Even after the tvN series "Love Next Door" officially finished, viewers continued to rave about the remarkable chemistry between actors Jung So-min and Jung Hae-in, which Jung So-min said came naturally.

"Before we started filming, we had some free time, so the four of us, including Kim Ji-eun, Yun Ji-on and Jung Hae-in, often gathered to chat and enjoy delicious food, which allowed us to feel more comfortable with each other," Jung So-min said in an interview with local reporters on Tuesday at a cafe in Gangnam District, southern Seoul, as the series wrapped up its final chapter on Sunday.


"Additionally, since the filming period was long and we had plenty of time to share together on set, I think we gradually became more comfortable and close with each other."

Directed by Yu Je-won, who was behind another tvN series, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" (2021), the drama revolves around the love story between two childhood friends, Choi Seung-hyo and Bae Seok-ryu, who know almost everything about each other, even their embarrassing pasts. The finale of the 16-episode series aired on Sunday and achieved an 8.5 percent viewership rating.

The series features Jung So-min as Seok-ryu, who returns from the United States and is Seung-hyo's love interest, and Jung Hae-in as Seung-hyo, as well as actors Kim, playing the paramedic Jung Mo-eum, and Yun as reporter Kang Dan-ho.

The drama was highly praised for the chemistry between the two lead actors throughout its run. The exceptional on-screen chemistry "couldn't have been any better," Jung So-min said.

"It made me hope to work with Jung Hae-in again on another project with a different vibe," she said.

The chemistry between the two Jungs even had the audience speculate that the two were actually dating in real life, or had a special relationship of some sort.

"It made me realize how great the characters' chemistry was, and it also made me think that the viewers appreciated the process of the young characters working together to create that good chemistry as well," she said, paying gratitude for the response but shooting the rumors down.

Jung So-min also shared that she suggested and added certain elements to her portrayal of Seok-ryu to better convey her character's emotions, which were less evident from the beginning — in comparison to Jung Hae-in's character, Seung-hyo. For instance, when Seok-ryu held Seung-hyo's face while kissing and the lines she said during her proposal to Seung-hyo in the series were not in the original script.

"The kissing scene was in the script, but I felt that holding the face was something Seok-ryu would do," she said. "Also, Jung Hae-in told me that he never had someone grab his face while shooting a kissing scene."

"One aspect I found particularly important was to fill in the gaps for Seok-ryu's emotional lines, as Seung-hyo's emotional journey and feelings for Seok-ryu were revealed gradually," she said. "Especially in the latter part, when Seok-ryu proposes in return, I wanted to convey more of her feelings of gratitude and affection for Seung-hyo."

"So, I tried to fill in the gaps in their relationship and love as much as I could," the actor said.

Such suggestions may have been based on her numerous experiences in romance projects, like the series "Because This Is My First Life" (2017) and film "Love Reset" (2023), but the actor gave credit to her team, saying, "The filming environment was very open, with the director and Hae-in both open to new ideas, making it easy to share my thoughts without feeling pressured."

In the series, Seok-ryu is a character who appears to have achieved everything but harbors numerous struggles that she is reluctant to share. For the actor, Seok-ryu was not only a character she could resonate with but also one that her mother felt empathy for.

"After the episode revealing Seok-ryu's sickness and her hidden struggles, I think I sat down with my mother at the table and talked to her for about two or three hours," she said.

"My mother told me that her heart felt broken imagining how lonely and difficult those times must have been for Seok-ryu and how much she would have struggled to achieve her socially successful position abroad," Jung So-min said.

Jung So-min also shared a memorable experience she had with her viewers online, where a Japanese viewer shared a story about being bullied at work, like Seok-ryu.

"The viewer shared that the series gave a sense of comfort and made the viewer realize how much they wanted to cry during that period when she saw Seok-ryu," she said. "Those words were a great source of comfort for me as well, and seeing comments from fans around the world supporting the viewer, such as 'thank you for hanging in there,' warmed my heart and moved me deeply."

Jung So-min, who debuted in 2010, celebrates her 14th anniversary in the industry and is known for releasing at least a single project every year. Though she has built a stable career, the actor expressed that she is still open to new genres and that she desires to establish a lasting presence in the entertainment world.

"I don't have any grand goals, really," she said. "As an actor, I just want to keep doing what I love, stay healthy and enjoy the process for a long time, which is not much different from what I aim for as a human."

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]