Can trusted actress Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang Min, who has risen as the "quintessential daegun figure," save KBS as To My Beloved Thief writes an unbeatable historical drama myth?
On the 30th afternoon at Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a production presentation for KBS2's new Saturday-Sunday drama To My Beloved Thief (written by Lee Seon, directed by Ham Young-geol and Lee Ga-ram) was held. Present at the event were the drama's leads Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang Min, as well as Hong Min-gi and Han So Eun, who attended and discussed the drama under the hosting of producer Ham Young-geol and broadcaster Park Seul-gi.
To My Beloved Thief is a romantic drama set in the past about a woman who by chance becomes the greatest thief in the land and the Joseon daegun who once chased her; when the two switch souls they save each other and ultimately protect the people, a dangerous and great romance drama. Nam Ji-hyun plays the tough woman Hong Eun-jo, who becomes the thief "Gildong" who breaks into yangban storerooms for the sick, and Moon Sang Min plays Prince I-yeol, who holds feelings for Eun-jo and pursues the "Gildong." Joining them are Hong Min-gi as Im Jae-i, who collides with Eun-jo and begins to dream of desire, and Han So Eun as Shin Hae-rim, the yangban family's fiancée and Jae-i's betrothed.
This project draws anticipation as it brings together Nam Ji-hyun, praised for 100 Days My Prince, and Moon Sang Min, who rose to prominence through Under The Queen's Umbrella. It raises curiosity about whether the two actors will continue the undefeated historical drama legend with the youthful historical romance To My Beloved Thief.
Producer Ham Young-geol described To My Beloved Thief as a work about Hong Eun-jo (played by Nam Ji-hyun), who lives as a female medical practitioner by day and as a righteous thief by night, and I-yeol (played by Moon Sang Min), who lives as a jongsagwan and daegun; they live and love through each other's perspectives and protect each other's Joseon. I hope viewers receive much comfort and emotion while watching, he said.
How was the casting of the four actors Nam Ji-hyun, Moon Sang Min, Hong Min-gi and Han So Eun completed? Producer Ham Young-geol joked about the casting reason, saying, "To put it in one line, we cast them because they act well and are pretty and handsome," and added with a laugh, "I want the drama to do well too." He continued, "It may sound a bit burdensome, but when I first read the script I worried about the scale of the story and how to handle it. When Nam Ji-hyun decided to join, she is famous for reading scripts so well that I thought if she does it I could slightly tag along. It became an opportunity to gain confidence. She has a long career in historical dramas and acting. Eun-jo is both a female medical practitioner and a thief and, with the soul change, has to take on masculine aspects as well, so I didn't have many actors who could handle that range by my standards. In that respect, Nam Ji-hyun has a very wide spectrum, is solid, and I believed she would portray many facets of Eun-jo."
He added, "Moon Sang Min needed to have what the character I-yeol should possess. Since he is ultimately a daegun, he had to have the presence of a prince who would appear before a person of slave status like Eun-jo. He needed to have the daegun image. He fit that image so well as the 'quintessential daegun figure,' someone everyone would see as the next heartthrob. Having already proven his historical drama acting with Under The Queen's Umbrella and receiving the Baeksang newcomer award, I-yeol is a character with a roguish charm, and those qualities came together while doing this work. I felt he was someone with solidity, so we cast him," he said.
He continued, "Hong Min-gi has a look that's rare to see these days. He has a strong personal character. One strength of our drama is that the two leads' facial chemistry fits well. A love triangle is important and you need at least one threatening presence; if Hong Min-gi takes that role, he can bring tension while showing presence. I thought this friend could carry that tension."
He also said, "Han So Eun is like a blessing that rolled into our project. At first I couldn't imagine her as Hae-rim. Previously she often played mature and wistful roles, but she has a pure and cute charm. I thought she had often done deep roles in works like The Haunted Palace and Death to Snow White, but she unexpectedly has a pure and cute charm that can show a new side. In the end it became a fantastic match," he said confidently.
Nam Ji-hyun returned to historical drama eight years after 100 Days My Prince, which aired in 2018. Since then, she has been praised for her appearances in Suspicious Partner, Little Women, Hi Cookie, and Good Partner, and she has chosen a historical drama again after a long time.
She laughed, "I didn't feel that the gap was as much as eight years. It had been eight years since a historical drama and 11 years since a KBS project. It's very meaningful. I'm proud to be able to show a work on KBS after a long time in a historical drama after a long time."
She continued, "As the director said, there are many different stories. Each episode brings a new story and the characters' emotional changes continue, so they grow little by little and relationships change. Eun-jo faces truly varied situations and emotions, so I thought I could show many aspects. I can show romance, and as a coming-of-age piece it can sequentially show how a person grows, so I chose it. I tried my best to portray those various aspects, and I hope viewers like it," she said emphatically.
Nam Ji-hyun began her career as a child actress through the 2004 MBC drama Tell Me You Love Me and has built up about 20 years of experience. How was her chemistry with junior and peer actors Moon Sang Min, Hong Min-gi and Han So Eun? Nam Ji-hyun modestly said, "To be honest, I don't really keep track of career differences. I think of them as colleagues I work with and we end up doing many projects together."
