Yoon Chan Young and Bong Jae Hyun shared their thoughts on the bromance between the two male characters in High School Return of a Gangster.
High School Return of a Gangster is a fantasy human drama that tells the story of a gangster who wants to go to college and finds himself in the body of a 19-year-old high school outcast. Using his own unique skills, he punishes his tormentors and forms friendships with a friend who is suffering from domestic violence. Yoon Chan Young plays Song Yi Heon, a shy and quiet high school outcast, and Kim Deok Pal, a gruff 47-year-old gangster with a presence as booming as his personality. BTOB’s Minhyuk takes on the role of Choi Se Kyung, a model student who seems to have everything but has hidden pain.
The novel it’s based on is a BL story, but the drama takes a different direction. Yoon Chan Young stated, “I didn’t approach the work with a specific genre in mind. I tried to portray the relationship between the two as slightly more affectionate and intimate than typical friendships.”
Bong Jae Hyun explained the relationship between the characters as “closer than friendship, but not quite love.” He elaborated, “There’s a sense of attachment, maybe even curiosity, that lingers between them. I wanted to capture that through their conversations and unspoken emotions in their eyes.”
Yoon Chan Young worked hard to transform his body for the role. He explained, “There were a lot of discussions with the director during prep. We wondered how Hyun’s physique might change when possessed by Duk Pal’s spirit. I asked the director for advice, and he suggested focusing on consistent exercise to build agility rather than bulk. I trained hard, and since boxing is Duk Pal’s signature skill, I watched a ton of videos at home. I even bought gloves and practiced shadow boxing in front of the mirror to get the movements down.”
Yoon Chan Young revealed that what he learned in All of Us Are Dead was very helpful in handling the action scenes in this series. “The action sequences felt less like starting from scratch and more like familiar territory,” he explained. “Working on that project really built a strong connection with the action director. He designed fight scenes that showcased my strengths. There’s a noticeable improvement in how I handle action scenes now. Thankfully, nobody got hurt during filming. We wrapped up production without a single injury.”
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