‘Shurup Hodonggun’ Hong Jae-min “Eat meat with aunt Kim Hye-soo”

Ten Asia met 12 stars preparing for a new start in 2023. We propose to fill the exciting journey home with an interview series filled with the New Year's aspirations of stars representing the entertainment industry and newcomers preparing for rising.

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“Oh my, Soja, there is something I have decided to do starting today. I have decided to lose weight. I want to become tall and handsome like my brothers. But my mother, I am hungry after running.”

Hodong-gun from the drama ‘Shurup’ appeared before my eyes. Hong Jae-min (10) is dressed beautifully in Hanbok and gives a polite bow, saying “Hello.” The Hong Jae-min I met in real life was a character so similar that it would be safe to say he was a live-action version of Hodong-gun.

Hong Jae-min, with his plump cheeks, big brown eyes, and long eyelashes, thinks of the food he wants to eat every day depending on his mood, and becomes happy when he eats something delicious. Hong Jae-min stole the attention of viewers with his cute charm by playing the optimistic character Hodong-gun, who always lives on food, in the tvN drama 'Shroop'.

Hong Jae-min was selected for the role of Hodong-gun through an audition, overcoming fierce competition. When asked what it was like during the audition, he responded, "At first, I was nervous and nervous and wondered if I would fit the character, but I thought I wanted to try it at least once."

"Hodong-gun is a character who eats a lot like me, and it seemed like he spoke in the way I speak. Although I was nervous during the audition, I was in a satisfactory condition. My lines came out well during the audition. I was really surprised when I heard that I passed the audition. “I was surprised and happy.”

Hong Jae-min, who started filming 'Shrup' for the first time in June last year, was happy with the warm welcome from the actors and staff. In fact, the actors of 'Shurup' mentioned Hong Jae-min, who played the role of Hodong-gun, in interviews and broadcasts and said, "He was so cute that he was a source of energy on set." Hong Jae-min smiled shyly, saying, "I felt less pressure because the actors and director treated me cutely. I was very grateful that actress Kim Hye-soo also took good care of me."

Kim Hye-soo, who plays the role of Hwaryeong, a heavy hitter, is famous for taking good care of the staff on set. Hodong-gun, who was the youngest prince on set, received an even more special touch from Kim Hye-soo. Hong Jae-min continued his relationship with Kim Hye-soo even after filming and had delicious meat meals together. “When actress Kim Hye-soo saw me, she said I was cute and always took good care of me. Even after filming, she met me separately a few times and bought me meat. We exchanged personal numbers and kept in touch. She said she would make me my aunt, and last month she even gave me clothes for Christmas. Yes, thank you very much.”

‘Shurup’ was always a hit. Hong Jae-min also enjoyed watching Ho Dong-gun eating while smiling brightly all the time. A particularly memorable scene is the scene where he rides a pony and eats rice cake with Prince Ilyeong (played by Park Ha-jun). In particular, Park Ha-joon carefully looked after his youngest brother while holding Hong Jae-min's hand and taking a walk on the set.

“After ‘Shrup’ ended, I was reminded of the memories we had working and acting together, so I was so disappointed and sad. I miss the director, and I miss my older brothers. I’m in contact with my older brothers through social media, and if I get the chance, I want to meet them again.”

Jaemin Hong’s day is no different from that of any other elementary school student. When I come home from school, I study at the academy, and when I come home, I review. Playing with my dogs Faith and Cloud is my daily happiness. Rather than playing outside, I like to make things at home and I also have a hobby of cooking. I also made takoyaki with the dough and served snacks to my mom. Hong Jae-min says he has an adult taste, to the point where he has been eating seonjit soup since he died.

“I am confident in mukbang as well. I like meat the most. Pork, beef, chicken, duck... I want to eat pork tripe today. Actually, I want to lose weight, but if I don’t eat even once, I get tired and my health is poor. "I might harm myself, so I'm going to eat and exercise. What's your favorite food? My mom's kimchi!"

Feeling like I was talking to Hodong in 'Shurup', I asked, 'What do you like best other than eating?' Hong Jae-min said, "I like acting the best. I like it because I can show myself through acting, and I think it's fun to perform on stage and in front of the camera. I think acting is fun and has become a part of my life." He said it softly.

"Recently, I watched a few scenes from the first part of the movie 'Alien' in which actress Kim Tae-ri appeared, and I thought it was interesting. Also, I was impressed with actress Park Eun-bin's performance in 'Weird Lawyer Woo Young-woo'. I also saw a different character, Spectrum. "I thought I wanted to try acting in a wide role. I also want to try my hand at genre work. Since I've gained a bit of weight now, I want to act as actor Ma Dong-seok's son. In the future, I want to go on a diet and work in a 180-degree different look."

Jaemin Hong says he likes eating and acting best. The fondness felt genuine and pure, which brought a smile to my face. I was curious about what other works Hong Jae-min, who played a cute scene-stealer role in 'Shuroop', would show off his charm.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr