'Secret Gratitude' Gong Myung: "Younger Man Image? No Worries.. Perfect Chemistry with Shin Hye-sun, 120 Points" [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

• tvN Saturday-Sunday Drama 'Secret Gratitude' Interview with Actor Gong Myung, who played the role of No Ki-jun

Actor Gong Myung revealed a variety of charms through 'Secret Gratitude', from a romance with a younger man to masculine appeal.

In a commemorative interview for the conclusion of the tvN Saturday-Sunday drama 'Secret Gratitude' (script by Yeo Eun-ho, directed by Lee Soo-hyun), Gong Myung expressed his satisfaction with his chemistry with Shin Hye-sun.

'Secret Gratitude' is a tense, close-contact audit romance between Joo Jin-a (played by Shin Hye-sun), a charismatic audit office manager who keeps a secret, and No Ki-jun (played by Gong Myung), an audit office ace demoted overnight to the role of handling internal sexual harassment (PM) investigations. In the drama, Gong Myung plays No Ki-jun, a deputy in the Haemu Group audit team, and portrays a pink-hued romance with Joo Jin-a.

Gong Myung first shared his thoughts on the conclusion. He said, "After finishing filming, I watched the broadcast as a viewer and found it fun, but I can't believe it's over. The director and the actors we worked with had a fun and enjoyable time on set, so it's a work filled with affection. Thanks to that, I think we can send it off in a good mood."

Through this work, he mentioned experiencing a new world. "It was truly an indirect experience. The subject of an audit team was also fresh. I realized through the script that I was doing these things for the first time. I learned through the script that corporate affairs and the act of auditing them really exist. I feel like I experienced a world I hadn't experienced before, even a little."

Additionally, Gong Myung said, "Wearing a suit without any complaints was the biggest experience," pointing out that he paid a lot of attention to external styling and visuals. He added, "The most important point I felt was the suit fit. So I had about four suits made. When I saw the suit fit, I thought it would be good if it looked sturdy and stylish. I think that was one of the key points that could best show the character of No Ki-jun."

He also revealed the rigorous physical training process to match his physique. He recalled, "Fortunately, the directing team pushed back the costume fitting schedule comfortably. I gained weight and built up my body starting three months before filming. During filming, I significantly reduced my body fat. I gained 5kg and then lost 3kg of body fat. I also built muscle. When losing body fat, I ate only chicken breast salad for a day."

Gong Myung also expressed deep satisfaction with his chemistry with co-star Shin Hye-sun. He said, "The chemistry with Shin Hye-sun was too good. It might be funny for me to give a score, but it was 120 out of 100." He continued, "The reason I took on this work in the first place was the expectation of 'how great it would be to work with Shin Hye-sun.' We had fun on set just as much as I expected. When we were on set, we usually joke around a lot when we get comfortable with each other, and it became a 'tikita' (playful banter). I think this was reflected a lot in our acting. When we were acting, the chemistry and things that naturally came out were visible even when watching the broadcast later."

He also shared an anecdote of being impressed by Shin Hye-sun's acting skills observed on set. Gong Myung said, "It was surprising how she used that tone of voice, gestures, and hand movements. I really thought she was Joo Jin-a." He added, "She was professional when working on set, but when we were casually waiting together or behind the monitor, she felt like a really comfortable older sister. I liked that comfortable side while talking about what to eat."

He also honestly revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the kiss scene with Shin Hye-sun, which generated a lot of buzz. Gong Myung confessed, "We were all satisfied. I was satisfied too. Because, for example, the kiss scene in episode 4, when it was written in the script, it felt like men and women were instinctively drawn to each other and collided. It was one of the scenes where I was curious about how it would be filmed and how it would turn out, and I was worried about it."

He continued, "When we actually filmed it, we worked hard just like an action scene. It was important how we could make it feel more instinctive. While looking beautiful is important, I thought that feeling was more important. Since it had to feel sudden, we worried on set about how to express it well and filmed it while thinking about that."

Gong Myung, who received great love for his younger man character in the work, expressed gratitude for the reactions from those around him. He said, "I feel the popularity through the reactions from those around me. People around me, including the director, expressed their reactions. I thought, 'Really, Ki-jun is being loved a lot as a younger man.' At the same time, he showed his enthusiasm, saying, "But I want to break out more. If I play a younger man character later, I will do it even better."

However, he firmly drew a line against the burden of being fixed in the 'puppy-like younger man' image. He said, "Some people asked, 'Are you not worried about the image becoming fixed?' and also asked, 'Don't you have a need for other characters?' I am not worried. Since there is an image that people expect and want to see from me to that extent, I just think I need to show it one step better than what I showed before, not worry about it."

He also pointed out in detail the changes in his appearance over time. Gong Myung said, "Looking at my old appearance, my features have definitely become more distinct. I think it's because my double eyelids have become deeper. Originally, I had no double eyelids, then the double eyelid line appeared and became completely deep. Looking at old photos or such, I feel like I look too young." When asked if he was satisfied with the changed look, he nodded as if it was natural. He smiled, saying, "I think what I felt was that I am becoming more mature. I started this work when I was 20 or 19, and I like the image of my 30s that I expected."

Meanwhile, he transparently shared his current health status regarding the sudden hearing loss he recently experienced. Gong Myung said, "Fortunately, I am recovering well now." He analyzed, "Anyway, the cause of this was stress, the root of all diseases." He added, "I ate well and rested well, and did everything I could in the early stages. I consistently went to Korean medicine. I thought I was a person who didn't get stressed, but it seems it had accumulated without me knowing. It seems my body just sent a signal saying, 'You shouldn't torture your body like this.'"

Gong Myung stated that the charm he wanted to show through this work was 'masculinity'. He said, "Anyway, I wanted to show my masculinity. The director also told me, 'You will show Gong Myung's masculinity' when we were alone, so I said, 'I will work hard to show my masculinity.' Still, I think many people felt that masculinity, so I am satisfied." He expressed relief.

He continued, "I tried to show a new side that was manly, and I am happy that many people loved that part. I will work hard to show new sides in the future, so I hope you will watch and love me a lot. 'Secret Gratitude' was a work with a very good process, and I am grateful to the viewers who made the result good as well."

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*This content was translated by AI.