Yim Si-wan is putting his days as an idol in boy band ZE:A behind him and instead focusing on making his dreams come true.

One such dream he's achieved is starring in a melodrama.

In the recently ended JTBC drama “Run On,” he played a character with a developing romantic relationship. His counterpart in the show was Shin Se-kyung, who plays a movie translator, while Yim plays a professional runner.

Yim's character has been blessed with good looks, talents and comes from a successful and renowned family. The more he communicates with Shin's character, the more he tries to break free from his mold.

“As actors from a similar age range gathered for the drama, filming was always quite fun and cheerful,” Yim recalls during an interview with Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“I was so thankful that Shin was always smiling even due to the littlest things, and the director encouraged us and it felt like we were all children of the director on the set.”

The actor talked more about how it felt to be starring in a TV drama, and shared his plans for the new year. Below are edited excerpts of the interview.

Q. What was it like to work on the drama?

Filming was part of my daily routine, so it was very natural for me to go to work on the set and then come back home. Because I have more leisure time now that the busy filming days are over, I feel like the drama has really ended.

It was a meaningful experience that I got to feel the genuine hearts of actors and staff who wanted to make the drama a good work, and also meaningful to share what we felt with the audience. I hope the drama gives some kind of comfort to those who are going through hard times.

Q. What aspects of your character appealed to you?

He is not someone who’s tainted by the bad in society. And he never loses his will to fight for justice. I really respect him for making courageous choices. I want to learn from his attitude and viewpoint on how he takes on the world, his colleagues and partners.

The character was far from the classic style of a prince charming in many melodramas. So I did not try to look cooler to portray the character. I just tried to show the colors I have. I think such effort was appreciated by the audience.


Q. What was it like to work with your counterpart Shin Se-kyung?

She has an aura that made it difficult for me to approach her at first. Yet I found out that she’s more down to earth as we filmed together. I’m thankful that she was very responsive to all the new approaches that I tried in my acting during the filming.

Thanks to that, I had a great belief that she would be able to handle whatever style of acting I did in our scenes. We did talk a lot about how to make the chemistry work between our characters. I’m happy that the audience loved the couple.


Q. What are you interested in these days?

Because of the pandemic, it is difficult to go outside and do things. I debated what I could do at home, and started to cook more. I wear my mask out and just walk up the stairs often too.

I feel I’m getting tired due to the elongated situation, and felt I’m mentally down sometimes, so I tried to use my body more. It definitely helps me to refresh.


Q. What are the things you want to do this year?

I’ll do many different projects this year. I’m joining cable channel tvN’s entertainment show “House on Wheels,” and I think this will give me a chance to show some different sides of myself. I also think this will give me an opportunity to look back on who I am, and I’m excited for that. As I was close to cast member Kim Hee-won, I was just joking that I would visit when he is filming for the show.

That joke actually became the start of me being on the program. I never expected it to become the real deal, but now it has, I’m thrilled to be part of the show. I wish through the show, many people at home can have some vicarious experiences and relieve their stress.

Q. Any plans to do more acting this year?

I’ll be filming for the movie “Smartphone” soon, and I really want to meet the fans through the big screen after the filming is all completed.


Q. Do you still stay close to the other members of ZE:A?

Our song “Aftermath” from 2012 climbed up the chart [last year] and we talked about it a lot. We didn’t think we could get this much attention [as a group] again. We were all so thankful. The song “Afternath” is one of my favorite ZE:A songs.

Just like everyone has their family from birth, ZE:A is our precious gathering from around 2010 and it is a family to us.


BY HWANG SO-YOUNG [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]