Ryu Chungwoo

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## Ryu Chungwoo

* Webtoon
* Webnovel

## General Informaton

### Alt Name Spellings

Ryu Cheongwoo
류청우 (Hangul)
柳淸佑 (Hanja)

### Age

22 y/o
**Spoiler!**29 y/o (Current)

### Family

Parents
Younger Sister
Dog (Kkami)

### Group Role(s)

Leader
Lead Vocalist

### Agency

T1 Stars (Debut)
Stars Orbit (ch 456)

### Representation

Bird 🦅
Wolf 🐺

### Autograph

**Ryu Chungwoo (류청우)** is the group leader and lead vocalist of TeSTAR.

## Background

- Before participating in Idol Inc., Chungwoo was an archery athlete who had won gold medals during his active year but was unable to continue due to a shoulder injury caused by a car accident during a family trip in his childhood. He joined Idol Inc. after getting contacted by a far relative and the writer of said program.

- During his time at Idol Inc., Ryu Chungwoo had a tough time due to his unlucky teammates, which made him adopt a conservative and repressed his feelings. Although others consider him a leader, he believes this is only because he is older and has a calm demeanor, not because he is fit for the position. As a former athlete, he has a competitive spirit, and people expect him to have outbursts of temper when things go wrong. However, he suppresses these impulses to maintain good relations with his teammates. The pressure and stress he accumulated over time eventually led to his burnout. Park Moondae, who is level-headed and quick-thinking, is the person who believes that Ryu Chungwoo is best suited to be a leader. After his debut was confirmed, Ryu Chungwoo even considered entrusting the leadership role to Park Moondae and often asked for his opinion. Despite being retired from being a professional athlete, the stamina that he has built up over the years remains with him. As a hobby, he enjoys mountain climbing and often outlasts other members who become exhausted and leave. Some members who have followed Ryu Chungwoo's exercise regimen even describe the experience as hellish.

- In episode 208, sasaeng fans caused a serious accident while trying to protect the members from a data seller hired by other sasaeng fans. The fans edited the video to make it look like Ryu Chungwoo had used force against the data seller. The Chief Manager then said something inappropriate to Chungwoo, but he remained cooperative. However, he eventually suffered from burnout syndrome due to stress and self-neglect. Fortunately, under the leadership of Park Moondae, the members helped Chungwoo recover mentally and even laughed at the manager's attempt to pass on the work.
- His last name, 'Ryu', is actually the same as 'Ryu Gunwoo', Park Moondae's previous life. The family trip that caused Chungwoo's injury was the same family trip where Ryu Gunwoo's parents were killed, although the causes differed (Gunwoo's parents survived the car accident but were killed by the fire engulfing their accommodation). He was very angry and depressed when he was forced to quit archery after being injured, crying and even breaking his bow when his rehabilitation programs failed.

- Contrary to the concerns of TeStar members after Stier Cha Eugene's incident, Stier Ryu Chungwoo actively cooperates with TeSTAR. Initially, Ryu Chungwoo was highly on guard and he worked hard to keep the status quo of TeStar, it could also be seen as his fear of failure and sense of responsibility reminiscent of his Stier's time, that he might cause trouble for others. He seemed to relax more when Park Moondae revealed he is Ryu Gunwoo, Ryu Chungwoo's cousin. After that, Ryu Chungwoo treated the members in a more relaxed state and soon spoke informally to them.
However, Ryu Chungwoo rejected the notion of getting his memories of TeStar back and said to be capable of reaching the level of TeStar Ryu Chungwoo with little help with the result he showed, he even said that if they have any problems so he could make up for them. The members realize that they have been treating Stier Ryu Chungwoo and TeStar Ryu Chungwoo as different people, this, in turn, might have made Stier Ryu Chungwoo feel alienated from the group and feel like he's a burden to them.
In episode 509, Cha Yu-jin's remarks reveal that Stier Ryu Chungwoo controlled the members through a reign of terror to control the chaotic group situation. There was no violence, but it must have been quite scary since it was decided by a former national athlete with a reputation for military discipline. This also means that Stier Ryu Chungwoo had an unexpectedly good opinion of honor politics to the point where common sense did not work. According to episode 525, Kim Raebin said that the team members were monitored like a boarding school by establishing several rules, such as not accessing SNS without permission. There was also a time when a member missed practice and was not allowed to come into the dorm until he learned the choreography. However, even though he did that, the situation only gradually worsened, and Ryu Chungwoo reached a point where he was experiencing burnout but with his responsibility, he held on until his 5 years contract ended. Ryu Chungwoo deemed the image of a "forced leader" as a weakness that would not help him settle with TeStar and was deliberately gentle when in truth, he was a more cold and strict person. In fact, Stier Ryu Chungwoo was worried about his usefulness during the long, slow fall of Stier, and his self-esteem was greatly diminished. After observing Cha Eugene on his own, who chose to rather focus on his memory as a TeStar member and behave differently from what he remembers, it is natural for him to think that if he regains his memory, he will not remain the same. In a way, he also felt envious of his counterpart's achievements and reliable teammates he has.
- It is easy to guess that Stier Ryu Chungwoo was pressured by T1 a lot, like the way TeStar Ryu Chungwoo used to be exhausted from being an idol, a leader, and a manager at the same time. Stier Ryu Chungwoo endured for a long time and had to do a lot of work that did not pay him back and it was natural that he got tired of continuing to do things that weren't even for fun, the result also ended badly. Even when he was burned out, he still had a love for performing on stage, like how he was during the Enjoy Your Reality arc, he was happy after the successful stage and it may or may not have been one of the things that kept him going when he was still in Stier.
- While he did not show any antipathy toward Bae Sejin after hearing the explanation from Cha Eugene, it was clear that he was not comfortable around the other man. In the end, STier Ryu Chungwoo returns on his own terms after hearing that Stier Lee Sejin had fought until the end to restore the group's honor and was found not guilty. He also feels a sense of accomplishment by producing a stage performance and decides to search for his own memories as TeSTAR.

