Jinyoung recently shared a surprising revelation during an interview with TenAsia at a café in Gangnam, Seoul. He discovered through a Time interview that he debuted four years earlier than his co-star Jeon Yeo-been, whom he initially thought was his senior.
In the drama 'Ms. Incognito,' Jinyoung plays a single father who is wary of the new teacher, Busemi, portrayed by Jeon Yeo-been. The series, a crime romance drama, follows the story of Kim Young-ran, a bodyguard from a humble background, who enters a contract marriage with a terminally ill chaebol chairman. The show concluded with a nationwide rating of 7.1%, making it the second-highest rated show on ENA after 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.'
Some viewers felt the love story between Jinyoung and Jeon Yeo-been's characters lacked depth. Jinyoung, who spent months studying his character, shared his perspective on this.
He said, "As a viewer, I understood the criticism. The first two episodes were intense and well-structured. The shift to Moochang, where my character had to escape, required a moment of relief amidst the tension."
Jinyoung initially questioned his character's sudden affection for Busemi, noting that suspicion came before attraction. He explained, "There was a line where Dong-min mentions that five previous teachers had hurt the children. As someone who teaches part-time and has a son in the kindergarten, it made sense for him to be cautious."
Jinyoung further elaborated, "Initially, Dong-min was guarded, but his heart opened up. It might seem sudden, but I imagined it as love at first sight. As he got to know Young-ran, he realized she was different from what he expected—vulnerable yet resilient. This natural growth of affection made sense to me."
He added, "Discussing emotional scenes with the director and Jeon Yeo-been was crucial. I wanted to keep it sincere, and they agreed. Maintaining Dong-min's pure feelings for Young-ran was important."
Jinyoung shared a humorous behind-the-scenes story about his dynamic with Jeon Yeo-been. Debuting in 2011 with B1A4, Jinyoung entered the entertainment industry four years before Jeon Yeo-been, who debuted in commercial films in 2015. Despite this, they both mistakenly thought of each other as seniors throughout the filming of 'Busemi.'
He recalled, "I called her 'senior' at first, but as we got closer, I switched to 'noona.' Jeon Yeo-been has a senior-like presence—kind, warm, and composed. We never really checked the release dates of each other's works."
Jinyoung praised Jeon Yeo-been, saying, "What matters more than seniority is the energy someone brings. I learned a lot from her; she's an excellent actress."
Reflecting on their time together, Jinyoung noted, "She always came prepared and shared her thoughts clearly. Her systematic approach to scenes helped us enhance our performances. Listening to her insights made it easy for me to trust and follow her lead."
Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr