Seo Kang-jun returned as a "real boyfriend" who evokes both excitement and empathy.
Seo Kang-jun appeared as Namgung-ho, who has been in a long-term relationship for 10 years, in episode 1 of KBS 2TV's new Saturday-Sunday miniseries A Love Other Than Yours (directed by Hwang Seung-gi·Lee Ga-ram, written by Yoo Su-ji), which premiered on the 12th. He naturally melted into the character by closely portraying realistic emotional changes, from the familiar daily life he built with longtime partner Lee Mi-do (Ahn Eun-jin) to the moments when their relationship begins to shake.
A Love Other Than Yours is a realistic, relatable melodrama about a couple in their 10th year of dating who, despite being more familiar with each other than anyone, suddenly face unfamiliar feelings.
That day Namgung-ho naturally shared daily life with Lee Mi-do, with whom he had spent a long time, showing the comfortable dynamic unique to long-term couples. He not only carefully attended to even Lee Mi-do's small details but also mingled freely with her family, revealing a deep bond that was like a single family.
His steady job as a deputy at the large company Hunmin Confectionery added to Namgung-ho's realistic charm. His quiet dedication to keeping his place without neglecting either work or love captured the traits of a "real boyfriend" you might see around you.
But conflicts accumulated within the familiarity began to surface in what seemed like a peaceful relationship between the two. Namgung-ho, who had been preparing a proposal, poured out the emotions he had stored up as he tried to hold on to Lee Mi-do after she declared she wanted to break up. In the end, he had to turn away after accepting Lee Mi-do's firm stance that would not change her mind.
The process by which Namgung-ho, who dreamed of marrying the partner he had loved for a long time, ultimately accepted separation rather than marriage left a deep impression. In particular, the image of the two parting not because they lacked love but because their ways of loving each other had changed painted the reality of long-term relationships more vividly and stirred viewers' empathy.
Seo Kang-jun's delicate acting also shone. From the familiarity and comfort born of a long-term relationship to the anxiety and anguish at the moment the relationship collapses, he finely layered the nuances of emotion and convincingly expressed Namgung-ho's complicated feelings.
Rather than exaggerated emotional displays, he heightened immersion by conveying characters' feelings through subtle changes in gaze, expression and tone. Namgung-ho, who had been tender to the person he loved, becoming increasingly shaken in the face of separation made Seo Kang-jun's deeper melodramatic acting feel all the more poignant.
The broad emotional range that oscillates between the comfort felt from a longtime partner and the desperation of having to accept a break increased anticipation for "Seo Kang-jun-style melodrama." From the first episode, it delivered the realistic emotions of a relationship and added curiosity about the story of Namgung-ho to come.
So far Seo Kang-jun has proven a wide acting spectrum by moving across various genres and characters. In his comeback work after military discharge, MBC's Undercover High School, he played Jung Hae-seong, a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent who infiltrated a high school undercover, leading the drama, and he firmly cemented his presence by winning the grand prize at the 2025 MBC drama awards.
In the Netflix series Boyfriend on Demand, he played Seo Eun-ho, the most popular guy on campus, showing a fresh excitement and charm that recalled first love and revealing another side of himself.
Seo Kang-jun, who has completed new characters in his own color in each work, is expected to capture viewers' hearts in A Love Other Than Yours with a more mature emotional line and deeply felt melodramatic acting. Attention is focused on what changes Namgung-ho, who chose to break up with Lee Mi-do after 10 years of dating, will face next and what direction the two people's relationship will take.
[Photo] broadcast screen capture
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