Jung Hae-in wants fans to see him beyond rom-com roles

For Jung Hae-in, taking on roles across diverse genres would always be a challenging yet rewarding feeling as an actor striving for versatility in his career.

- ANNA BARLAM

This year, the K-drama heartthrob worked on two entirely different projects - the action crime film "Veteran 2" and the romantic comedy K-drama series "Love Next Door" - which gained immense support from his fans called Haeiness (short for Haein and happiness).

"Each project, each genre is a challenge for me. I just keep pushing myself," he said through an interpreter during a press conference presented by CDM Entertainment on Friday, a day before his "Our Time" fan meeting at the New Frontier Theater.

"Whenever I'm choosing a character that I would portray, it's very important for me to draw it out in my head if I can do it. But even with characters that I cannot imagine doing, I still challenge myself because I know that it would be rewarding later on," he added.

That's why in "Love Next Door," Hae-in proved that he could conquer his fear of the waters when he accepted the role of Choi Seung-hyo, a competitive swimmer in his high school years before becoming a successful architect.