(Following interview ①) Singer and actor Park Ji-hoon, who excelled in the 'Weak Hero' series, shared his impressions of working with the Season 2 members, who are different from those in Season 1.

Park Ji-hoon held an interview on the morning of the 28th in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. At this venue, 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 desperate survival story and brilliant growth of Yang Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon), who transferred to Eunjanggo after facing trauma from failing to protect a friend despite standing up against violence, determined to not lose another friend by confronting greater violence. It is a sequel to 'Weak Hero Class 1', which was released in 2022, and Park Ji-hoon reprised his role as Yang Si-eun once again.

The 'Weak Hero' series is a drama adapted from the popular webtoon of the same name. Director Han Jun-hee, who received acclaim for the 'D.P.' series, oversaw the project as the creator, while director Yoo Soo-min, widely known as the brother of actor Yoo Soo-bin, directed both seasons 1 and 2. Season 1 was released as an original on Wavve, receiving positive feedback along with actors Choi Hyun-wook, who played Ahn Soo-ho, and Hong Kyung, who portrayed Oh Beom-seok.

In this season 2, actor Ryuhyun played the role of Park Hoo-min, Choi Min-young portrayed Seo Jun-tae, and Lee Min-jae took on the role of Go Hyun-tak, showcasing a strong friendship. Additionally, villains Lee Jun-young as Geum Seong-je and Yoo Soo-bin as Choi Hyun-man, along with Bae Na-ra as Na Baek-jin, made their marks. How was the chemistry with the new friends? Park Ji-hoon noted, "They all have such different strengths. In fact, we didn’t start filming in a particularly close state. We didn’t begin filming with an already strong bond of friendship. Season 1 was also a lot of fun, and the director felt so comfortable, almost like a close brother, during filming," he laughed.

He commented, "'Baku (Park Hoo-min)' really resembled Soo-ho. I wondered, 'Who else could showcase such live energy?' but during filming, I felt the resemblance. I tried to express that feeling. Also, Jun-tae shows a strength that doesn’t waver even in front of strong individuals, which made me think of him as 'strong on the outside, weak on the inside.' It’s not just about being strong that leads to collapse; I found it admirable, thinking, 'If it were me, I would act that way too.' 'Go-tak (Go Hyun-tak)' was indispensable in the story, and I felt that Go-tak only exists because of Baku. The characters were really well-crafted," he admired.

Nonetheless, for fans who have been following since season 1, the flashback scenes were also quite impactful. He stated, "To describe it as 'like a passing cloud' would likely be a dangerous expression; it was hard to convey the sad and complex emotions while filming with them. So, I thought about it a lot and researched it," he revealed. Regarding relationships with the season 1 members, he added, "When we met, we made a lot of small jokes like, 'Have you been well?' or 'Are you filming well?' Nothing special happened," he laughed.

When discussing the most challenging part during season 2 filming, Park Ji-hoon mentioned, "There were subtle challenges. There are scenes where four of us are filmed together, and there's a moment where 'Baku' is said to have gotten the phone numbers of his high school friends, and Si-eun seems to smile slightly while looking at the numbers; capturing such a fleeting moment of Si-eun's emotional state is challenging. It was difficult to convey the feeling of when Si-eun would fit in well with these friends while smiling just enough," he shared.

'Weak Hero 2' was released as an eight-episode series on Netflix on the 25th.

(Continued in interview ③.)

[Photo] Provided by Netflix.

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