[Interview] Kim So-hyun talked about working together again with Jung Ga-ram and Song Kang in Love Alarm 2

“I told him for the first time that I like him”

Kim JojoㅣKim So-hyun

Their love triangle began with the release of the Love Alarm app. Jojo secretly began using the shield feature so that neither of her close friends Hye-yeong and Sun-oh would be hurt. Now it’s four years later, and she resolves to disable the shield to let her true feelings ring the alarm. Can Jojo, now grown up, overcome the two burdens weighing down her heart: her childhood trauma and the feelings suppressed by the shield?

INTERVIEW

Q : What’s different from Season 1?

Kim So-hyun : Jojo became more mature. The time spent with Hye-yeong has given her comfort, and she gradually becomes a stronger person. Chiefly, the restraint of not being able to ring Love Alarm has caused her great suffering and pain. Seeing things from her psychological perspective really helps in understanding her relationships with Hye-yeong and Sun-oh.

Q : What was important to you in portraying Jojo?

Kim So-hyun : There was a line from Season 1 where she said, “I will continue to stay positive and strong…” I tried to express this sentiment throughout Season 2, the strong side of her that refuses to break down. At the same time, I tried not to be remiss about the complexities of her feelings and thoughts toward Hye-yeong and Sun-oh. She continues to feel remorse over having hurt Sun-oh when they broke up. I tried to find and show layers of this situation so that the viewer could feel empathy instead of frustration… so that they’d say, “I feel for Jojo and I also feel for Sun-oh.”

Q : What was it like working together again with Jung Ga-ram and Song Kang?

Kim So-hyun : We were close in Season 1, but we became tighter as a group in Season 2. There was no need to make an effort to align our perspectives or interactions. It all came together naturally so that we could focus on our characters. We could trust and depend on one another as actors and as human beings.

Q : What was it like working with director Kim Jin-u?

Kim So-hyun : He puts a lot of care and thought into what he does. His attention to detail, down to every outfit worn, freed us up to focus on our characters. He has a clear vision of the direction we need to take and the feelings we need to convey. So I was able to take my own thoughts and weave those in to meet him in the middle. I had many conversations with him on set to get a clear picture of his artistic vision. As a result, the Jojo whom I read about in the script is so different from the Jojo who came to life on the set. I’m curious to see how she turns out in the end.

Q : What are Season 2’s highlights?

Kim So-hyun : The biggest factor is how Jojo overcomes her pain. The other points of interest are how Jojo, Hye-yeong and Sun-oh mature and come to terms with their complicated relationship.

“Love Alarm” season 2 premieres on March 12, 10pm on Netflix.