Yim Si-wan, Seorina take on ‘striking transformation’ for ‘Love in Disguise’

If there is one reason viewers should tune in to the romantic comedy series “Love in Disguise,” stars Yim Si-wan and Seorina (Seol In-ah) agree that audiences should look forward to the “striking transformations” they are set to showcase in the drama.

Between the two actors, however, the transformation is more apparent in Seorina, whom viewers may recognize from K-dramas such as “Business Proposal” and “Twinkling Watermelon,” as well as the disaster thriller film “Emergency Declaration.”

That’s because for Seorina, the transformation is physical: She cuts her hair short to convincingly portray a woman who disguises herself as a man as she sets out to uncover the truth behind a murder case.

In “Love in Disguise,” which premieres October 19 on Prime Video, Seorina portrays Kang Jae-hee, a former special forces officer-turned-detective who disguises herself as a man to work for a chaebol (conglomerate heir) embroiled in a murder case.

That chaebol is Si-wan’s Yoon Yi-jun, who finds himself attracted to Jae-hee, prompting him to question his own identity — until he eventually uncovers the truth.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Seorina shared that cutting her hair was not the only preparation she undertook to portray Jae-hee.

“First off, the director told me that I should never ever lose weight, and I paid a lot of attention to keeping my voice low and also hiding my body figure with the outfits,” Seorina said.

The preparations were not just physical, as Seorina also made an effort to portray Jae-hee as a former member of the special forces.

“I also had some people around me who were in the military in the past, so I went to them asking for advice,” she recalled.

“Jae-hee is not just a woman in male disguise, but also someone who has a special forces background. I really wanted to pull that off,” she pointed out. “I think Jae-hee in this story did a great job, even though for actress Seorina, it was a little tough.”

Si-wan’s own “striking transformation” may be less obvious, but he said it is his character, Yi-jun, who undergoes a significant change as the series progresses. The actor described his character as “complicated,” adding that Yi-jun “seems almost psychopathic and villainous” early in the story.

“So in the first part of the show, I wanted to really highlight that darker side of him, and as we went along, I wanted to show how that darkness is peeled off layer by layer,” said Si-wan, who has showcased his versatility across genres through projects including the thriller series “Hell Is Other People,” the hit survival drama “Squid Game,” and romance titles “Run On” and “Summer Strike.”

The series’ playful tone is already evident in its teaser videos, but the fun extended behind the scenes, where the lighthearted atmosphere helped the two leads grow closer.

“It was my first time working with Si-wan, and the impression that I had of him after watching his previous work was that he was calm, quiet, and serious,” Seorina said when asked what it was like working with her leading man.

“Of course, those are definitely some aspects of who he is. But he’s also very friendly, sweet and playful,” she added.

Si-wan himself acknowledged his own playful side, explaining that playing pranks and sharing jokes with others served as his “measure of our friendship.”

“Jokes might not be funny to everyone, even though they’re funny to me,” he said.

He admitted to being initially careful around Seorina, “but at some point, we realized we were on the same wavelength.”

“One day, we spent so much time laughing on set that we couldn’t stay on schedule. So all the staff members had to go home later than planned,” he recounted, using the interview as an opportunity to apologize to the staff.

“For us (Si-wan and Seorina) though, it was a great opportunity to grow closer,” he added.