[Interview] Busan Native Ahn Bo-hyun: "I Had Confidence"... The One-and-Only "Spring Fever"

"There were so many comic-book-like elements that when the director was thinking of casting, people around him said, 'There's Ahn Bo-hyun'. Hearing that gave me tremendous strength".

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With his kkakdugi haircut, dragon tattoo arm sleeves, and a rough exterior hiding a tender heart, who else could have pulled it off? Actor Ahn Bo-hyun met with Ilgan Sports following the finale of "Spring Fever" and shared, "Even before filming, I was confident I could do it well and didn't want to miss the opportunity".

The tvN Monday–Tuesday drama "Spring Fever", which concluded on the 10th, is a romance about cynical teacher Yoon Bom (Lee Joo-bin) and passionate man Seon Jae-gyoo (Ahn Bo-hyun). It wrapped with a peak rating of 5.7%. Ahn Bo-hyun commented, "The ratings kept rising without dropping, so I think a steady fandom formed. My family in the provinces loved this project more than any other".

"Seon Jae-gyoo had a lot of comedy that came naturally from his innocence, even when I wasn't trying to be funny. When I actually went to Pohang's Jukdo Market wearing the arm sleeves, many people were surprised".

In the drama, Seon Jae-gyoo is misunderstood as a 'person of interest' in the seaside town of Sinsu-eup because of his appearance. With heavily sprayed upright hair and thick arms covered in dragon tattoo sleeves, the look reflected the web novel and webtoon origins of the story. "To create a more dimensional character, I tried on dozens of outfits. I gained and lost about 5 kg to craft the image of a 'born strongman' who could exist in real life", he recalled.

A graduate of Busan Physical Education High School and a former boxer before his acting debut, Ahn Bo-hyun had the physicality that drew viewer praise as the 'irreplaceable Seon Jae-gyoo'. His Gyeongsang dialect was another 'secret weapon', he said with confidence. Still, his 'real Busan' friends debated its authenticity. "My friends thought my dialect sounded strange, so I read the lines exactly as written in subtitles, and they realized they'd say it that way too. It's hard to find the middle ground between spoken dialect and scripted lines. Maybe that's why the director asked me to ad-lib so much".

He also expressed satisfaction with his chemistry with co-star Lee Joo-bin, with whom viewers became deeply invested as the 'Kkyu-Bom couple'. Their 'size contrast chemistry', his large frame and her petite stature, drew enthusiastic reactions on set. "I felt doing a stylish kiss scene wouldn't suit Jae-gyu, so I approached it clumsily and sincerely. Even though it was toned down from the original, some viewers said it was 'too intense', which made me think the writer and director succeeded", he added.

"I'm not worried about being typecast. I've moved across many genres, and although I was an athlete, I've also played prosecutors, detectives, and CEOs, constantly taking on new challenges".

While he feels some pressure from public expectations for action roles, he says he wants to 'break the mold'. With Seon Jae-gyoo, he aimed to portray not just comedy and romance but also a wounded inner self and warm emotional depth.

Having completed "Spring Fever", he is preparing to film the SBS drama "Flex X Cop - Season 2".

"So during the holidays, I'm going to try to avoid holiday food", he laughed. "With "Flex X Cop - Season 2" this year, I'd love to win Best Teamwork at the year-end awards. It's even more fun than Season 1, and the team chemistry is incredible".