Gong Myung has opened up about his work on the drama "Filing for Love" (은밀한 감사, Secret Audit), which recently concluded its run on tvN. The series is an office romance set in the audit department of a large conglomerate. Gong Myung played No Ki Jun, an assistant manager who falls for his boss, Joo In Ah (played by Shin Hye Sun).

The role of No Ki Jun marked his first experience shooting an office drama. Since the action takes place in a specialised unit investigating internal ethics violations, unfamiliar dialogue and the work environment initially put great pressure on Gong Myung. However, the actor said that thanks to the quality script and vivid episodes, he was able to quickly get into character.

Gong Myung expressed his gratitude, saying: "Because the screenwriter has many acquaintances among auditors, the script includes many real-life incidents. That allowed me to go directly to the writer with questions while researching the character."

He was also helped by sympathetic feedback from friends who actually work in offices.

"It was surprising that even ordinary friends who don't usually watch my dramas reached out to me this time, saying things like 'I really related to Ki Jun's reluctance to go to work' and 'I got PTSD when my boss was chewing me out.'"

However, when it came to No Ki Jun's complicated love life – he keeps dating his boss even though his ex-girlfriend also works at the same company and shares an apartment with him – his friends teased him, saying, "There's no point in having two exes in the same workplace." Gong Myung had to agree with them.

Read more: Byeon Woo Seok, Gong Myung, Gu Gyo Hwan – Three Weekend Men

Gong Myung said: "No Ki Jun is a charming character who received a lot of love from his mother and older sisters since childhood, and he loves people for who they are, regardless of reason."

He cited charm as the foundation of his portrayal: "During filming, I paid a lot of attention to making Ki Jun appear kind and lovable to the audience."

His character's openness and trust in people made him not a frivolous cutie but a reliable guy full of charm.

Speaking about his co-star Shin Hye Sun, he noted: "I'm actually five years younger than her, but because she created such a comfortable atmosphere on set, we had many fun scenes together. Since she has such a beautiful voice in real life, I also tried to deliver my lines as well as she did."

He emphasised that he put considerable effort into creating a more masculine image than usual for this role. For three months before filming began, he underwent intensive training to learn how to carry himself properly in a suit.

"The director was very straightforward from the start. He said, "I want Gong Myung to look truly masculine this time", so I put in a lot of effort. First I gained about 5kg of muscle, then lost 3kg of fat to get into shape. When I saw myself on air, I was very pleased with how well the shirt fit."

He said: "Through this work, I also came to appreciate the special charm of office dramas. I got the desire to try playing a professional role in a suit again. Even my parents were surprised to see me in a suit. They told me they imagined whether I would look like that if I actually worked at a company."

Gong Myung is preparing for the release this month of his new comedy film "Husbands" (남편들), in which he starred alongside Jin Seon Gyu, his co-star from the film "Extreme Job". Also, at the end of the year, MBC will air a 10-episode sports-themed drama "Your Ground" (너의 그라운드), for which Gong Myung gained another 5kg of muscle.

The actor expressed gratitude for the public's love of his comedic skills and his young-man image, but also promised continuous reinvention: "My task is to show more diverse roles in the future so that my image does not become fixed. Until now, audiences have mostly seen me as a young man or a younger brother. Now that I'm just over 30, I want to show 'tetonom' and a masculine side of my personality."

"테토남 (tetonom)" is a modern slang term describing a man with strongly expressed "masculine" qualities. It can be translated as "manly man" or "alpha male". The word is formed from "testosterone" and "man".

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