[Interview] "Heroes Next Door" Jin Sun-kyu, "I'm Kye-sang's Wife"

Actor Jin Sun-kyu shared his thoughts on reuniting with g.o.d member and actor Yoon Kye-sang through the drama "Heroes Next Door".

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On the 10th, Jin Sun-kyu sat down for an interview with Star News at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Through ENA's Monday–Tuesday drama, and Coupang Play and Genie TV's original series, "Heroes Next Door", he delivered yet another memorable performance.

Heroes Next Door tells the cheerful and thrilling story of a group of former special forces soldiers who band together not to protect the nation or world peace, but solely for their families and their neighborhood. The series is directed by Jo Woong of the well-made 2024 drama "A Virtuous Business" and written by Ban Gi-ri, who received major praise this year for "Shin's Project".

The 10-episode series premiered on October 17th and has only two episodes left before its finale. Starting with a 2% rating, it climbed to 4.6%, gaining strong popularity.

In the drama, Jin Sun-kyu fully transforms into Kwak Byeong-nam, a former technical soldier and current head of the neighborhood youth association, winning viewers over with his warm and relatable charm.

The series also drew buzz as it marked Jin Sun-kyu's reunion with Yoon Kye-sang after eight years. The two previously starred together in "The Outlaws" (2017), one of the top three highest-grossing R-rated Korean films with 6.88 million viewers. Their shared filmography also includes "Road No. 1" (2010), "Poongsan" (2011), and "Love Guide for Dumpees" (2015), making "Heroes Next Door" their fifth project together.

When asked why he accepted the role, Jin Sun-kyu answered without hesitation: "Yoon Kye-sang". He confessed, "To be honest, I wasn't instantly drawn to "Heroes Next Door" after reading the script. But I chose the project because Yoon Kye-sang was doing it. I felt this was a story someone else could also make entertaining, depending on who you work with. When I heard he was joining, I knew it would turn out much more fun".

He continued, "Just like how we practiced together for two months before filming "The Outlaws", we prepared this project in the same way. We discussed the script with the director and adjusted parts of it. As cast members joined one by one, we held script readings starting a month before filming and built the work together that way".

Jin Sun-kyu added that working with Yoon Kye-sang again felt even more meaningful: "Maybe because we shared those past moments, meeting again had a much deeper sense of connection. Our chemistry has grown by tens of times".

Their bond was so strong that director Jo Woong even joked, "You two look like you're in love". Jin Sun-kyu laughed, saying, "On the "Heroes Next Door" set, I was basically 'Kye-sang's wife'. Beyond just being close, it was genuinely fun working together. When I was exhausted while filming "Count" (2023), Kye-sang suddenly came to the set just to keep me company. His presence gave me different energy this time as well".

The final episode, Episode 10 of "Heroes Next Door", will air on the 16th at 10 PM.