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| Actors Jung Yong-hwa, left, and Cha Tae-hyun pose during an online press conference for KBS' new series, "Brain Works," Monday. Courtesy of KBS |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actors Jung Yong-hwa and Cha Tae-hyun have teamed up to play a comedy duo in KBS' new detective series, "Brain Works."
"I've been wanting to work with Cha," Jung said during an online press conference for the series, Monday. "He's the type of person who doesn't overtly take care of you but rather makes it subtle and you can realize that later on. I've gotten a lot of help with acting from him."
The 16-part series revolves around neuroscientist Shin Ha-ru (Jung), who has a special brain, and selfless detective Geum Myung-se (Cha), joining together to investigate brain disease-related criminal cases. Ha-ru comes from an elite background ― three generations of doctors and a wealthy family. He is smart and assertive, yet his overconfidence often offends people. Myung-se is a neuroscience squad detective who is kindhearted and righteous, despite his rough persona.
The first episode, which kicked off with a 5.2-percent viewership rating Monday, showed Ha-ru and Myung-se getting off on the wrong foot. Myung-se exposed Ha-ru's wrongdoing of illegally taking a dead murderer's brain for research purposes, which cost Ha-ru his job. Ha-ru joins Myung-se's team as a consultant, involving them in an ill-fated relationship.
The series' director, Lee Jin-seo, said that he feels confident that the comedy will attract viewers.
"There have not been many dramas revolving around the brain. There's also a comedy genre added to it, which makes it special. I can certainly say that we have our signature comic materials," he said.
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| A poster for the series, "Brain Works" / Courtesy of KBS |
"The script was really funny. Jung's character Ha-ru came across as very charming … The role I'm playing is similar to those I've done before, but I was drawn to this comical role and decided to take part," he said.
"I did have times when I wanted to try different things and tried a few times. But there were some things that didn't work. I finally realized that I have a specific image the viewers want to see. It did feel like a bit of a burden to play a detective two consecutive times but the script was just intriguing."
Jung said that although the role of a neuroscientist felt difficult, he wanted to challenge himself.
"I fell for the character because I've never done this type of character. The one thing that made me hesitant was that it has so many lines from the start. It was giving me a challenge but I really wanted to do it," he said. "And when Cha confirmed his role, it assured me about getting onboard with the series."
The actor said he had studied the script for over six months to prepare for this professional role, adding that getting into the role had changed his personality.
"My MBTI changed from ESFP to ESTP. I used to be an emotional person but I have become a more logical and reasonable thinker. I never knew that if you get so into character, it might change your personality," he said. "I was interested in neuroscience and was very quick to make judgments so I was already similar to the character. But as I film the series, I feel like I become more like the character."
"Brain Works" airs on Monday and Tuesday at 9:50 p.m. on KBS.
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