Yook Sung-jae to play sunny intern in SBS drama Nine to Six

Yook Sung-jae will star as Han Seon-woo in the upcoming SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama Nine to Six, which is scheduled to premiere on November 25. Marking his first role as an office worker, Yook will portray a kind intern who develops a relationship with a workaholic deputy manager played by Park Min-young.

The new SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Nine to Six' is scheduled to premiere on November 25.

In 'Nine to Six', Yook Sung-jae will play Han Seon-woo, a "100% warmth" younger man who serves as a sunny intern. He noted that even during rehearsals with Park Min-young, they could already visualize each other's acting.

The drama promises a romantic chemistry between a workaholic deputy manager and a sunny intern, heightening anticipation for the age-gap romance. Yook Sung-jae, known for his "Power T" personality, shared his secrets for transforming into a sunny male lead, stating his synchronization with Han Seon-woo is 50% and that he observed friends with "F" (feeling) tendencies to prepare for the role.

Yook Sung-jae expressed confidence in the work, stating, "I want this to be a project that provides empathy and comfort." Regarding his transformation into the sunny intern Han Seon-woo, he joked, "In previous works, I did teleportation or walking on air, but acting like I'm just walking is quite different."

He also shared a viewing point, saying, "It will be fun to guess the moment Seon-woo began to develop feelings for Kang I-ji."

'Nine to Six' (directed by Lee Hyung-min and Oh Song-hee / written by Choi Ji-oh / produced by Studio S and Samhwa Networks) is an "on-and-off work-life balance" romance. It follows a rational woman who has lived by proving herself through work, as she meets a kind and emotional man and rewrites her standards for work, love, and happiness.

In a written interview, Yook Sung-jae, who plays the sunny intern and "100% warmth" younger man Han Seon-woo, explained his decision to join the cast, saying, "Unlike the genres I have done until now, I wanted to do a work that is realistic and relatable."

Regarding the character of Han Seon-woo, Yook noted, "The synchronization between me and Han Seon-woo is 50%. He is a character who expresses directly what I would only think to myself." He added that Han Seon-woo possesses a kindness and an "F-type" personality that is distant from his own. To prepare for the role, he said, "Before filming began, I met and observed emotional and kind friends. I thought, 'My friends speak like that, they might think that way,' which helped me understand F-type personalities and immerse myself in the character of Seon-woo."

Marking his first role as an office worker since his debut, Yook joked about the difference in movement, saying, "In my previous works, I did teleportation or walking on air, but since Seon-woo walks with his feet on the ground, it was a bit different." He added with a laugh that the scene where Seon-woo rides a motorcycle was more thrilling than walking on air. He concluded his thoughts on his first office worker role by saying, "It was my first time acting as an intern, and I had a fun filming experience because I met a good boss, senior Park Min-young."

Yook is expected to draw attention through his acting chemistry with Park Min-young, who plays the workaholic legal team deputy manager Kang I-ji. Yook remarked, "In the drama, deputy manager Kang I-ji and intern Han Seon-woo start with a 'hate relationship,' but their chemistry rises as the episodes progress. On set, my chemistry with senior Park Min-young became very good as we filmed more." He added, "Even just doing readings during rehearsals, we could visualize each other's acting, so we were able to act comfortably."

Yook also hinted at a significant viewing point regarding the change in Seon-woo's emotions toward Kang I-ji. "Viewers may have different interpretations of 'when Seon-woo began to develop feelings for I-ji,'" he said. "The point is to watch while thinking about that." He added, "We filmed the moments when I-ji changes because of Seon-woo and the moments when I-ji learns about love with great excitement, so I hope you watch it impressively."

Finally, Yook cited "empathy and comfort" as another key point. " 'Nine to Six' contains stories of people who solve the realistic hardships and concerns of workplace life together rather than alone. I hope it can reach many people with empathy and comfort," he expressed.

The excitement, empathy, and comfort provided by Yook Sung-jae's return as a "sunny intern" through his unique humor and delicate emotional acting can be found in 'Nine to Six'.

Meanwhile, the new SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Nine to Six' will premiere on Wednesday, November 25, at 9:00 PM.

Photo: SBS 'Nine to Six'

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