Seo Kangjun and Ahn Eun-jin interview: On ‘A Love Other Than Yours’, messy relationships and more

K-Dramas rarely feature the messy uncertainties of modern-day relationships. That’s probably why watching Namgoong-ho and Lee Mi-do, the central couple in A Love Other Than Yours, as they navigate the unravelling of a decade-long relationship, feels horrifying, upsetting, and strangely gripping. Will this couple weather the storm? Or are the ‘others’ in their lives holding strong? 

Ahead of the show’s September premiere, we sat down with Seo Kangjun and Ahn Eun-jin, the stars of A Love Other Than Yours, to discuss the show’s unique premise, which is now being debated across social media halfway through its 14-episode run. The show also stars Lee Joo-ahn and Jo-aram.. 

Kangjun and Eun-jin ensured they were convincing as a couple who had spent decades together with intricate details. “I kept trying to tell myself that I know Mi-do 100%. ‘Her making that face means this. She must be feeling this in her head right now’. This is what she wants. Her preference is this.’ I tried to assume things as much as possible, thinking I knew her well. I know everything about her,” Kangjun says.  

Eun-jin chimes in, almost sheepishly, about how embarrassed she was to see her character taking Kangjun’s Namgoong for granted early on in the show. “Giving orders to him, making him do all the chores. While Namgoong was doing all the chores, she was just lying there. I think this shows how comfortable she’s gotten with him, and how much time they’ve spent together,” she says. 

Eun-jin, whose Mi-do is a struggling filmmaker, says how it was experiencing the other side of the camera, even if just for the character. “As an actor, while on set, I’d only seen directors shout “ready, action!” and it always looked so cool. And this time around, I loved that it was my turn to shout that out loud. I really enjoyed saying “cut!” and “okay!”

Much like the stars of the K-Drama, See You At Work Tomorrow, from earlier this year, who got a taste of the corporate grind on their show, Kangjun says, the experience felt like an eye-opener as a snack company employee. “We work freelance, right? So I’ve never been part of an organization, and I always thought that if anything comes up at work, if something unfair happens, you should definitely fight it and tackle it head-on. Several things happen in the workplace, and you can’t always get your way. Sometimes you need to give in and compromise. This experience was a good reminder of that,” he reflects.

For Kangjun, A Love Other Than Yours offers a refreshing change of pace from his previous drama, Undercover High School. While the latter was a fun, larger-than-life series in which he played a highly skilled field agent navigating the challenges of an unexpectedly entertaining high school, his new project is more slice-of-life, and closer to reality.

The actor’s favourite is the romance genre. “It is so easy for people to relate to, and easy for me to get into the character’s headspace as well,” he says. This isn’t surprising, given Kangjun’s rather affecting performance in the romance show When The Weather Is Fine, opposite Park Min-young. 

Eun-jin quickly reminds him of the genre’s challenges, particularly with their shows. “The sad scenes here were heartbreaking to perform,” she adds, as he agrees. 

Having won several accolades, notably for her role in the period drama My Dearest, Eun-in has consistently picked author-backed female characters. Even in A Love Other Than Yours, she finds herself in the centre of a conflict. She has to navigate complex relationship dynamics, as she gets drawn to another man while in the throes of a rocky long-term relationship.

“I think I’m naturally drawn to female characters who are like this. Who have a backbone. Who tackle everything head-on. Who are fearless. Who don’t hesitate to overcome hardship. I think I look for these qualities when deciding on projects,” she augurs. 

Mido’s life starts off very tough in the show because her career is not doing so well, and her relationship with her boyfriend is stuck too. But just like the other characters I have played, she doesn’t try to avoid these challenges. She’s determined to tackle them head on, and willing to push forward,” she concludes. 

A Love Other Than Yours is streaming on Prime Video