Jung Kyung-Ho Calls His ‘Crash Course’ Character A Genius At Romance

Crash Course In Romance is a Korean drama about side dishes and math equations— in which the need for good food and top math scores intersect in hilarious and heartfelt ways. The successful k-rom-com, which rises in viewership with almost each successive week, stars actor Jung Kyung-ho as Choi Chi-yeol, a star math instructor at one of Seoul’s best cram schools.

The competition to enroll in Chi-yeol’s classes occasionally gets intense since his teaching methods guarantee good test results. Chi-yeol is a star and he knows it, which means his pampered ego occasionally makes him insufferable. Still, it’s impossible not to like the character, which Jung found easy to do.

“I experienced the life of a star instructor for the first time, which is a world I would have never known if it wasn’t for Crash Course in Romance,” said Jung. “Chi-yeol is such a humane, but lonely character. I was able to relate to him a lot. If we could meet as Jung Kyung-ho and Choi Chi-yeol, we would slowly but surely become friends.”

Chi-yeol’s life changes for the better when he tastes the side dishes prepared at the Nation’s Best Banchan shop. The owner’s daughter is a smart student who needs some math help to fulfill her true potential and the shop’s side dishes are the only food Chi-yeol finds palatable. So, he and the shop owner strike a food-for-tutoring deal. Gradually he develops feelings for the owner, played by Jeon Do-yeon. Since he never prioritized romance, he’s slow to recognize his feelings, then he doesn’t know how to confess. However, the character may surprise you, said Jung,

“More than anything, I think he needs to work on his relationships,” said Jung. “But if you keep watching, you’ll know. He’s a genius in romance. I have no advice to give him.”

During the drama Jung’s character is often found at the blackboard solving dizzying strings of equations with his charismatic flair. Did writing equations so confidently require any actual math skills? Jung is not sure there is such a thing as math “skills.” Math exercises many parts of the brain.

“Math is something we learn to develop our thinking abilities,” he said with a laugh. “He’s more of a star instructor than a genius. To play the role of a star instructor, I studied the math within the script.”

Jung has appeared in multiple dramas and films, including When The Devil Calls Your Name, Life on Mars, High-End Crush, Prison Playbook, One More Happy Ending and Beating Again. He starred in two seasons of Hospital Playlist and will also appear in the upcoming third season. K-dramas traditionally don’t last more than one season, so his three-season run is noteworthy.

“It was a memorable series for me,” said Jung. “The time I spent as Kim Jun-wan was perhaps the longest time I spent as one character. He remains within me, and I think he will continue to motivate me throughout my acting career. I look forward to the day I can meet Kim Jun-wan again. Although Hospital Playlist was divided into multiple seasons, it feels as if I had acted in a single piece.

Given Jung’s flair for rom-coms, it might seem to be his favorite genre, but he says he doesn’t actually have a favorite.

“There are so many genres that I haven’t tried yet,” said Jung. “Although I did not choose works based on their genres, if I had to think of a few that are memorable, I would say they are mostly romantic comedies.”

The Studio Dragon drama airs on NetflixNFLX
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