SINGAPORE - Think K-drama idol and the image of manufactured, polished perfection springs to mind. But that is not necessarily the case, at least not for South Korean star Sung Hoon.

The 36-year-old hunky actor is not afraid of letting others see his less glamorous side- from eating cereal straight from the bag by pouring milk into it to getting ready for work.

He is among the stars of Oh!K's hit reality television show I Live Alone and was in Singapore on Friday (Sept 27) to celebrate the channel's fifth birthday. It was also to kick off this year's StarHub Night Of Stars, an award show on Nov 24 featuring celebrities from South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

I Live Alone, which has been nominated for Favourite Variety Show, depicts how single celebrities live. Sung has also been shown digging into a watermelon that had dropped to the ground and split apart.

Speaking to The Straits Times through an interpreter on Friday, the former competitive swimmer said he behaves very differently when he is not at work."When I am not working, I don't even shave my face. I exercise a lot and I wear something really comfortable like training shirts and shorts."

And what viewers see on I Live Alone is that unvarnished version of him. "If I have to show a certain image in my lifestyle, it would not be something that I want to do."

As he could just be himself, he found the filming process very comfortable.

I Live Alone has been airing since 2013 and current celebrities on it include actor Lee Si-eon, comedian Park Na-rae and singer-songwriter Henry Lau.

Sung said: "I think the biggest reason why the show is a hit in Asia is because of Henry, because he is really popular."

He added that each and every celebrity on I Live Alone has a very distinct character, which makes the show very fun.

But asked which celebrity he would like to swop lives with, Sung said: "Nobody. I know what their actual life is like. As much as they have great things in their life, I am sure that comes with a lot of difficulties as well. And I don't want to go through those."

The actor has been associated with playing rich, handsome businessmen in dramas such as New Tales Of Gisaeng (2011) and Noble, My Love (2015). He said: "My first drama was of that type of role and the ratings were really good. That is why I am getting a lot of similar roles."

And if he were that rich in real life, he would get a private jet - for an unexpected reason.

According to online portal Soompi, Sung had rescued a puppy from a dog shelter where she was due to be euthanised. In one episode, the recently adopted Yanghee had struggled with her fear of confined places.

The actor said: "Currently she can't go inside a cage and can't fly here with me. I hope I can get a private jet so we can fly around and travel together."

On Friday evening, Sung met fans at City Square Mall, taking photos and playing games with them.

And yes, he still eats cereal from the bag. He said: "I don't like washing dishes."

I Live Alone airs every Sunday at 10.50pm on Oh!K (StarHub TV Channel 816 and Singtel TV Channel 525). A special weekend marathon will also air at 10.50pm every Saturday in October 2019.

Go to www.starhub.com/night-of-stars for more information on the other meet-and-greet sessions.