[Interview] Pyo Jihoon on 〈Chamgyoyuk〉, Part 2: ‘〈Chamgyoyuk〉 gave me the courage to believe my sincerity can reach viewers’

▶ [Interview] Pyo Jihoon on 〈Chamgyoyuk〉, Part 2 — continues from Part 1.

There’s also a romantic thread between Bong Geundae and Im Hanlim. At first there wasn’t any obvious romantic tension, but it intensifies in the back half of the series. How did you interpret and decide to portray that emotional arc?

We didn’t approach it thinking, ‘since it’s a romance, let’s show mutual affection.’ We deliberately chose to have the characters be completely unaware of those feelings at first and to have them realize those feelings later. We talked a lot about treating it as the first faint stirrings of emotion rather than something fully formed. We avoided playing it in an obvious or showy way.

We didn’t see the romance as mere diversion or comic relief in the middle of the show. Among the four members of the show's School Authority Protection Unit, the two characters at opposite ends of the personality spectrum come to understand and reconcile with one another through their work, and I think the romance is one of the ways the series shows that process.

What was it like working on set with Jin Ki-joo, who shared that romantic thread with you?

I really wish everyone knew Jin Ki-joo. She works so hard and acts so well. She brings bright energy to the set and motivates everyone to work harder. She’s so lovable as a performer. I respected how hard she worked, and I relied on her a lot.

At the end there’s a kiss between the two of you. Can you share any behind-the-scenes details about that scene?

To me, it wasn’t really a kiss scene so much as something Geundae felt he had to do in that moment. He didn’t know what else to do, so he resorted to it to calm Hanlim down. Behind the scenes, we were short on time, so we shot it in one take.

You’re known as a good soccer player with strong athletic ability. Watching Kim Mu-yeol and Jin Ki-joo perform action scenes made me wonder if you’d be interested in action acting. What do you think?

Of course. If you’re an actor — and a man — you want to try action films and action sequences. Watching Kim Mu-yeol perform action on set, I thought he looked incredibly cool and, honestly, kind of sexy. I want to refine myself and become the kind of actor who can show that side someday.

Aside from action, are there emotional, deeper roles or other kinds of performances you’d like to tackle?

I’d like to try a role rich in family-centered humanism. For example, something like the role Kim Dongwook played in Along with the Gods. Or a film or drama that deeply explores male friendships. I think I could show more of myself in projects like that.

You formed a troupe with your high school classmates called Geukdan Sonyeon (founded in 2015) and have performed regularly on stage. I’m curious what prompted you to form the troupe and whether it has helped your acting.

After our friends returned from military service, we tried auditions for agencies and for film and drama, but things weren’t going well. Over drinks the guys were complaining, and I said, since I’d been earning some money, why don’t we put on a show ourselves? That was all we could do at the time. Through friends who were still in school we met a professor and learned how to stage a production and how to run a troupe.

Our first production was such a thrill. We felt so alive and so happy. That’s why we’ve kept it going, and I want to keep doing it as long as I can. I still take acting lessons regularly, but I’ve learned a lot from performing. I learn a lot from the colleagues I act with. I think I need to keep working hard.

This project earned you a lot of praise for your acting, with many saying the role fit you perfectly. How did you feel seeing those reactions?

I feel very pleased and proud, but even with all the praise for 〈Chamgyoyuk〉, there are more moments when I feel regret because I see so many areas where I’m lacking. I think, I could have done better here. So I tell myself not to think, ‘I really nailed it.’ Still, this project and the role of Bong Geundae have become a work that gave me the courage to believe that if you act with true sincerity, that sincerity can ultimately reach viewers. It made me feel that my sincerity can reach the audience.

What’s next? Are you currently filming the next project, 〈Good Partner 2〉?

I’m working hard to prepare for 〈Good Partner 2〉. I’m working to improve aspects of my acting and my facial expressions that were lacking in the first season so I can deliver a better performance. I hope people will look forward to it and show it a lot of interest.

If you had to pick one scene or line from 〈Chamgyoyuk〉 that stands out most in your memory, what would it be?

When Hwa-jin first meets Hanlim, she says, “The start of help is asking someone to help you.” I liked that line because it wasn’t about, ‘Why didn’t you speak up?’ and more about, ‘There are people behind you who can help you.’ I thought that line captured the comfort and courage 〈Chamgyoyuk〉 offers, and I really liked it.

The show also asks what it means to be a good adult. In your view, what makes a good adult?

Both when I was young and now while working, I’ve valued the adults who believed in me. I liked teachers who trusted me. That trust became the energy that let me move forward. A teacher once told me, “You’re someone who should act.” It was just a line from a teacher, but it felt like someone recognizing my potential — like they saw something in me even if I had nothing. That single sentence from a teacher is what kept me pursuing acting. My parents also used to say, “Believe in our son. He can do it.” Words like that from adults had a huge impact on me in adolescence and my younger years. So, an adult who believes in someone is, to me, a truly good adult.