"I honestly didn't expect much [from the drama]", said INFINITE's Hoya during an interview regarding his debut drama 'Reply 1997'. But the drama's success came as a surprise to everyone. Nor did anyone expect Hoya, the main dancer and rapper for INFINITE to take on his first acting role with such success.

The reason why viewers could sympathize with Junhee's unfortunate unrequited love was thanks to Hoya, the actor behind the sweet character. Although it was his first time ever acting, he put his all into his given role. The rookie actor stated, "When Junhee first confessed to Yunjae that he liked him, Yunjae hits Junhee and shakes it off by saying, "Don't joke around". The scene was supposed to end there but I decided to add 'It's really you' as an ad-lib. I thought it would show just how genuine Junhee's feelings are and make the scene more heartbreaking."

Having wrapped up the drama, Hoya revealed that his popularity seems to have risen. "The amount of cheering heard during my parts [on stage] has become different. I don't know if it's due to the atmosphere, or if it's because people sympathize with Junhee in the show and send out cheers of encouragement. It's fun and exciting (laughs)... I think I've definitely gained more confidence and now I'm not as uncomfortable around the camera as I used to be before."

Although he discovered another ability in addition to singing and dancing, Hoya revealed that his first and true priority lies with his members and the group.

The singer himself stated, "INFINITE is number one [to me]. At one point Sunggyu hyung asked me, 'Is "INFINITE's Ranking King" more important or "Reply 1997" more important?'. I replied without hesitation that 'Ranking King' was more important. The reason is because it's a show with INFINITE's name on the line."

The singer then gave a smile and added wittily, "But if someone from 'Reply 1997' asked me the same question, the answer would probably change right?", lightening up the atmosphere with his humor.

Meanwhile, the alluring photospread and full interview with Hoya can be found in the October issue of '10+Star' Magazine.

Source + Image: 10asia via Nate