## Appearance

Ryu Chungwoo is the second tallest member in TeStar and is noted to be impressively well-built due to his athletic background and hobbies. He is handsome and his hair is often styled in a side part haircut. He often has a gentle and compose expressions.

## Personality

- As a former athlete, he possesses strong leadership qualities and remains calm during difficult situations. Being one of the eldest members, he is very considerate of others and is quite observant towards them. Due to his mature attitude, he is easy to talk to when there is a problem. He is a very serious person who puts others before himself and doesn't like to cause trouble. He treats his teammates as if they are his younger siblings. He is described as a big-hearted, diligent, and self-sufficient person who tends to bury his own emotions, even when he is overworked. Like other TeStar members, he enjoys performing on stage and the sense of accomplishment motivates him to work harder. However, when his hard work is taken for granted and his sense of obligation is keeping him from giving up, it turns him into a ticking time bomb before it explodes and causes burnout. He is an active person who prefers outdoor activities like archery and hiking when dealing with stress, rather than staying stagnant with rest.

- Ryu Chungwoo is a skilled individual who possesses confidence in his abilities. He is a generous person who is always willing to help others. He is quite competitive in activities that he enjoys, like shooting, and works tirelessly to achieve his goals. Despite his hard-working nature, he is a true professional in his field of work. He places great importance on his and his TeStar team members' health and physical well-being, particularly due to a past injury. Therefore, he always prioritizes their health and reminds everyone not to overwork themselves.

- He is generally easy-going and very accommodating toward others, he is thoughtful in his kind gestures but is not the type to overstep other people's boundaries and expects convincing explanations from his teammates when they have personal issues. He only makes himself out as dependable and implies his understanding even when he doesn't have the full context. However, he is very clever and quick in picking up nuances that even caught Park Moondae off guard many times as the story progressed. He is very tactful and diplomatic, he has been trusted with handling complicated conferences with the agency and later with the group's label since the start of TeStar's debut and his status as a leader makes him highly scouted after in the industry during the contract renewal period.
- After the return of his memories of both TeStar and Stier, Ryu Chungwoo's mood sinks due to memories of falling into a slump and self-pity. With his sense of responsibility as a TeSTAR leader, he tries to brush it off and think positively, but his cousin Ryu Gunwoo, repeats the advice that Ryu Chungwoo to him after their summer package breaks out, and assures Ryu Chungwoo that no one can live reasonable all the time and it's fine to be upset, also the fact Ryu Gunwoo doesn't assign a role for him and just treat him like a family member in time of need, it help Ryu Chungwoo recover and they drink a lot that night. In episode 600, Ryu Chungwoo fails to merge his STier and TeSTAR selves, causing his STier self to overwhelm him. A left arm injury affects his psychology, causing him to drop out of his schedule and fall into depression. Raebin helps him overcome his trauma by taking him to an archery range, where he realizes his arm is not injured. After having his character evaluated three times, Ryu Chungwoo later performs in the UK, successfully overcoming his injury trauma. He also becomes more open-minded and outspoken, such as saying that while he can be considerate, he cannot be like that all the time to Park Moondae and even posts an honest article to assure his fans of his condition.

## Status Window

 Dancing
 PhysicalAttractiveness
 Charm
 **Full draw (S)****Release (EX)** [CH624] | (S) When you pull the bowstring, it will hit the target. Performance composure +150%.(EX) The arrow was finally fired. Performance composure +180%.

