BTOB's vocalist and actor Yook Sungjae is indeed fully booked and busy this February. After finishing his "3X2=6" musical project series- which are six digital tracks that he recorded from December 26, 2019, until the 6th of February as a challenge to write and produce music once again, Sungjae is coming back with a special album!
Cube Entertainment released an official schedule on BTOB's Twitter account. The solo album is titled "YOOK O'clock" and will be available on the 2nd of March. The announcement also included the release dates of the tracklist, multiple concept photos, MV teasers and snippets of the featured tracks. The tracklist will be released today, the 19th of February at 6 PM KST.
That is why the recent news of his departure from SBS's variety programs "Master in the House" was not a surprise. Just yesterday, the 18th of February, there was a leak from an entertainment industry representative, which was reported by a media source that two members of the Master in the House cast were currently participating in their final official recording. Later on, the two members were revealed as Sungjae and Lee Sangyoon through a formal announcement from the variety program which stated the following:
"The two brothers, who sincerely communicated with and gained wisdom from the countless number of masters they met until now, are met turning on their new beginnings. Rather than calling it as departure, we will temporarily be saying a beautiful farewell in order to support the members who are opening new chapters in their lives. Since there are still a lot of pre-recorded footage with ShinSangSeunhHyungJae (a hybrid combination of all the member's names) left until March, we would be grateful if viewers could look upon the brothers' stories."
The two have been part of the original cast since the first episode on the 31st of December, 2017 along with Lee Seungi and Yang Sehyung, Shin Sungrok completed the quintet on the 102nd episode. Sungjae accepted the honor of the Excellence Award under the variety show category at the 2018 SBS Entertainment Awards and the SNS Star Awards for his role in "Master in the House," and then once again at the 2019 SBS Entertainment Awards.
Another reason for Sungjae's withdrawal from the show is due to a conflict with the filming schedule. The actor is currently filming for a new and upcoming JTBC drama titled "Ssang Gap Pocha," which is romanized and, if translated into English, will mean "Double-deck Wagon."
The news about Sungjae being part of the cast has confirmed on the 29th of August of the previous year, along with other leading roles C-Jes Entertainment's Hwang Jungeum, Saram Entertainment's Choi Wonyoung, and Chang Company's Lee Joonhyuk. The drama, based on a popular webtoon of the same name, garnered a perfect rating of 10 out of 10 stars on Daum (a Korean web portal) and awarded at the 2017 Korea Comic Awards.
The story revolves around a "pojangmacha" (outdoor drinking establishment popular in Korea) that appears in various places and the stories of its customers. The drama will premiere in the earlier half of 2020.
