Park Hyung-sik’s Idol Past: 9 Guys, 1 Bathroom, and Now ₩500M per Episode?!

Park Hyung-sik is not only wowing viewers with his emotional performance in the SBS drama 'Buried Hearts', but he’s also taking a moment to reflect on his early days as a K-pop idol.

At the end of the March 26 episode of tvN’s variety show 'You Quiz on the Block', a preview teased Park’s upcoming appearance, where he opens up about his journey—from his humble beginnings as a member of ZE:A (Children of Empire) to his current success as an actor.

In the preview, Park recalled the tough conditions he endured during their idol days. “I thought debuting would mean everything would suddenly go well,” he said. “But the reality was harsh.” He revealed that all nine ZE:A members shared one bathroom in a small dorm, leading to chaotic mornings.

When host Cho Se-ho joked about the bathroom situation, Park laughed and added, “Yeah, we had to shower while dealing with the smell.” He also mentioned the team had to squeeze into one van for all their schedules, which drew gasps from the crew.

Despite the hardships, Park shared that he approached everything with the mindset of, “Just tell me what to do—I’ll do anything.” That work ethic eventually led to major roles in projects like 'Strong Woman DoBongSoon' and 'Real Men', propelling his career forward. Now, according to an online rumor that went viral recently, Park reportedly earns up to 500 million KRW (approx. $340,000 USD) per episode—further proof of how far he’s come.

In his appearance on You Quiz, Park will also share plenty of behind-the-scenes stories from Buried Hearts. One particularly intense scene required him to swim in the ocean after being shot. “I didn’t think I’d actually have to go into the real sea,” he said with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Buried Hearts, which airs Fridays and Saturdays at 9:50 p.m. on SBS, continues to break its own viewership records. The 10th episode, which aired on March 22, achieved a nationwide rating of 13.1% and a peak rating of 14.7%—the series’ highest yet. The drama has broken its own record seven times so far.

In Episode 10, Park’s character Seo Dong-joo finally begins his long-awaited counterattack against Yeom Jang-seon and Heo Il-do, the men responsible for the deaths of both himself and his sister.

The episode also unveiled a shocking revelation about Seo Dong-joo’s origins, which had long remained a mystery. The back-to-back twists have left viewers eagerly awaiting Episodes 11 and 12 this week.