, the three actors felt like their heightened energy couldn’t settle down, so Director Yoo told them to step out and get some air.

The three went for a walk around Hongik University, sharing fried chicken and beer to decompress. If viewers could feel that intensity, imagine what it was like for the actors experiencing it. And something is endearing about how they cooled down their emotions like young people would — with chicken and beer in a college area.

Understanding Suho’s Loneliness

What I found interesting was listening to Director Yoo talk about how, rather than when Hyun-wook is cute and pretty, he’s more drawn to when his character is hurting, struggling, or heartbroken. Hyun-wook wanted to understand and express that “beneath the seemingly bright exterior, there’s a friend with a lonely side.”

He talked about the scene where Si-eun brings doganitang to the hospital:

What the hell… you’re too warm. Your eyes, actions, way of speaking, expression — it’s annoying how good it makes me feel.

He said Su-ho puts on a serious face, but lonely Su-ho would have felt Si-eun’s heart in that moment.

Seeing Si-eun smile for the first time felt so good.

This perfectly captures why I found Choi Hyun-wook’s take on Su-ho’s ‘presence’ in Weak Hero so compelling. Su-ho doesn’t try to show off or act tough on purpose. Just through his natural vibe, Hyun-wook nailed this kid who’s naturally at the top of the teen food chain, someone with a line you just don’t cross. But underneath it all, he’s just a 17-year-old kid with loneliness eating at him.

Oh, and here’s a hilarious throwback that makes Hyun-wook even more endearing. His journey into acting started with High School Rapper 2.

I really loved hip-hop. So I wrote lyrics myself and recorded rap to listen to… but I’m pretty good at self-objectification. I immediately gave up.

Can you imagine? This guy watched High School Rapper, got inspired to write and record his rap, listened to it once, and was like “Nope, this ain’t it” and immediately moved on.

He said the only reason he considered acting was that he enjoyed making expressions in the mirror. From Suwon, he’d make the round trip to an acting academy in Seoul’s Apgujeong, willingly enduring the hardship. After quitting sports, there was no need to stay at his baseball-focused boys’ high school, so after auditions, he transferred to Hanlim Entertainment Arts High School.

Despite all his growth and success, Hyun-wook still says Su-ho remains one of the characters he’s most satisfied with as an actor. Not that he did the best job, but that he has the fewest regrets.

From short ad-libs to small character details, he contributed many opinions. Even Su-ho’s hairstyle — originally planned as a slicked-back style, but Hyun-wook suggested that what comes naturally from within is more important than appearances.

Reading through all these interviews, I kept asking myself when was the last time I tackled something with that young spirit of “failure doesn’t matter, I just want to give my best shot.” Nobody expected Weak Hero to blow up the way it did, but rookie director and the rookie actors came together to create compelling work with pure passion.

The Humble Heart Behind the Confidence

Weak Hero Class 1 succeeded despite modest expectations because it represented a convergence of factors: a rookie director, mostly rookie actors, and genuine passion for the material.

When the show was getting made, nobody saw this work’s success coming. But as Hyun-wook shared, during filming, he was so passionate about this work and the Su-ho character that even if the ratings completely failed, he was determined to give his absolute best.

Hyun-wook’s commitment exemplified this spirit — a mindset that reflects a mature understanding that artistic integrity matters more than guaranteed success. For someone so young to embrace this philosophy suggests wisdom beyond his years, perhaps another gift from his athletic background, where effort and improvement matter more than wins and losses.

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After falling head over heels for Hyun-wook through Weak Hero, diving into all his interviews and working through his filmography piece by piece, there’s this strong sense that he’s got this instinctive feel, awareness, and gift for expression when it comes to acting.

But that doesn’t mean he just coasts on natural talent without putting in work.

Nobody expected it to blow up, but the rookie director and the rookie actors came together to create compelling work with pure passion — that experience left Hyun-wook with huge inspiration and lasting impact.

Looking Forward

As Hyun-wook continues developing his craft, his unique combination of physical presence, emotional intelligence, and hard-earned resilience positions him for compelling future roles.

Watching his action sequences, his movements flow with smooth precision — there’s something about watching Su-ho handle those scenes that makes you think he’d do well in a detective show.

His upcoming Netflix series ‘Mantis’ promises to showcase different facets of his abilities, potentially in more sophisticated action contexts. Based on its predecessor ‘Kill Boksoon,’ there’s a prediction he’ll play an intriguing, sophisticated character in stylish action scenes.

The trajectory from injured teenage athlete to breakout dramatic actor illustrates how life’s unexpected redirections can reveal hidden talents. Hyun-wook was a young man who had to give up sports due to injury and switched to acting.

This young person with his baseball player “GHANG,” that combination of athletic resilience and emerging talent — there’s genuine excitement about actor Choi Hyun-wook’s future. He’s still young with so much more to show us.

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His portrayal of Su-ho will likely remain career-defining — not just because it introduced him to international audiences, but because it captured something essentially true about resilience, friendship, and the complex realities of adolescence.

In bringing Su-ho to life, Choi Hyun-wook didn’t just play a character; he offered viewers a reflection of their capacity for growth, determination, and quiet strength.

Want to dive deeper into Choi Hyun-wook’s journey and hear more about his “GHANG”? Check out my YouTube podcast where I explore his transformation with the warmth and enthusiasm that only comes from genuine fan appreciation.

Join me for a more intimate conversation about this remarkable young actor’s growth, his behind-the-scenes stories, and why his portrayal of Su-ho continues to resonate with fans worldwide.

[🎥 Watch the Full Podcast Episode Here]