After string of dark roles, Kim Young-kwang revels at transition to rom-com hero

Kim Young-kwang stars as Baek Ho-rang in Netflix’s romantic comedy Take Charge of My Heart, released on Oct. 9. The series follows a conglomerate heir with a failing artificial heart and a woman whose electrical powers can recharge it. It recorded 3 million views in three days, ranked third among Netflix’s non-English shows and entered the Top 10 in 44 countries. Kim said the bright project helped him recover from playing dark roles.

Take Charge of My Heart recorded 3 million views in its first three days, calculated by dividing total viewing hours by the series runtime.

The series ranked third on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of non-English shows and reached the Top 10 in 44 countries.

Kim Young-kwang said he personally had about 70 percent of his costumes made and selected the fabrics for the series.

Kim said he began working as a model in 2006 and has appeared in dramas including Good Doctor, Room No. 9, Evilive and Trigger.

Kim said he wants to spend the next 20 years challenging himself with completely different kinds of acting.

Published Oct 20, 2026 12:00 am KST

Kim Young-kwang / Courtesy of Netflix

Actor Kim Young-kwang has returned to romantic comedy — and this time, it is a classic rom-com that makes viewers fall helplessly for its male lead. Kim’s presence has breathed new life into a familiar genre, fueling an enthusiastic response from viewers around the world to “Take Charge of My Heart.”

Netflix’s original series "Take Charge of My Heart” is a romantic comedy about a man whose artificial heart battery has run out of power and a woman with electrical powers, whose relationship unfolds under the pretext of charging it. Released on Oct. 9, the series recorded 3 million views — calculated by dividing total viewing hours by the title’s runtime — in just three days, ranking third on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list of non-English shows. It has also made the Top 10 list in 44 countries, including Korea, Brazil, Singapore, India, Turkey, Chile and the Philippines, indicating a strong reception globally.

In an interview following the release, Kim said, “It hasn’t been long since the series came out, but it seems a lot of people are enjoying it. I’ve also been seeing fans edit the heart-fluttering scenes and post them online. It makes me proud.”

“Take Charge of My Heart" has drawn viewers’ attention with its chemistry, intriguing relationships and upbeat storytelling. The series showcases the highly addictive appeal of Korean rom-coms.

“The charm of this series lies in its clichés,” Kim said. “When I discussed the project with the production company and the director before filming, we agreed that we would embrace the clichés and that I needed to deliver them convincingly as an actor.”

“It’s also a genre I’ve always liked. The series has a bright tone, so I felt good throughout the filming process, and I felt myself becoming brighter, too,” he added.

From left, Chae Soo-bin and Kim Young-kwang of "Take Charge of My Heart" / Courtesy of Netflix

Kim plays Baek Ho-rang, a third-generation conglomerate heir who has it all — but also has an artificial heart that needs recharging.

“I received the casting offer while I was working on a string of genre dramas,” he said. “As I read the script, I could picture the visual style. I imagined the two leads as characters from a beautiful, classic romance manga.”

“Personally, it was a time when I needed some brightness in my life. After playing dark roles for a while, I found myself feeling down and talking less,” he continued. “I needed time to meet people and recharge my energy, but I had started closing myself off. That was when I came across ‘Take Charge of My Heart.'”

Explaining how he developed the character, Kim said, “I built the character by believing in what Baek Ho-rang possesses within the world of the series. A third-generation conglomerate heir might come across as over the top, but I tried to believe in that premise as truth while acting.”

With his understated acting style, Kim brings out the appeal of the romance while adding depth to his character. He skillfully weaves human warmth into a chaebol heir who might otherwise appear cold and arrogant.

“I personally had about 70 percent of the costumes made. I’ve been doing that since ‘Trigger,’” he said. “I enjoyed the entire process, from preparing design proposals to discussing them with the costume director. Having a hand in creating the character also makes me more attached to it. For this series, I personally selected the fabrics as well.”

Kim credited his co-star for their natural on-screen chemistry. “It’s thanks to Chae Soo-bin. She’s an actor with wonderful reactions,” he said. “It doesn’t even feel like we have to work at finding our rhythm. Everything seemed to fall into place very naturally.”

For Kim, “Take Charge of My Heart'” was an opportunity to refresh his mood and gain a new perspective. “Every genre has something different that I like about it, but I feel this project made me healthier. I had a lot of positive thoughts while filming,” he said, expressing his affection for the series.

Kim entered the entertainment industry as a model in 2006, and has built an extensive filmography, appearing in dramas including “More Charming by the Day,” “Bachelor’s Vegetable Store,” “Good Doctor,” “Room No. 9,” “Evilive” and “Trigger,” as well as films such as "On Your Wedding Day,” “A Year-End Medley” and “The First Ride.”

“I don’t know how 20 years have passed. Time has gone by that quickly,” Kim said. “Looking back, there are many things I wish I had done differently. When I was doing a lot of romance dramas, I felt I needed to transform myself. That led me to ‘Somebody,’ which became a turning point in my career. I’m still thinking about what comes next. I have a strong desire to take on roles that I haven’t shown audiences before.”

“Over time, you naturally come to understand many things. When I hit a wall, rather than trying to smash through it all at once, I think I approach it gradually and look for another way to solve the problem,” he said. “For the next 20 years, I want to challenge myself with completely different kinds of acting. My mindset is to try everything I can.”

“Take Charge of My Heart” is available to stream on Netflix.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

金英光在Netflix浪漫喜剧《掌控我的心》中饰演白浩朗，该剧于10月9日上线。故事讲述了一位财阀继承人，他的人工心脏即将衰竭，而一位拥有超能力的女子却能为他的心脏充电。该剧上线三天内播放量突破300万，在Netflix非英语剧集中排名第三，并在44个国家/地区跻身前十。金英光表示，这部轻松愉快的作品帮助他从之前出演阴郁角色的阴影中走了出来。

《掌控我的心》在上线的前三天就获得了 300 万次观看，计算方法是用总观看时长除以剧集时长。

该剧在 Netflix 全球非英语剧集排行榜前 10 名中位列第三，并在 44 个国家/地区进入前 10 名。

金英光表示，他亲自制作了剧中约 70% 的服装，并亲自挑选了剧中的面料。

金表示，他于2006年开始从事模特工作，并出演过《好医生》、《9号房间》、《恶人》和《扳机》等电视剧。

金正恩表示，他希望在接下来的20年里挑战自己，尝试各种不同的表演方式。

发布于2026年10月20日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

金英光 / 图片由 Netflix 提供

演员金英光回归浪漫喜剧——这一次，他带来的是一部经典的爱情喜剧，让观众不由自主地爱上了男主角。金英光的加盟为这一熟悉的类型注入了新的活力，也让《掌控我的心》在全球范围内获得了观众的热烈反响。

Netflix原创剧集《掌控我的心》是一部浪漫喜剧，讲述了一位男子的人工心脏电池耗尽，而一位拥有超能力的女子则在为心脏充电的过程中，展开了一段奇妙的爱情故事。该剧于10月9日上线，短短三天内便获得了300万的观看量（总观看时长除以剧集时长计算得出），位列Netflix全球非英语剧集排行榜前十名第三名。此外，该剧还在包括韩国、巴西、新加坡、印度、土耳其、智利和菲律宾在内的44个国家/地区的排行榜上跻身前十，表明其在全球范围内广受欢迎。

在剧集播出后的一次采访中，金表示：“这部剧播出时间不长，但似乎很多人都很喜欢。我还看到粉丝们剪辑剧中令人心动的片段并上传到网上。这让我感到非常自豪。”

《掌控我的心》凭借其精彩的剧情、引人入胜的人物关系和轻松愉快的故事情节吸引了众多观众的目光。该剧展现了韩式浪漫喜剧令人欲罢不能的魅力。

金说：“这部剧的魅力就在于它的老套情节。在拍摄前，我和制作公司以及导演讨论过这个项目，我们一致认为要接受这些老套情节，而我作为演员需要把它们演绎得令人信服。”

“这也是我一直很喜欢的类型。这部剧的基调轻松愉快，所以在整个拍摄过程中我都感觉很好，也觉得自己变得更阳光了，”他补充道。

左起：《掌控我的心》主演蔡秀彬和金英光 / 图片由 Netflix 提供

金秀贤饰演白虎郎，一位拥有一切的第三代财阀继承人，但他也有一颗需要充电的人工心脏。

“我当时正在拍摄一系列类型剧，期间收到了试镜邀请，”他说。“读剧本的时候，我脑海中浮现出画面的风格。我把两位主角想象成一部优美经典的爱情漫画中的角色。”

“对我个人而言，那段时间我的生活需要一些光明。在扮演了一段时间的阴暗角色后，我发现自己情绪低落，话也少了，”他继续说道。“我需要时间去结识新朋友，重新充电，但我却开始把自己封闭起来。就在那时，我遇到了《掌控我的心》这本书。”

金在解释他如何塑造这个角色时说：“我塑造这个角色是基于我对白虎郎在剧集世界中所拥有的一切的信念。作为第三代财阀继承人，这或许会显得有些夸张，但我在表演时努力相信这个前提的真实性。”

金泰亨以其内敛的演技，既展现了爱情的魅力，又赋予角色更深层次的内涵。他巧妙地将人性的温暖融入到一位原本可能显得冷酷傲慢的财阀继承人身上。

“大约70%的服装都是我亲自制作的。从《Trigger》开始我就一直这么做，”他说道。“我享受整个过程，从准备设计方案到与服装总监讨论。参与角色创作也让我对角色更有感情。这部剧的服装面料也是我亲自挑选的。”

金正恩将两人在荧幕上的自然默契归功于搭档蔡秀彬。“这都要感谢蔡秀彬。她是一位反应非常灵动的演员，”他说。“我们甚至感觉不需要刻意寻找默契。一切都显得非常自然。”

对金秀贤来说，《掌控我的心》是一次让他放松心情、获得全新视角的机会。“每种题材都有我喜欢的地方，但我感觉这部剧让我更健康了。拍摄期间我有很多积极的想法，”他表达了对这部剧的喜爱之情。

金于 2006 年以模特身份进入演艺圈，并积累了丰富的影视作品，出演过《一天比一天迷人》、《单身汉的蔬菜店》、《好医生》、《9号房》、《恶人生活》和《触发》等电视剧，以及《你的婚礼》、《年末大合唱》和《第一次骑行》等电影。

“我不知道20年是怎么过去的，时间过得真快，”金说。“回首往事，有很多事情我希望当初能做得不一样。以前拍了很多爱情剧的时候，我觉得需要改变自己。这让我有机会出演了《Somebody》，这部剧成了我演艺生涯的转折点。我还在思考下一步该怎么走。我非常渴望挑战一些我以前从未向观众展现过的角色。”

“随着时间的推移，你自然而然会明白很多事情。当我遇到瓶颈时，我不会试图一口气突破，而是会循序渐进地寻找其他解决办法，”他说。“在接下来的20年里，我想挑战自己，尝试各种不同的表演方式。我的想法是，尽我所能去尝试一切。”

《掌控我的心》可在 Netflix 上观看。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。