[Dispatch=Yuha Sky Reporter] "Life is so long, isn't it? I want to challenge everything I like." (Jang Yo-hoon)

A boy who dreamed of becoming a physicist fell into hip-hop. He learned bass guitar, saying he would do band activities. After discovering the allure of the stage in a university theater club, he entered the path of acting. Rather than sticking to one path, he followed what he liked and eventually arrived here.

At the end of that journey came the Netflix series "Misconduct." Actor Jang Yo-hoon left a striking impression playing the notorious delinquent "Jiung Min" in the drama. Right after its release, responses poured in saying "I'm so annoyed I want to hit him."

His actual age is 33. A 2003 university enrollment student, he played a 2011-born delinquent. It was a difficult challenge, but viewers focused on the character before his age.

The epithet "acting monster" also followed. However, Jang Yo-hoon did not brand himself as a special genius. Rather, he defined himself as an actor who endured through numerous trials and errors.

Dispatch recently met with Jang Yo-hoon. We heard about the process of becoming an actor through chance and choice, and his plans going forward.

◆ "Following What I Like, Up to Here"

His original dream was not acting but physics. During middle school, he was serious about science, even winning a silver medal at the Physics Olympiad. But when he failed to enter science high school, his career path flowed in an unexpected direction.

After entering a private high school, he fell into hip-hop. He wrote rap lyrics at school and pursued his dream of becoming a rapper through club activities. Even after entering university, his passion for music did not fade. But loving music and making it a lifelong career were different matters.

The turning point was theater. He did not aim to become an actor from the start. Through university theater club and theater company activities, he learned the power of the stage. The process of communicating with people through performances captivated him.

"Even if it's difficult to speak out directly to the world, I thought I could share valuable stories through works."

After that, he applied to Korea National University of Arts. In the interview, he received an unconventional question: "Explain physically why we should accept you." Jang Yo-hoon recalled a story he had happened to hear from an acquaintance and answered.

"An acquaintance happened to tell me about how they connected their major with psychology for a liberal arts assignment. I applied that to my situation. Even small experiences from daily life can become precious inspiration."

◆ "A 33-Year-Old Delinquent"

"Misconduct" was an unexpected opportunity for Jang Yo-hoon. At the time, he was steadily building his filmography moving between theater and independent films. The Netflix platform drew more response than expected.

His concerns were greater. His actual age was 33. That was not a young age to play a delinquent character. The set had many actors actually in their 10s and 20s. He had significant concerns about credibility.

He even considered changing his profile age. But his birth year was already public as 1993. He laughed, saying "it would seem odd to change it after debuting" and "I thought there was no need to hide it."

The concerns were unfounded. After the release, viewers reacted to the character before his age. Responses followed: "I'm so annoyed it makes me angry," "He needs proper education." It was the highest praise for an actor.

Jang Yo-hoon said "I thought industry people might look favorably because it's a Netflix work," adding "I really didn't expect this much attention."

◆ "How to Create Jiung Min"

Jang Yo-hoon approached Jiung Min through "form" rather than emotion. His first concern was gait. To express the light, bouncy energy unique to middle schoolers, he changed his body's center of gravity.

He also created new facial expressions and habits. The habit of Jiung frequently touching his nose in the drama is a prime example. He set an unconscious behavior that emerges when excited or tense, adding individuality to the character.

His character analysis was thorough. Jang Yo-hoon pulled out enneagram materials he had learned during his time at Korea National University of Arts. He organized the character's desires and behavioral patterns to interpret Jiung's inner self.

He defined Jiung Min as "a child with a strong need for control." Unable to rank first through strength due to his small stature, he is a character seeking power through dangerous means.

"Actors cannot understand all characters. We don't even fully understand ourselves, so how could we know others? Instead, I continued to think about which direction this character would move."

◆ "Delinquents Created Together"

The four delinquent characters in the drama were always together outside the shooting set. They shared accommodations and traveled together. It was an environment where they naturally grew closer.

As a result, ad-libs were endless on set. The actors actively came up with ideas, and the production team reflected them in actual scenes.

A representative scene is the car chase. The original script had almost no dialogue. But as the actors created situations themselves and added lines, it became a lively scene.

"When Hyunmook (played by Yoon Min-soo) tried to operate the wipers and accidentally sprayed washer fluid, senior actor Kim Mu-yeol (playing Nah Hwa-jin) immediately responded with 'What is this, are you Squirtle?'"

Jang Yo-hoon reflected, "All the delinquent actors had many ideas," adding "the process of creating scenes together was truly enjoyable."

◆ "This Too Shall Pass"

"Misconduct" ranked first in Netflix's Global Top 10 non-English series shortly after release. It entered the top 10 in 91 countries and regions, becoming a global sensation. Jang Yo-hoon too suddenly became a notable actor.

However, his daily life has not changed much. He still takes the theater stage and continues independent film shoots. Participation in various short film festivals is also scheduled.

Jang Yo-hoon said he does not want to confine himself to a specific genre. He wants to become an actor who freely moves between theater and independent films, commercial films and dramas.

The word he values most is "enduring." His KakaoTalk status message reads "This too shall pass." He said "my goal is to keep enduring while meeting good works."

"Good things and difficult things all pass eventually. So I try not to get too excited in joyful moments or easily collapse in exhausting moments. In the end, what matters is the attitude of steadily enduring and doing my work."

Jang Yo-hoon is still waiting for his next project. While hoping to someday meet his masterpiece, he does not rush. He simply intends to walk at his own pace, enduring for the long term.

<Photos=Photographer Jung Young-woo>