Kim Hye Jun has opened up about the unexpected challenges of filming romance scenes for her first romantic comedy, revealing that one kiss scene took nearly half a day to complete.
The actress recently reflected on the tvN drama My Bias, My Boss, which ended on September 8. The series marked a major change for Kim Hye Jun, who had previously been better known for darker and more intense genre projects.
In the drama, Kim Hye Jun played Nam Da Reum, a cheerful new employee whose workplace life becomes complicated by romance. She said choosing the project was a big challenge because it was her first romantic comedy.
“It was my first rom-com, so it was a big challenge,” Kim Hye Jun said. She added that she was grateful viewers supported her character and responded positively to seeing her in a different genre.
Kim Hye Jun admitted that some of the romantic scenes initially felt more awkward to perform than they appeared on screen.
“The scenes that made me feel embarrassed or cringe while watching them on TV were even more embarrassing when I actually filmed them,” she explained.
However, she realized that holding back would not work for the genre.
“I felt that I had to express those moments more boldly for viewers to enjoy them, so I worked hard to overcome that feeling,” she said.
One of her biggest surprises came while filming a kiss scene with co-star Kang Hoon.
“The kiss scene is only shown briefly, but I didn’t know it would take that long to film,” Kim Hye Jun said. “The director was very serious about the romantic scenes, so we did a lot of takes. We spent almost half a day filming the kiss scene.”
She also recalled feeling awkward during scenes that required the actors to maintain close eye contact. According to Kim Hye Jun, they sometimes had to stand much closer than viewers might realize for the moment to look natural on camera.
Despite her initial embarrassment, she said she eventually became more comfortable as filming continued.
Kim Hye Jun also praised Kang Hoon for being considerate while filming their intimate scenes. She explained that he paid attention to camera angles and tried to make sure she looked her best.
“He would say, ‘I’ll adjust to the angle where you look pretty,’ and he thought about me first,” she recalled.
She added that Kang Hoon approached sensitive romantic scenes calmly rather than turning the situation into jokes, which helped her feel more comfortable.
Kim Hye Jun said the positive response to her first romantic comedy has now made her interested in trying similar roles again.
After years of appearing in more intense projects, My Favorite Employee gave Kim Hye Jun a chance to show a lighter and more romantic side, while the actress admitted that creating those sweet moments required much more work behind the scenes than viewers might expect.
