DKZ's Jaechan Plots To Run Away From Home In Order To Hide A Secret In "Bitter Sweet Hell"

May 10, 2024

DKZ’s Jaechan has dished on his upcoming MBC drama “Bitter Sweet Hell”!

“Bitter Sweet Hell” is a black comedy starring Kim Hee Sun as Noh Young Won, the top family psychiatrist in all of Korea. When an anonymous blackmailer puts her career and family at risk, Noh Young Won teams up with her mother-in-law Hong Sa Gang (Lee Hye Young), a mystery novelist, to protect their family.

Jaechan will play the role of Choi Do Hyun, the teenage son of Noh Young Won and her husband Choi Jae Jin (Kim Nam Hee). An overachiever with good looks, good grades, and good manners, Choi Do Hyun is impressively mature for his age and faithfully manages to pull off the rigorous schedule his mother has decided for him.

However, when this seemingly perfect son winds up with a secret he can’t tell his family, he makes up his mind to leave home in order to hide it.

Jaechan revealed that he himself became so engrossed in the story of “Bitter Sweet Hell” that he always looked forward to receiving his next script.

“Whenever I received a new script, it was always so interesting and fun to read,” he recalled. “To the extent where after I finished reading a script for one episode, I would always wait eagerly for the next script to arrive.”

As for his approach to the role of Choi Do Hyun, Jaechan remarked, “It seemed like he’s more honest and genuine than you’d expect, and he has a simple and straightforward personality. So while I was acting, I tried not to overthink or complicate things.”

“When faced with a given situation, I spent the most time pondering, ‘What kind of expression would Do Hyun make here, and what kind of tone of speech or actions would he use to get through this situation?’” he continued. “Because I gave my all while acting, I’m really looking forward to seeing [the drama], so I want to watch it as quickly as possible.”

As Jaechan is now in his twenties, he noted with a laugh, “After putting on a school uniform for the first time in a long while and looking in the mirror, I was relieved because I thought, ‘Fortunately, I might still be able to pass for a high school student.’”

In terms how he prepared for his role from a styling standpoint, Jaechan shared, “Because Do Hyun is a model student, I kept my appearance neat and clean-cut while filming, without loosening my uniform necktie or undoing any of my jacket or vest buttons. I also tried to keep my hairstyle neat.”

Finally, Jaechan couldn’t say enough good things about his experience working with his famous co-stars.

“I was [initially] very nervous at the thought that I’d be able to work together with such famous senior actors,” he said, “but everyone was so warm and took such good care of me, so I was very grateful.”

Jaechan went on to give specific examples, recalling, “Kim Hee Sun gave me chocolate as a gift, which I posted about on social media. At [the cast] dinner after our first script reading, Kim Nam Hee called me ‘son’ and took care of me. After I rapped for Lee Hye Young, I don’t know if she practiced it, but she later rapped it back to me. It was a truly special and precious moment for which I was very grateful.”