## Traits & Likes

* According to the roommate reassignment content, he is a "humanitarian explorer". This means he's an independent person who is friendly towards humans and has a pioneering spirit. It was observed that even when acting alone, he shows calm and challenging behavior without anxiety, which seems very natural to him. Moreover, he has high ethical and moral standards and doesn't prefer trickery.
* Since he used to be an athlete and when he feels stressed, he usually engages in competitive activities such as shooting or physical activities like mountain climbing. Before filming a healing entertainment show, he expressed his desire to go hiking. The other members were surprised when he showed them that he had packed seven pairs of hiking shoes.
* He likes soy sauce crab.
* He prefers mixed-grain rice over rice.
* He gives KKami a haircut on breaks.
* His hobbies are hiking and shooting. Shooting was an activity recommended by Park Moondae
* As previously mentioned, he is often viewed as the "big brother" of the team, yet his personality is more akin to that of a maknae. He possesses leadership qualities and capabilities but finds himself under a great deal of stress in a leadership role. During his time at Idol Inc., he faced numerous challenges due to his teammates not heeding his advice. He confided in Park Moondae, revealing a hidden dependency on him. While Bae Sejin, who is the same age, is the type that never falters in the face of adversity, while Ryu Chungwoo is the type that is easily overwhelmed but quick to recover given the chance. When he was unable to pursue archery, he found a new path as an idol and even when he experienced burnout, he was able to quickly overcome it when Park Moondae suggested physical activities to relieve stress.

## ETC

* Among TeStar members, he is the only one with a driver's license and his own car.
* He can't draw.
* His talent is that he can crush an apple with one hand.
* He saved the members with their names and animal emoticons on his phone. Lee Sejin himself instead saved his contract name and called it "Cool dongsaeng Sejin👍".
* Unlike other TeStar members whose stats were revealed from time to time, all of his abilities and characteristics were revealed only in episode 384.
* As an athlete, he may appear to be in charge of dancing and visuals, but his actual position is that of lead vocalist. Despite having no trainee experience, he debuted immediately and is considered an incredible talent. Ryu Chungwoo, who was discouraged after giving up archery due to the aftereffects of an injury, was encouraged by his parents to participate in the audition, saying, "Didn't you like dancing and singing since you were young?" There was a reason for this, as he is noted to be the lead vocalist who sings better than most singers in the industry and could easily have been the main vocalist in any other group.
* As a side note, at the beginning of the series, there wasn't much content and only a brief mention of a "former archery national team". As a result, there were often opinions that the character was too vague. However, when Ryu Chungwoo, who won an archery gold medal as a high school student at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, appeared, many viewers were completely deceived and deemed his character the most fraudulent.
* His motto is "Let's do our best when we can".
* He seem to be capable of speaking Spanish after he gain Stier Ryu Chungwoo's memory.
* Whenever something stressful happens, people tend to have the thought of "Ryu Chungwoo's stomach must be melting right now".

## Relationships

* Park Moondae/Ryu Gunwoo
	+ Ever since the Idol Inc. era, Chungwoo has been showing his deep trust in Moondae's judgment skills and sometimes asks for his opinion. When TeSTAR was just formed, he even offered the leader position to Moondae as he thought he was more fit to be one, which Moondae obviously refused.
	+ When Moondae knew the truth about the cause of Chungwoo's injury, there was a period where his PTSD got triggered every time he interacted with Chungwoo, causing both of them to keep their distance. On the other hand, after Chungwoo knew that Moondae's real self was Ryu Gunwoo, there were times when the two would talk as cousins and Chungwoo would rely on Moondae.
* Cha Eugene and Kim Raebin
	+ Before Moondae's regression, Chungwoo, Eugene, and Raebin were the only remaining members of STier at the end of their contract. In addition to facing many unfortunates as a group, the members themselves also had unhealthy relationships due to Stier Ryu Chungwoo's strict discipline methods.
	+ The three in TeSTAR originally had a close relationship as doting leader and doted-maknaes, but they got even closer after their memories as STier came back.
* Bae Sejin: Bae Sejin and Ryu Chungwoo see each other as friends due to their same age. Besides Park Moondae, Bae Sejin is someone Ryu Chungwoo could trust to be more honest with his vulnerability and they participate in each other hobbies such as Bae Sejin sometimes works out with Ryu Chungwoo, while Ryu Chungwoo sometimes borrows books from Bae Sejin to read. While their relationship became a bit strained due to Stier Ryu Chungwoo's discomfort around Bae Sejin, he later apologized to the other man later and shared a heartwarming conversation after his birthday.
* Ryu Seorin
	+ At the end of Year 1, there was a controversy about her giving preferential treatment towards Ryu Chungwoo during Idol Inc, as he is her relative. They later denied it as they actually have no personal relationship and are closer to strangers.

