Actor Kim Hye Jun, who is taking on her first romantic comedy in her 11th year since debut, delivers a romance full of excitement with Kang Hoon and Cha Woomin.
On the afternoon of the 28th, tvN's new Monday-Tuesday drama My Bias, My Boss held an online production press conference via live streaming. Director Park Ji-hyun and actors Kang Hoon, Kim Hye Jun and Cha Woomin attended the press conference to speak.
My Bias, My Boss, based on the webtoon Our brother is an idol, is an office coming-of-age romance about new employee Nam Dareum, who becomes a "My Bias" staff member while trying to meet her bias. Director Park Ji-hyun described the work as "a drama like Nam Dareum's unusual work diary, about finding herself — from a fan chasing her bias to becoming a true staff member of her bias, and through that journey discovering who she is."
When asked how she tried to preserve the charm of the original webtoon, she said, "When I first read the original, I felt a lot of warmth from the points where sincere work life, the sensations of having liked and loved someone deeply, the realities and those emotions lead to working hard and growing. I thought we had to realize those parts well. And because drama is a complex medium, we added many setting values not in the original that could show relationships well so the characters could appear more distinct. With the thought of highlighting how they cheer for each other and become each other's salvation within those relationships, we tried to capture that direction. I worried a lot about balancing realistic work life with the fantasy of fandom. We worked hard to balance that and made it together with the actors."
In the story, Kang Hoon plays Kang Gahi, the CEO of Apello, who is perfect in both brains and physicality. He introduced the character, saying, "In work, he is meticulous and praises people when they do well. He is a character who starts to creak little by little after employee Nam Dareum joins." He added, "Since he is the head of a fashion platform, I researched a lot about how a platform CEO works differently from a fashion company CEO and looked into how they dress. Also, since he is a perfectionist and obsessed with work, I studied how he works and how he behaves toward his subordinates."
Kim Hye Jun plays Nam Dareum, a fan of E-Chan and a new marketing team employee at Apello. When asked, "How do you feel being between CEO Kang Gahi and brother E-Chan?" she replied, "I am so happy that a day like this has come to me," showing her excitement and making everyone laugh. Kim Hye Jun explained, "Nam Dareum has past sadness, but after meeting brother E-Chan she feels new happiness and is a friend who enjoys fan activities. Beyond fandom, she joins the company where brother E-Chan works, and there, after meeting the CEO, she is a happy person who will be torn considering a choice between brother E-Chan and the CEO."
Especially, Kim Hye Jun, who is challenging her first romantic comedy a full 11 years after debut, said, "I never thought a day like this would come. I had always wanted to try a rom-com, but when it came time to do it I felt overwhelmed and pressured. It's a side I haven't shown before. I thought I needed to prepare more, but thanks to the two actors and the director, I feel like I did my best and have no regrets," adding, "I gathered as much of my lovable charm as possible," raising expectations.
She, who actually has experience as a fan, said, "Rather than being a fan of a specific person, I liked K-pop idols who were active in my time when I was in middle and high school. At lunchtime we'd put on music videos with the kids, sing and dance along. I was able to pull out all those memories and fully empathize with Dareum. Although I liked male idols too, for talent shows I always performed girl group songs. It brought back a lot of memories. Bringing up those experiences and reexamining the emotions helped me a lot," she explained.
Cha Woomin transforms into E-Chan, a former member of five-member idol group D.N.X who is now an actor and the fashion director of the fashion platform Apello. Cha Woomin introduced the character, saying, "He was once an extremely successful idol in a group that later suffered pain due to a series of incidents. While doing solo activities he established the current company, and through an accidental meeting with Nam Dareum he shows new growth."
He, who put a lot of effort into dance practice for idol acting, said, "I started dance practice from the beginning of the project, but we shot the choreography in the later stages. Later, once it became ingrained in my body, it was actually more confusing. There were mid-course changes, so while filming if even one person made a mistake there was a behind-the-scenes confusion of 'Is this right?'" He added, laughing as he expressed admiration for active idols, "I respect them."
However, since the predecessor to My Bias, My Boss, Tomorrow also worked was an office romance, it could feel similar. When asked about My Bias, My Boss's distinctive points, director Park Ji-hyun said, "If there is a difference, I think one extra engine is fandom. It is a work with fantasy elements added, and through the heart that runs toward someone people grow and find themselves there. It's a drama where the fantasy elements that let you discover self-love and your identity while growing are balanced with realistic elements, so there are many fresh combinations of settings compared to other works."
Finally, on viewing points, director Park Ji-hyun emphasized, "It's a fresh drama with the thrilling points of fandom, fans and fan sentiment. It also realistically includes ordinary work life and success stories that viewers can relate to. It's a drama that feels like a companion on the journey to finding oneself, so I think viewers will be able to watch it comfortably and pleasantly. I think people will enjoy it. Fans who read the original will find familiar elements and enjoy seeing how it has been diversified and newly interpreted. For first-time viewers, they will wonder how the story will unfold, what Dareum's final decision between the two men will be, how each person will save the other, and how they show support and comfort to each other — if they follow those points, they can enjoy it to the end."
Kang Hoon pointed out, "Just as everyone had singers, idols or actors they liked during school days, I too was someone's fan, and the moments leading up to meeting them are vivid. In the first episode, my first scene felt really strange to me. There is a scene where Dareum meets (E-Chan) for the first time, and if you liked someone in the past, wouldn't that time come to mind? If you like someone now, thinking about how happy you'd be to meet them like that might make it feel more fun."
Kim Hye Jun continued, "While the love triangle is a viewing point, I think viewers will also enjoy Dareum's process of finding her dream, friendships with friends, the bromance between Hagi and brother E-Chan, the struggles at work and the growth within them. I believe many other company employees and friends appear who are diverse and wonderfully stylish actors, so you can enjoy it fully. Also, speaking as Dareum, you will see the perfect, very cool visuals of Hagi and brother E-Chan unlike anything before. You won't know where to look," she said, adding to viewers' curiosity.
Cha Woomin added, "I think our drama can give viewers a moment in their daily lives where they can relax a little," he added.
Meanwhile, My Bias, My Boss will premiere on Aug. 3 at 8:45 p.m. <
[Photo] tvN
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