India, April 28 -- K-pop idol and actor Hwang Chansung draws on years of martial arts discipline. A third-degree black belt in Taekwondo, he channels that precision and focus as a villain, but one with a human core, in the hit Bloodhounds 2.

A Villain with a Human Core

The show marks his first foray into hardcore action, a move he describes as pivotal in his acting career. He plays Tae Geom, a former soldier stripped of his stripes, who turns to the wrong side of the law as the right-hand man of Baek Jeong (Rain), the mastermind behind the illegal world of bare-knuckle boxing, where fights invariably end in bloodshed.

His character's emotional arc found resonance with viewers, as he tries to clutch at the last shreds of humanity in a w...