Moon Sang-min Hopes for Awards Recognition for 'Beloved Thief'

"I hope it doesn't get buried at the end of the year. 'Beloved Thief' is Director Ham Young-geol's first directorial work, Writer Lee Sun's first drama, and my first network TV project. We all talked about wanting to dress up and attend an awards ceremony together. We even joked about each of us holding an award. It's a project that we all put our hearts into, and it holds the significance of being a 'first' for many people, making it even more meaningful. I hope for a good outcome."

Last month, a round interview with Moon Sang-min, the male lead of 'Beloved Thief,' took place at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul. When a reporter mentioned that dramas aired early in the year might lose some buzz by the end of the year awards season, Moon Sang-min reacted with surprise, asking, "Is that really the case?" and expressed concern, saying, "It shouldn't get buried," bringing laughter to the scene.

Born in 2000, Moon Sang-min made his acting debut in the web drama 'Four Reasons I Hate Christmas' in late 2019 and rose to stardom playing the role of Prince Seongnam, Kim Hye-soo's son, in 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' in 2022. He was cast as the male lead in 'Wedding Impossible' and 'Cinderella at 2 AM,' sharing romantic chemistry with Jeon Jong-seo (born 1994) and Shin Hyun-bin (born 1986), respectively. This year, he portrayed a romantic relationship with Nam Ji-hyun, who is five years his senior. Known for his 191cm 'door-like' physique and innocent face, he is currently receiving numerous offers for various projects.

Premiering on January 3, KBS2's 'Beloved Thief' is a dangerous yet grand romance about a woman who accidentally becomes the greatest thief and a prince of Joseon who chases her, with their souls swapping and ultimately saving each other and the people. Moon Sang-min played the role of Prince Lee Yeol, showcasing a historical romance with Nam Ji-hyun, who played the role of the medical woman Hong Eun-jo, receiving praise for their performances. The drama, which had been stuck at a 1% viewership rating until the end of last year, became a turning point for KBS, achieving a peak rating of 7.7% nationwide according to Nielsen Korea, marking a successful run.

Moon Sang-min reflected on the filming process of 'Beloved Thief' from the beginning. He said, "We started preparing last year. I think filming began around February or March. I remember finishing around September or October. It was a relatively long filming period. Since it was a historical drama, there was a lot to prepare."

"We had a relatively relaxed preparation period. We wanted to capture beautiful backgrounds, so we waited until the cherry blossoms bloomed. Although we started filming later than expected, that time was very helpful. One of the important settings in our drama is the soul change. I had plenty of time to talk with Ji-hyun and we did a lot of readings together, discussing what expressions to make, what actions to take, and how to deliver lines with specific tempo and speed, allowing us to prepare in great detail."

Regarding the nickname 'Eunchinja,' meaning 'a man crazy for Eun-jo,' Moon Sang-min said, "When I first read the script, I felt that Yeol was a character who lived for Eun-jo. That's probably why the nickname 'Eunchinja' was created. The writer put a lot of effort into crafting the character. They included all the cool aspects and exciting points a male lead can show, and among them, I liked Yeol's lines the most. Each sentence was so beautiful," he smiled.

"The confession scene and the lines he says as he gets to know Eun-jo weren't expressed in an overt way. There were many metaphorical lines with meaning, and I really liked that. However, I was worried about how to deliver them in a straightforward manner. I wanted to convey the emotions I felt when reading the script, but as I kept adding emotions, it felt excessive. So, I decided to try to keep it as straightforward as possible and created my own version of Yeol."

Moon Sang-min shared, "The line 'I'm going to marry you' is memorable. I wondered why it stayed with me for so long, and I realized it was because it was a direct statement without waiting for the other person's response. The expression 'marry' isn't commonly used these days, so it resonated more. It was also the first proper confession scene, so I wanted it to look cool on a basic level," he confessed. He added, "The line 'I've caught a single flower' was also very impressive. I liked the way Eun-jo was metaphorically described in that sentence. It has stayed with me for a long time."

"My family also really enjoyed this drama. My father kept replaying the same scenes. When I asked him why he kept watching the same thing, he said, 'This is a drama you have to keep watching.' He said that the more you watch, the more you see things you missed, and it gets more interesting. He told me it's a drama that's fun to watch over and over again, and I agreed."

Lee So-jung, Ten Asia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr