Lifestyle magazine 'Singles' has released a pictorial and interview featuring Cha Jun-hwan, who shines as the cover star for its July issue.
In the newly released pictorial, Cha Jun-hwan sheds his signature boyish charm to showcase a deeper maturity and a fresh new appeal. In particular, his excitement and inner strength shine through as he stands before a new chapter of his life after successfully navigating the grand stage of three Olympic Games.
The boy who once spent 10 grueling hours a day on the ice from opening to closing has now, after journeying through PyeongChang, Beijing, and Milan, finally begun to look back at himself. In the interview accompanying the photoshoot, Cha Jun-hwan fully revealed his candid side as he embarks on this new chapter.
Through this interview, Cha Jun-hwan calmly reflected on his time as a national team representative—a title he held for 11 long years—and his journey through three Olympics: PyeongChang, Beijing, and Milan. "After overcoming the massive mountain that was Milan, I feel like I've finally become able to take care of myself and find some peace of mind," he shared, opening up about his change of heart.
Having always focused solely on training and results on the ice, he confessed that he has recently started asking himself questions for the first time. The confession of 'the human Cha Jun-hwan'—who has finally become curious about what his hobbies are, what makes his heart flutter, and what kind of person he wants to be in 10 years—brings a touch of warmth and emotion.
In truth, his journey began in front of the camera, not on the ice. He first took up skating with a light heart during his days as a child actor, thinking it might help with his roles. However, he fell in love with the freedom of leaving tracks on the ice. After spending 10 hours a day falling and getting back up to stay on the rink, he eventually found himself representing South Korea as a national athlete.
Cha Jun-hwan pointed to three moments as the turning points that changed his figure skating career. The first was when he boldly gave up his child acting career to choose the path of an athlete, while the second and third were the PyeongChang Olympics and the Milan Olympics, respectively. "After experiencing PyeongChang, I felt a desire to do well for the first time. I had worked hard before, but the desire to truly excel is different," he said, highlighting the catalyst for his growth. From that point on, Cha Jun-hwan began constantly asking himself what he truly wanted, reflecting his own desires in everything from the music selection to the fine details of his choreography on the ice.
It was not an easy journey. Just one or two months before the recent Milan Olympics, an unexpected injury struck and plagued him. Realistically, it was difficult to expect him to regain perfect form in just a single month, but Cha Jun-hwan silently endured that painful period and ultimately poured his heart and soul onto the ice. Afterward, at the Harbin Asian Winter Games, he prioritized a mindset of focusing solely on himself rather than the pressure of scores or results. "Harbin was the first moment where that felt truly possible, and that's why it was so good," Cha Jun-hwan said, conveying the depth of his newfound peace of mind.
Never stopping his pursuit of new challenges, Cha Jun-hwan is currently preparing for a new transformation on the ice, taking on the lead role of Sung Jin-woo in the action performance musical ice show 'Solo Leveling on ICE'.
[Photo=Singles]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)