Kim Seo-hyung, “Acting with all my energy from head to toe”

"'These days, with so many provocative works pouring in, is there a drama that allows you to take a breath like this?' "I wanted to."

A working mother who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness happily prepares for the moment of separation from her family. Her relationship with her husband, who was on the verge of divorce, was also restored. Actor Kim Seo-hyung, who appeared in the Watcha series ‘It Might Be A Little Spicy Today’, said this about this drama.

On the 17th, I met actor Kim Seo-hyung, who appeared in Watcha's 'It Might Be A Little Spicy Today' (hereinafter referred to as 'Oh My Ra'), at a cafe in Sinsa-dong, Seoul. ‘It Might Be a Little Spicy Today’ is a human drama that tells the story of a husband and his family who try to make clumsy but hearty food for their wife, who has become precious about every meal after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Kim Seo-hyung plays Da-jeong, the head of a publishing company who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and prepares for the end of her life. Chang-wook, played by Han Seok-gyu, has never cooked food in his life, but he cooks healthy recipes using good ingredients for his sick wife.

Kim Seo-hyung, who showed a gaunt face while playing a terminally ill character in the play, said, "When I met everyone, they said that I had lost a lot of weight, but it was the same. It wasn't that I didn't lose weight or lost less weight or lost it because I was terminally ill. Once the work started, I became immersed and worried. “I think these things came out naturally as I thought more and more,” he said. He continued, “It’s not that I lost weight, but rather that I feel exhausted because there are so many things I have to realize.” He also said, "I think the loss of a few grams is evident on the outside. Even when I'm not acting, I worry about it instead of worrying about it. It seems like the difference in the few grams I lose is noticeable because I don't sleep well."

Kim Seo-hyung said, "I have a tendency to exhaust myself and act until I die. My tendency is to push to the end and keep doing it until I let go." He has been acting in a way that expresses the concentrated energy all at once. This was the reason why Kim Seo-hyung's acting was solid and persuasive. Kim Seo-hyung said, "I thought it would be better to do scenes like shooting scenes in a hospital room for several days or receiving injections all at once. If you do it two or three times, it's more difficult. It's better to squeeze it in and show it when you do it all at once. It's better to do it in one go. “I gathered everything and focused,” he said. He continued, "Even if it's not a terminally ill character, I focus on acting in that way. It's the same for all the characters I meet in the work, whether it's a terminally ill character or any other character."

The character Da-jeong reminded Kim Seo-hyung of his father, who passed away from lung cancer ten years ago. Kim Seo-hyung said, "While talking with the director about the work, I suggested we talk more about life rather than dragging the story about the limited time limit. He wanted to talk about how precious life is. As a result, I also brought up the story of my father." He continued, "It wasn't that I was sad while thinking about my dad the whole time I was working on this piece. I wanted to ask about what kind of life my dad lived under, what was precious to him, while he was sick for 3 to 4 months, but I had no illusions that I would have that time. "That's what I did. It's not that there was something I wanted to hear, and I feel regretful that we broke up without being able to have any conversation. In that sense, I think Da-jeong contains a lot of my thoughts," he confessed.

Kim Seo-hyung, who was immersed in his work, said, "Whether the previous work was great or not, I can't decide on my next work quickly. I think I've exhausted everything here, but I feel like I need some time before I can move on." When asked about how to manage one's mental state, "Sometimes when I take a break from work, I think, 'Am I being too picky?' "I want to. Sometimes I don't think about anything. For me, the blanket is the best. When I leave the house, I think about the soft sound of the blanket and when I hear that sound when I leave and come back, it's comfortable," he said, laughing.

In the play, Da-jeong calmly prepares for death day by day while eating her husband's heartfelt cooking. When asked if there was any food he had memories of, Seohyung Kim said, "My mom liked to cook. She was good at cooking. My mom made castella herself since she was young. Even now, if you ask her to make it, she will do it. My hometown is Gangneung. Isn’t that true? In the past, when I took the bus to and from Daegwallyeong, I wrapped it in plastic and ate it on the way to Seoul.” He then recalled, "My mom gave me squid to keep me from getting carsick. I chewed the squid on the ride to keep from vomiting."

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr