Chae Jong Hyeop is stepping into a new chapter with his latest drama In Your Radiant Season.
Ahead of the series’ premiere today at 9:40 PM KST, the actor sat down for a photo shoot and interview in the March issue of ELLE Korea. The shoot captured a relaxed, dreamy mood, as if he were on a laid-back vacation. With a background in modeling, Chae Jong Hyeop moved through the shoot with ease.
In the interview, he spoke about his character Sun Woo Chan, describing him as someone who lives each day like a carefree summer break. “He’s an honest person,” Chae said. “He carries secrets and emotional scars he can’t easily share, but he doesn’t try to hide them. You often see him pushing through because he wants to be truthful.” He added, “He believes if he’s hurting, others could be hurting too, so he willingly helps people. He’s someone with a very upright heart.”
When asked how much he related to the role, he said the show’s central question — “What season of life are you in right now?” — made him reflect on his own experiences, especially his time studying abroad. “It reminded me a lot of that period,” he said.
Chae also spoke warmly about working with his co-star Lee Sung Kyung. “She’s incredibly talented, and she brings so much energy and positivity to the set,” he said. “I received a lot of energy from her and learned a lot while filming.”
Reflecting on meaningful moments in his own life, he pointed to the first time he discovered something he truly wanted to pursue. “It wasn’t something I set out to find, but I ended up working as a model in South Africa,” he said. “That was the first thing I felt I truly wanted to do, and from that point on, the world felt more colorful.”
Asked how he finds comfort emotionally, Chae shared that he likes to travel and immerse himself in new environments. “When I go somewhere new and naturally blend into how people there live, I stop overthinking and just find it fascinating,” he said.
Borrowing from the drama’s central theme, he was asked which “season” he feels he’s in right now. “I feel like I’m back in winter,” he said. “I’m quietly preparing and working hard for a better season ahead, so it makes me even more excited for what’s next. No matter what path I take, I want to start with the same feelings I had at my debut.”
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