(Following interview ③) Singer and actor Park Ji-hoon, who performed brilliantly in the 'Weak Hero' series, spoke about the changes in action compared to season 1.

Park Ji-hoon held an interview on the morning of the 28th in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He met with domestic reporters to discuss the recently released Netflix original series 'Weak Hero Class 2' (abbreviated as Weak Hero 2).

'Weak Hero 2' is a drama that depicts the intense survival and brilliant growth of a model student, Yeon Si-eun (played by Park Ji-hoon), who transferred to Eunjang High School with the trauma of having fought against violence for a friend but ultimately could not protect them. It is a sequel to 'Weak Hero Class 1,' which was released in 2022, and Park Ji-hoon reprises his role as Yeon Si-eun once again.

In the first season, Yeon Si-eun utilized various tools such as thick workbooks, writing instruments, and curtains to overturn the limits of what appeared to be weak physical strength, creating fresh shock and receiving praise. The theme of actively using tools like pens and glasses continues in season 2, but there are also many scenes that emphasize being hit, leading to some disappointment among series fans who felt that "Yeon Si-eun has become weaker."

Regarding the increased beating scenes, Park Ji-hoon laughed and said, "It may look really clever and like I’m being hit, but I’m actually not. When the angle is such that it clearly shows the inability to avoid it, I wear protective gear or a saddle while filming, so there were no major injuries at all. I comfortably took the hits when I had to, and when I was supposed to hit, I did. If I apologized and hit lightly, I'd have to do it again, so when filming, I wore protective gear and hit and took hits boldly."

He also added, "I think it’s easier to take hits than to throw them. To make the hitting look good, you also have to take them well. It was challenging in season 1, particularly a scene where I tied someone up with a curtain and inflicted violence, as we had to set up a mannequin and do it. Since I couldn’t actually hit anyone, I wore a safety mask while doing it. I feel more comfortable wearing protective gear and taking hits than throwing them. I think I express taking hits better."

On the other hand, regarding the most challenging part of filming season 2, Park Ji-hoon said, "That was unexpectedly hard. There are scenes where four of us are framed together, and in one scene, it’s mentioned that 'Baku' (played by Park Hu-min) got the phone numbers of girls from high school. During that scene, Si-eun slightly smiles in a way that feels like she’s smiling but not smiling at all. The precision required to reflect Si-eun's emotions in this moment of wanting to fit in with these friends was difficult."

Park Ji-hoon expressed, "Ultimately, I thought I could lose these friends too, so when it came to fighting Na Baek-jin, I wanted to show that Si-eun wants to end this. I wanted to express, 'Please, this tiresome thing may be seen as childish.' It was hard to convey that."

He also addressed responses noting that his combat abilities seemed lacking, saying, "You might think that way. In season 2, even though I saved Jun-tae (played by Choi Min-young) from Hyoman (played by Yoo Soo-bin), it wasn’t because I liked him. After transferring, Si-eun doesn’t hit Hyoman. There may be a sense of selfishness in questioning why there’s no action. Si-eun fought to protect her friends but ultimately could not, and the character is one who fights while overcoming trauma. You might think it’s disappointing that the character fights inevitably. If you focus on this character's story rather than the action, you might understand why Si-eun is reluctant to fight."

Additionally, regarding the reaction of suddenly becoming close with Jun-tae, he emphasized, "It wasn’t that I saved him to get close. Watching Jun-tae take a hit brought the trauma from season 1 flooding back, and I involuntarily stepped in. The director directed that way on site. As Jun-tae experienced the trauma related to the violence in season 1, he also says, 'Don’t cross the line.' I think it was for Si-eun, not Jun-tae. The bond with Jun-tae came when he came over early in the morning and distributed the phones collected by Hyoman, and as I listened to what the kids were saying in the hallway, I thought there might be a different kind of strong friendship with this person, which made my mind race. I wanted to express that there was a different kind of feeling toward Jun-tae than other friends."

Above all, Park Ji-hoon said, "Si-eun wants to get close to these kids, but setting boundaries by saying, 'Let’s not pretend to know each other,' reflects her trauma. She worries that getting involved with these friends might bring about other forms of violence, so she suggests stopping any pretense of familiarity. Eventually, she feels trapped in incidents that might involve others but has invested more emotionally than with the other friends."

'Weak Hero 2' was released in eight episodes on Netflix on the 25th.

(Continuing in interview ⑤.)

[Photo] Provided by Netflix.

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