Cha Eun Woo Evolution From Young Age to Losing His Best Friend

Cha Eun Woo is the most popular member of the Boy group ASTRO. This talented and overly popular singer-turned-actor has made millions of fans out there till his debut with the boy band ASTRO. But did you know? Behind his bright smile lies a broken heart that we cannot see in his drama characters. From rising to a K-pop idol group to being a successful actor, he has gained tremendous success in his life, but he lost his happiness along the way after losing his best friend! 

Whenever we recall this group, one name instantly appears in our mind, which is Moonbin. It's been only four months since the tragic death of this ASTRO member made fans cry all over the world. ASTRO has gained millions of fans since its debut in 2016. The group’s dance lead Moonbin was the heart of this group alongside Cha Eun Woo. These two idols had a very special bond that went beyond just a group mate. Moonbin considered Cha Eun Woo as his mentor and best friend who always supported one another in difficult times. After the death of Moonbin, Cha Eun Woo was left heartbroken which is yet to heal even after four months. 

ASTRO’s journey has been nothing but spectacular till now. This South Korean boy band formed by Fantagio consisted of six members: Rocky, MJ, Jinjin, Cha Eun-woo, Yoon San-ha, and Moonbin. They debuted on February 23, 2016, with the extended play called ‘Spring Up’. With their very first production, they were subsequently named as one of the best new K-pop acts of 2016 by Billboard! But Cha Eun Woo’s journey started 2 years before he successfully debuted with this boyband. 

Cha Eun Woo debuted as an actor in 2014 with a minor role in the film My Brilliant Life starred by Song Hye Kyo and Gang Dong Won. In the next year, he was officially introduced to the Fantagio iTeen Photo Test Cut. As the 4th trainee. Along with other members of ASTRO, Cha Eun Woo appeared in the web drama To Be Continued in 2015 before their debut.

After their debut in 2016, Cha participated in the Chuseok special variety show, ‘Replies That Make Us Flutter’ which gained him more popularity among fans. He again participated in another Chuseok pilot program, ‘Boomshakalaka’. In the same year, he was announced to be the host of a TV program ‘how! Music Core’ alongside Kim Sae-ron, Lee Soo-min and Xiyeon. Then he starred in another popular web drama My Romantic Some Recipe. 

In 2017, Cha Eun Wo appeared in the KBS2 drama Hit the Top. He starred in another web drama in the same year, Sweet Revenge. It was another hit drama of the actor alongside Park Solomon and Kim Hyang Gi. 

In 2018, his web-drama journey continued with the web drama Top Management. But this year, his next breakthrough came with the webtoon-turned-TV series My ID Gangnam Beauty. It marked his first leading role on television. That soared his popularity right after the series aired! He gained a spot in GQ Korea's "Men of the Year" in 2018. 

His next TV drama was Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung alongside Shin Se Kyung. There he played the role of a royal prince who became a romance novelist. His bright smile won the hearts of millions of fans in this series. For this drama, he won the Excellence Award for an Actor and Best Couple Award with Shin Se Kyung at the MBC Drama Awards in 2019. Then he entered the cast member of the new variety show ‘Handsome Tigers’ alongside Joy, Lee Sang-Yoon, Yoo Seon-ho, and Seo Jang-hoon. 

In 2020, he joined the SBS television show ‘Master in the House’ as a fixed cast member. He won another award for his role in this show. This year, he starred in the tvN’s coming-of-age romance drama True Beauty which was based on the webtoon of the same name. His chemistry with Moon Ga Young and Hwang In Yeop was amazing on-screen. This can be considered another breakthrough of his career as it gained popularity all over the world once again!

In 2022, he starred in Hwang In-ho's urban terror action film Decibel as a Navy Officer. Then he appeared in another drama Island alongside Kim Nam-gil, Lee Da-hee, and Sung Joon, and broke his previous characters with a newer and bolder character. From 2022 to 2023, his career was soaring higher than ever until the tragedy befell him and his ASTRO members. 

Just like in True Beauty, Cha Eun Woo’s bandmate and best friend Moonbin was found dead on 19 April 2023 in his Gangnam-gu house in Seoul. When Cha Eun Woo heard the shocking news, he was in the USA for the Coachella music festival and BLACKPINK’s after-party event. He could not control his tears and rushed to take the very first flight to South Korea that day. Before this, he and Moonbin both talked about their emotional struggle being within a top band in South Korea. When Moinbin was struggling with depression from a very young age, Cha Eun Woo also faced a similar breakdown in life. He never spoke to anyone about his inner struggles and anxieties. Cha Eun Woo once shared that he felt pressure of being the lead of the group. But he cannot share anything with his bandmates, instead, he tries to listen to them. Thus, Moonbin and Cha Eun Woo were each other’s support systems. Unfortunately, Cha Eun Woo lost his brother and soulmate that day. 

After only 10 days, Cha Eun Woo decided to appear in another program which was pre-planned before Moonbin’s death. During that difficult time, he tried to be professional on stage at that KonnecThai festival but in the end, he couldn’t hold back his tears. During his performance of the song 'Focus on Me' from 'The Villainess Is a Marionette,' he felt each of its verses with heart. In the end, the song made him cry on stage, remembering his best friend Moonbin.

Actors and idols go through a lot in their lives just like any human being. Cha Eun Woo’s life is proof that nothing is certain in anyone’s life. He might be a successful actor and singer, but deep inside, the loss of his best friend has made him as fragile as ever. We no longer see him smile brightly like before. But time heals everything. Our beloved star is set to star in another drama this year, which is another webtoon-based drama A Good Day to be a Dog. The drama is surely going to be another hit drama of Cha Eun Woo. We wish him all the best for the drama and hope he will smile again with his future successes.