What she's been up to + friends Dasom and Sungjong: 

When asked what she's been up to in an interview with 'Reviewstar - Hankooki', the former idol responded with a bright smile, "I've been doing various exercises and getting certifications. I took scuba diving lessons with the agency family and also started tennis. The CEO (Wellmade StarM) told me that since I don't know what kind of role might come my way, I should try my hands at a lot of things."

As her leave from the stage as an idol was quite abrupt, when asked if she has any lingering thoughts about her activities as a singer, Hwayoung shared, "I do miss it a lot. Specifically, I'm close with Sungjong (INFINITE) and Dasom (SISTAR), and when they'd get #1 on music programs, I would sincerely congratulate them, but there is a part of me that is wistful."

She continued to mention her '93 line friends, Dasom and Sungjong, stating, "I haven't heard a lot from Dasom lately. If she's reading this, I hope she contacts me (laughs)... I meet up with Sungjong a lot. We even talked this morning. As a result, when INFINITE fans see me with Sungjong, they just go 'Oh, it's Hwayoung' and just pass by us. There is no reason for a scandal to come about. They are precious friends to me."

On her leave from T-ara and the following days:

The interviewer then brought up the topic on everyone's mind - what went on during that controversial time with T-ara? Hwayoung commented, "It's true that the unnis (T-ara) and I bickered." On whether she spent difficult times with her leave, she responded, "I learned about my departure from the internet. I was really dubious. I was on the computer and I saw my name come up on the search term rankings, so I wondered 'What's this?' and looked. When I first saw the content, I was really at a loss and shocked... However, if I think back on it now, I can understand. The CEO (CCM) probably couldn't help but [make that choice]. He is someone that I'm grateful for and like a parent to me. He is one of the people that I want to repay when I achieve success."

Although you may have expected her to stay away from the internet and her computer during the days that followed the announcement of her departure to save herself the heartache, Hwayoung mentioned that she kept up to date with the situation. "Event then, I still went on the internet a lot. I don't think I avoided that kind of attention. There was a lot of support as well as hate. I think that time period was one in which I was able to once again reflect on my wrongdoing to mature."

"Hyoyoung was a source of big strength to me. She'd say to me 'There is no reason for you to be in pain, and you've been rapping too, so of course you'll be able to find something else to do and somewhere else to go.'" As Hyoyoung is still under Core Contents Media as a 5dolls member, when asked if there is any awkwardness about that, Hwayoung responded, "I do have some sad feelings toward the CEO, but there is no awkward feeling," as she smiled.

Walking the path of an actress:

Although many might think Hwayoung's thoughts about becoming an actress came up after her departure from T-ara, the actress-hopeful commented, "I originally had interest in acting. So when Core Contents Media first contacted me, I had gone there as an actress but the CEO had different thoughts. I didn't know how to rap at all, but the CEO told me, 'You have to be the rapper, so take it on with responsibility.' So I practiced a lot in the practice room and later went on stage. I'm trying to approach acting with the mindset that I had during that time when I didn't have the faintest idea about rap... It's true I feel slightly burdened by the way people view me as I take on activities as Hwayoung the actress after promoting with T-ara. However, I think it's a burden I must carry. I think I just need to try that much harder. The company family here (Wellmade StarM) are treating me really well so I'm really happy and my heart is at peace these days."

So what is Hwayoung using to help her hone her acting skills at the moment? It's none other than everyone's favorite drama these days, 'You Who Came From the Stars'! "I'm totally into 'You Who Came From the Stars' these days. My days consist of studying Chinese, rewatching 'You Who Came From the Stars', and practicing acting. I think I've watched  each episode of the drama 10 times each. I've memorized almost all the lines in there," Hwayoung commented as she recited the line of the female lead character 'Chun Song Yi'.

On the rumors of her forming a duo with Nicole:

During the interview with another media outlet, 'TV Daily', Hwayoung spoke on the rumors of her possibly forming a duo unit with former KARA member Nicole.

"I just came across the articles about me being in a duo with Nicole today. I think it was a misinterpreted story. I even asked the CEO (Wellmade StarM) about it and he said it wasn't true."

This naturally led to the question of whether she hoped to pursue music activities again, to which Hwayoung shared, "I am just starting to receive training to become an actress. So far, I have no thoughts of returning as a singer... As of right now, I just want to do my very best no matter how small the role. Especially since I'm of an idol background, I'm practicing hard so that I don't hear comments that say I can't act."