## Gallery

### Webnovel Illustration

#218#300 (with TeSTAR)#300 (with TeSTAR)#413 (with STier)#642 (with TeSTAR)
### Official Fancam Thumbnail

Idol Inc. 1st Team MatchIdol Inc. 3rd Team Match
## Quotes

* “People, in the face of fear and pain... they usually get a little angry and blame others, but that’s okay.” - Ryu Chungwoo to Park Moondae in chapter 146
* “That’s the story of Ryu Gunwoo you were looking for.(...)Moondae-ya. Who are you looking for?” - Chapter 283
* “Do you need help right now?” - Chapter 284
* “There are circumstances, right?” - Chapter 324
* “I guess stubbornness runs in the family.” - Chapter 325
* "This is Ryu Chungwoo. I'm both excited and embarrassed to be standing in front of you again as an idol after seeing you only as an archer, but I'll do my best so that you don't feel like I'm standing still." - Part 2 comeback celebration event. A message to shareholders at the time of Idol Inc. in chapter 26.
* “I have to be kind to you, dongsaeng.” - Chapter 456
* “Is that really necessary?(...) I mean, is there really a need to get my memories back?” - Chapter 505
* “Let's continue to have productive conversations like this. Only with diverse perspectives can things proceed safely.” - Chapter 553
* “Moondae. Now I’m not asking my cousin, but the group leader is asking the members.” - Chapter 570
* “It’s the prime time because the prime time has passed.” - Chapter 570
* “No, I won’t listen to your judgment, so just do as I say. Okay? Go and do everything you can.” - Ryu Chungwoo to Park Moondae in chapter 575
* “This is just an aptitude for my older brother. I think it’s a specialty and a strength.” - Chapter 598
* “You worked really hard. And... you did really well.” - Chapter 598
* “I don’t like that!” - Chapter 618
* "Description: Because he wasn't the type to be obsessed with jinxes or equipment details." - Chapter 620

## References

1. ↑ Official novel translation on Tapas sometimes also written his name as this
2. ↑ He was 2 years older than Park Moondae
3. ↑ In South Korea, male athletes are exempt from military service if they have obtained top prizes in certain competitions (ie Asian Games/ Olympics). The law was passed by then-president in 1973 to promote national prestige.
4. ↑ Watches videos, and reads articles about TeSTAR activities to make himself get used to the life of TeStar Ryu Chungwoo
5. ↑ Since in an environment where strangers or acquaintances had become unfamiliar, he seemed relieved when he knew that there was a familiar and simple connection to be found, though he actually didn't know that Ryu Gunwoo is his relative because he just happened to come across TeStar Ryu Chungwoo's phone album that have the video with young Ryu Gunwoo
6. ↑ He gave a perfect performance that Park Moondae almost mistook him for TeStar Ryu Chungwoo and answer questions that sound like he memorized an entire fan wiki without rest
7. ↑ So, he refused to return because he doesn't like rationalizing the success of another version of himself as TeStar's leader when he doesn't know, it most likely felt like his efforts during Stier amount to nothing
8. ↑ It can be scary to experience something that is out of his control for someone as grounded as he is
9. ↑ However, TeStar Ryu Chungwoo has both Park Moondae and Lee Sejin act as the pseudo leaders when the seat is vacant and reliable teammates who take care of each other and thrive through hardships
10. ↑ He hesitated to accept the water bottle Bae Sejin gave him even when he drank it later on
11. ↑ As known from the fact that he is the ‘youngest medalist,’ he was the youngest member of the archery team during his national university days
12. ↑ Park Moondae sees him as a good-natured person, his counselor told him that he is a self-assure and capable man, and Bae Sejin honestly acknowledges him as someone who cannot be replaced
13. ↑ When the counselor was asked about him, they mentioned that he has strong independent tendencies, but he's also an inclusive leader. They also said that he has a very stable psychology. The production team commented that he's a strong leader and has remarkable survival abilities
14. ↑ It appears that this is the reason why he wanted Park Moondae to be designated as the leader. Upon discovering that Park Moondae, whom he relied on, is his older cousin, he felt less burdened, perhaps because he now has someone to rely on
15. ↑ There was no detailed information other than mentioning that his appearance stats increased after Idol Inc., ended, that his singing style was similar to Park Moondae's, and that his voice was in a low-pitched voice.
16. ↑ In the story, he is described as "an all-rounder who focuses on singing" and "no matter what position he is asked to play, he is center-level." His characteristic is also S-rank since Idol Inc
17. ↑ During these times, Chungwoo would call Moondae 'Gunwoo-hyung'
18. ↑ As in Loviewer will be by his side and have his back