Park Hyung-sik, who took off his romantic comedy clothes, filled with masculinity and desire that you‘ve never seen before in ‘Treasure Island’ (Comprehensive) [DA:On-site]

‘I’ll show you a completely different me.’ The prince of romantic comedies, Park Hyung-sik, has returned with a new face. He is ready to show a completely different side of himself with the spicy drama ‘Treasure Island’.

On the afternoon of the 21st, a production conference for SBS‘s new Friday-Saturday drama ‘Treasure Island’ was held at the SBS building in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. The event was hosted by broadcaster Park Kyung-rim, and was attended by director Jin Chang-gyu, Park Hyung-sik, Heo Jun-ho, Lee Hae-young, and Hong Hwa-yeon.

‘Treasure Island’ is a life-all-betting revenge match where Seo Dong-joo (Park Hyung-sik), who hacked 2 trillion won in political slush funds, fights with everything he has to bring down the absolute evil that killed him and his world. This is a work that ‘Money Flower’ writer Lee Myung-hee and ‘Military Prosecutor Doberman’ director Jin Chang-gyu have joined forces for.

On this day, director Jin Chang-gyu explained about ‘Treasure Island’, saying, “It contains the conflicts of people who try to win the treasures in their hearts, such as money, politics, power, and love. It depicts the secret struggles of characters who want to take over the Daesan family, a huge conglomerate.” The actors also added, “The story develops quickly” ... He continued, “In the past, my roles were warm and affectionate with a strong sense of justice, but this time, you’ll be able to see a side of me that you haven‘t seen before, a side of me that’s also human and greedy.”

Heo Jun-ho said, “People came first, not the work. I‘ve known the producers since I was young, so I have a big connection with them. When they came to my agency, I went to see them, and my friends from 20 years ago were sitting there. I was touched because I thought, ’They‘re coming to see me after 20 years.’ I was touched by these friends more than the script.”

Lee Hae-young confessed, “I‘m a huge fan of actor Park Hyung-sik, so I wanted to work with them on a project. I’ve worked with senior Heo Jun-ho once on a project. We didn‘t have much chemistry back then, so I participated because we could have a lot more chemistry this time. I was really curious about where the 2 trillion won would go. I chose it because I was curious about the backstory,” she confessed.

Hong Hwa-yeon, who was cast after beating out competition odds of 100 to 1, said, “I’m grateful to the director,” and “It was an honor to be able to work with such great seniors, and I had a great time. I’m so nervous. I’m the type of person who doesn’t get nervous easily, but I’m more nervous than when I audition,” drawing attention.


Park Hyung-sik plays Seo Dong-joo, a man obsessed with the ambition to get his hands on Daesan Group. Seo Dong-joo is a character who risks everything to take down the absolute evil that made him this way after falling into the abyss for a moment. Heo Joon-ho, who is his enemy, plays the vicious ‘villain’ Yeom Jang-seon, who will not hesitate to trample on others to protect what he has in his hands.

Lee Hae-young plays the role of Heo Il-do, the eldest son-in-law of the chairman of Daesan Group and the president of Daesan Energy. Heo Il-do is a character who is in a relationship with Seo Dong-ju as well as the secret power behind the throne, Yeom Jang-seon, in order to achieve his ultimate goal of passing Daesan Group down to his son. Lastly, Hong Hwa-yeon plays Yeo Eun-nam, the granddaughter of Daesan Group that Seo Dong-ju so desperately wants, but she hides her identity and becomes entangled with Seo Dong-ju. Yeo Eun-nam has ambitions for Daesan Group as well as a desire to uncover the secret behind her biological father’s death.

Director Jin emphasized that he had his eye on Park Hyung-sik since his days as a member of the group Imperial Children when he cast him as the lead role. He expressed his affection, saying, ”His acting transformation in the drama ‘High Society’ was impressive. I wanted him to work with me if he wanted to show another side of himself. I also heard that Park Hyung-sik has a desire to play a masculine character.“ Also, regarding Hong Hwa-yeon, he praised her, saying, ”I felt that she had an atmosphere that suited our deep drama well. I didn‘t know this actress well when I saw the references in her previous work. However, during the audition, she read the scene and digested it in such a different way, so I gave her high marks in terms of acting.“

The main theme that drives ’Treasure Island‘ is the relationship between Park Hyung-sik and Heo Joon-ho, who stand at opposite ends and clash violently. Heo Joon-ho, who took on the role of the world’s strongest villain, confessed, ”When I received the script, I thought, ‘Why did he say he was doing it?’ and ‘How am I going to digest it?’ On the day of the script practice, I told my colleagues, ‘Don’t misunderstand even if I don‘t talk in order to focus.’ But everything fell apart when I went out on set. I was so tired that I talked it out.“ He said, ”Even after acting, I got goosebumps and wondered if I could do it myself. To hide that, I became a chatterbox, harassing Park Hyung-sik and Lee Hae-young and the director. There was no way to resolve it, and I wrestled with the script until the very end.“

What was it like chemistry with Park Hyung-sik? Heo Jun-ho revealed that he met Park Hyung-sik when he was a member of the group Empire Children as a radio host and guest in LA. He said, ”I thought it would be really hard to come when it was cold. At that time, Im Si-wan was there, but the person I remember from that time was Park Hyung-sik. When I saw Park Hyung-sik, who appeared this time as a man, I saw that he had changed so much that I made NGs while saying my lines on the first day. He had become stronger. I was so happy to meet him as a man and not as a little kid. “I tried really hard not to lose to Park Hyung-sik,” he joked.


Park Hyung-sik said, “In the scene where I face senior Heo Jun-ho, as soon as I saw his face, goosebumps rose all the way to the top of my head like a cat‘s paw. I could feel his stamina once again. I thought that someday when I get older, I want to become someone who has an aura like my senior and is good at acting,” expressing his respect.

‘Treasure Island’, which will showcase the acting battle between Park Hyung-sik and Heo Jun-ho, will premiere on the 21st as a follow-up to ‘My Perfect Secretary’. It meets viewers every Friday at 10 p.m. and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.