She added, "The three fellow actors beside me are colleagues who seriously consider their acting and how to plan their careers. In that sense, career length seems meaningless. I think of them as peers. If I can help, I've likely gone through similar situations, so when they're struggling I can reach out and suggest, 'How about this?' But these friends prepare so well that I didn't need to help much," she said.
She continued, "We did a lot of script reading beforehand. We started after sufficiently talking with the director and writer. Because we adjusted things on set during filming, it was fun and an enjoyable workplace. I was always happy. The weather was hot sometimes, but we could overcome that heat easily," she said proudly.
Moon Sang Min, born in 2000, will work opposite Nam Ji-hyun, who was born in 1995 and is five years his senior in age and acting experience. As Moon Sang Min was praised for his "younger-man" image, he previously worked with Jeon Jong-seo in Wedding Impossible and with Shin Hyun-been in Cinderella at 2am. How does he feel about working again in an older-younger pairing?
Moon Sang Min said, "I did my previous two works with older actresses, and when I joined this project I asked about the age difference between Yeol and Eun-jo. They said I'm one year older. Immersing myself in that, I thought I should bring Eun-jo out with an 'oppa charm.' There may be chemistry from the age gap, but I didn't dwell on that. I tried hard to embrace her like a younger sister. If Jihyun nuna has a unique charm, on set she brings very pleasant and good energy to everyone. I learned a lot watching her. Since I have to play Eun-jo after episode 4, I watched closely to see what Nam Ji-hyun's charms are and tried hard to emulate them," he said, adding to the curiosity.
Meanwhile, Moon Sang Min, compared with various kings and princes such as Byeon Wooseok, who played the "21st-century daegun," Park Jihoon from the film King and the Man Who Lives With Him, and Ju Jihoon from The Remarried Empress, said, "I worried a lot. I wondered how I could survive among such formidable seniors. If I have a weapon, I believed that even by faithfully delivering Yeol's lines, Yeol's personality and the character written in the script, I could be loved. So I intend to do this faithfully," he said.
He even joked, "Externally I visited dermatology a lot. I went more than usual. Because I'm a 'daegun' I went a bit more diligently. I tried to faithfully embody Yeol," and added, "The lines are so good. They prick the heart, they move you. I tried to deliver them as plainly as possible. Because the energy in the lines is so big, I tried not to be too much or too little."
The "soul change" historical romance premise invites comparison with the recently ended MBC drama Moon River. In response, producer Ham Young-geol drew a line, saying, "I also enjoyed watching Moon River. Since both are historical dramas, I hope we can together lead a historical drama boom."
Above all, he said, "From the director's standpoint it's a completely different work. If the previous work emphasized a 'man-woman' soul change, our core is the soul change between a daegun and a female medical practitioner. It's a growth story in which they understand different perspectives on the country of Joseon and broaden their own views to save Joseon. Because of that, the soul change may shift into something other than romance. The devices may be comparable, but the way they are used and implemented in the script differs, so you may feel it's a different story," he said confidently.
Moon Sang Min also chimed in, "When the director went to his office he would lay out the storyboards and worry. He worried a lot before filming and we talked a lot. But when we actually went to the set, the director himself was 'Teto.' He filmed everything he had prepared quickly. It was amazing that the director played the role of a reliable leader on our set."
Nam Ji-hyun also expressed considerable trust in her fellow actors. She said, "At first when we met I worried a lot because there weren't actors I had worked with before and I wondered how to become close. But we naturally grew close and the awkwardness disappeared. Historical dramas feature many characters, and the seniors in our drama are really great and warm. Choi Won-young, Ha Seok-jin, Kim Jung-nan, Kim Seok-hoon — all the seniors. I met many seniors again. Because the seniors and elders treated us warmly, we could work comfortably and joyfully together," she said.
Although this is an anticipated work to open the new year, KBS's previous projects have struggled with ratings, which is regrettable. There are concerns about this project as well. Producer Ham Young-geol admitted, "More than the burden of the scheduling slot, viewers' standards are very high these days. Even if the previous work does well, if the next work isn't interesting the ratings drop immediately, and conversely if the previous work was poor and the next work is good the ratings rise immediately. I approached it with the sincere intention to make a good work. I am absolutely certain our drama is a really good work. I'm nervous, but I did my best to make a competitively strong show."
He added, "As for target ratings, in my mind it's always 99% or 100% and that would be wonderful, but it's really hard to win viewers' love. Personally, I set a goal to start at Moon Sang Min's birthday of April 14 with 4.14%, naturally reach Nam Ji-hyun's birthday of Sept. 17 with 9.17%, and finish at the combined birthdays of the two actors with 13.31%. I hope Yeol and Eun-jo are united in our drama and that it goes well. If we actually reach those ratings, I think I could smile and end it on my own terms," he said, moving Nam Ji-hyun and Moon Sang Min.
Whether this devotion and warmth will be conveyed to viewers through the work is drawing attention. To My Beloved Thief will premiere on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at 9:20 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Lee Dae-sun.
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