What do you do when your favorite idol shows up at your school to film a show? What’s more, you’re a teacher and you’re casted to be his “co-teacher” on the show. Meet Na Ae-joon, who’s overwhelmed about his idol, Choi Si-yeol, suddenly becoming part of his everyday life. BL drama My Bias is Showing stars Kevin of K-pop group Omega X, making his acting debut as Na Ae-joon, and Kim Kang-min, playing the role of Choi Si-yeol. Asia Blooming sat down with both lead actors to discuss their experience working on the mini TV series.
Being a member of an idol group, Kevin channeled his own relationship with his fans to figure out how he wanted to portray his fanboy teacher character. “I have an app where I can communicate with my fans, and through this app, I asked my fans a lot of questions about their experiences and feelings as a fan,” he said. “Once when I was communicating with my fans, I wondered what drew fans to love us [Omega X]. I think as Na Ae-joon, I was able to consider this question again. I felt this while acting out Ae-joon’s feelings towards Si-yeol, realizing that when you fall in love, even the littlest things are so beautiful and precious and you want to protect them.” As for Kim, he thought about various different perspectives when approaching his portrayal of his suave idol character. “First, externally, the clothes he wears and the way he walks is what I checked before anything. In the beginning of the drama, Si-yeol is the one who’s more direct at approaching Ae-joon. He makes his approach with no hesitation, but he still expresses this gently and slowly, with a calm vibe. I thought that was his attitude opening up the story.”
Filming the drama wasn’t without its challenges, and there were some scenes that pushed them as actors. “The hardest scene, where I also felt a lot of pressure, is a scene where I give a very sincere apology and shed tears,” Kim began. “I was worried about whether I could cry and show the feelings that I needed to convey. When we were shooting this scene, it actually went really well, so it made me feel that this was a point of emotional growth for me in my acting journey.” Meanwhile, Kevin found the physicality and timing in a particular scene challenging. “There’s a scene where I fall while holding a heavy luggage while going down a hallway, and I needed to fall nicely within the time that was scheduled for this scene,” he shared. “It took me a long time to film this scene. I still wish I could have done better, but I think as I keep trying, I can grow further.”
As both characters work out their feelings and make sense of their unusual relationship, things come to a head, revealing their true emotions. Kim explained that Si-yeol has a particular motive for approaching Ae-joon, which isn’t based on liking him. Ae-joon overhears a conversation Si-yeol has with someone else that leaves him feeling hurt. In this moment of heightened emotions, Si-yeol goes after Ae-joon to set things straight. He described this moment as one that captured the emotional core and dynamic of the pair’s relationship. Kim continued, “In this scene, the two characters are at their max of feeling hurt and emotional, but it is also a scene where they share their honest feelings and thoughts with one another.”
Reflecting on the themes of My Bias is Showing, Kevin shared a heartfelt perspective on the topics the show explores: the blurry line between adoration for an idol and romantic love, as well as an unexpected romance between two men. “I think the feeling of liking someone purely and genuinely is very important. Some people might view it [adoring an idol] as not too sincere, but having such affection without any filters feels so precious,” Kevin shared. “Beyond the drama’s genre, I hope fans will be able to feel that, ‘Wow, these are two characters sharing a beautiful love,’ after watching our drama, just like after watching any other drama or love story.”
