There is a work that redefined the two letters ‘family’, which generally means a group of people in a kinship relationship centered around a couple. It is the JTBC Wednesday drama ‘Prefabricated Family’ (written by Hong Si-young, directed by Kim Seung-ho), which ended on the 27th. It starts with the logline that three youths who have been together as a family for 10 years and missed each other as strangers for 10 years meet again and develop a romance, but the key here is not romance but ‘family’. These people who have the will and attitude to eat together, share their innermost feelings, and overcome misunderstandings and conflicts form a family with special friendship than blood relations. This is the message that ‘Prefabricated Family’ wants to convey.

And there is a character that fits this message the best. Kang Hae-joon (played by Bae Hyun-sung) is a fool who only cries, but he is a good lubricant in his family. He was raised by his mother Kang Seo-hyun (played by Baek Eun-hye) and her blind date Yoon Jung-jae (played by Choi Won-young). He carries the sadness of being abandoned by his mother, but he is pure and innocent because of his innate nature. He is known as a ‘crybaby’ in his family because he expresses his emotions richly. However, he is also a mood maker. He is an indispensable character in his family, whose innate nature does not change even after he finds out about the 10-year gap and his mother‘s story later. And Bae Hyun-sung, who completely portrayed this through his acting, is evaluated to have grown as an actor.



“Please tell me a lot that your ‘acting has improved’. Thank you so much. I also feel that I have grown a little bit while working on this project. I think that I have more areas to show because my role has grown compared to my previous works. That’s why I‘m happy as an actor. I think it’s a happy thing that an actor can show various charms. I‘m grateful to everyone who watched it. Actually, I still can’t believe that filming is over. It seems like a new episode will air next week, but it‘s over... I feel a bit sad and disappointed.”

Unlike Kang Hae-joon in the drama, Bae Hyun-sung is calm. He speaks while constantly thinking about something. That’s why it must not have been easy to use the character.

“I don‘t really have anything in common with Kang Hae-joon. I’m funny, but I‘m not as bright as Kang Hae-joon. Kang Hae-joon is sociable, but I’m not. I‘m not bright either. If there’s one thing we have in common, it‘s that we don’t easily share our inner stories. I‘m not the type to easily share my worries and sorrows with others like Kang Hae-joon. I’m just like, ‘good is good’. That‘s why I want to be sociable and outgoing like Kang Hae-joon. Kang Hae-joon is also very charming.”



Even the common saying, ‘intelligence’(the extent to which one is good at reading the mood) is different from Kang Hae-joon. “While filming, I never thought that Kang Hae-joon was tactless. Since I was acting as Kang Hae-joon, I think I acted like that character and acted tactlessly. But when I monitored the drama at home, he really had no tact. It was frustrating even for me watching. (Laughs) In reality, I am more tactful than Kang Hae-joon. However, I am not tactful when it comes to love. I don’t pay attention to that kind of thing, and I am not very interested in others. I am weak when it comes to tact when it comes to love.”(smiles)

The story of ‘Prefabricated Family’ is a work that recreates the framework of family. That is why Bae Hyun-sung‘s family is also highly immersed in this work. “Please watch the original broadcast every week. My mom and dad actually cried a lot. They said they cried every episode. People around my parents also say, ‘We’re watching the show well.’. When I went down to my parents‘ house, I saw my parents crying while watching the drama. It was so amazing. My younger sibling is blunt. He’s good at expressing his emotions, such as through reviews. My friends are the same. They say they‘re watching it with fun, but when they watch my romance scenes, they react like, ‘That’s ridiculous.’. Their reactions are always indifferent. (Laughs)”



Bae Hyun-sung is receiving positive reviews for having grown through ‘Fabricated Family’. In particular, his tearful acting in scenes where he works with Choi Won-young is the best. He delivers heartbreaking acting that will make anyone cry.

“I liked all the scenes with Choi Won-young. There were a lot of crying scenes, but he said, ‘Wouldn‘t it be sadder if you talked while holding back tears?’. When I actually acted it, I felt that kind of acting made me sadder. I learned a lot from acting with him. The on-site staff also said that they cried a lot. The editing staff also said that they felt sad whenever they saw him. I think the good scenes came out thanks to him.”

Bae Hyun-sung, who finished ‘hard work’ with Netflix original series ‘Kyungseong Creature’ Season 2, ‘Hell’ Season 2, and ‘Prefabricated Family’ this year, is looking forward to a new appearance next year.

“I started filming ‘Prefabricated Family’ at the end of last year, and I will end the year with ‘Prefabricated Family’ at the end of this year. I’m happy just working (acting). I‘m grateful that my fans said they’ll be able to see various sides of me this year. So I hope I can have many opportunities to show various sides of me next year as well. I heard that I‘m growing, so I want to hear people say, “I want to see (the production) because Bae Hyun-sung is in it.” I’ll work hard. I always think, “I‘ve done well so far, I’m doing well, and I‘ll do well in the future.” I don’t think this thought will change in the future. I want to say this to ‘Kang Hae-joon.’ And to the viewers and fans who watched the production, and everyone. Be happy and healthy.“

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter, projecthong@donga.com