MANILA — From a flirty art student to a free-spirited weather forecaster, South Korean actor Song Kang has portrayed a diverse range of characters since he burst onto the K-drama scene in 2017.

But among the personas he's portrayed, Song considers his role in Netflix's apocalyptic-horror series "Sweet Home" as his current favorite.

"Right now, the character that's closest to me is [Cha] Hyun-su in 'Sweet Home,'" Song said at a press conference for his recent fan meet in Manila, organized by cosmetics brand Deoproce Philippines and events producer Wilbros Live.

Based on a webtoon of the same title, "Sweet Home" follows the residents of an apartment complex who struggle to survive in a world where humans begin turning into monsters.

In the show, Song plays Cha Hyun-su, a troubled teenager who moves into the complex after a car accident kills his family. He later becomes both a threat to and the only hope of his neighbors after merging with the monster inside of him.

The success of "Sweet Home," first released in December 2020, has prompted Netflix to renew the show for two more seasons.

"Right now, I'm shooting 'Sweet Home' and in this show, we're shooting a story that's really detached from reality. [Hyun-su] is the character that I'm pouring a lot of my time and energy into," Song said, explaining why Hyun-su is his favorite role.

He teased that "Sweet Home" has "gone onto a much bigger scale with things" for its second season, which is expected to premiere later this year.

"If season one was the story of how these different people grew and matured then seasons two and three would be the story of these people who have grown and matured," Song said.

'Son of Netflix'

The 28-year-old star has been dubbed the "Son of Netflix," having been picked as the lead actor in two of the streaming giant's original productions ("Love Alarm" and "Sweet Home"). His other dramas are also available on the platform.

"I think that it's fascinating. I'm very grateful," Song said about his title.

"They (Netflix) feel like family because they've been with me since the beginning of my career. So every time I go to Netflix to shoot whatever project, I'm always enjoying my work with people who are very familiar to me," he said.

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Song himself enjoys viewing content on the platform, particularly documentaries. He shared that he is currently watching the docu-series "Formula 1: Drive to Survive."

"I'm on season four already and I'm savoring it. I don't want to binge the whole thing. I want to enjoy it so I'm taking my time," he said.

Relatable shows

Song, who has over 15.3 million followers on Instagram, has established himself as one of the most reliable leading men in K-dramas today. But he doesn't attribute the success of his shows to "anything I did."

"It's because K-dramas have been so popular and I kind of rose with that popularity," Song said.

"I think K-dramas will feature very relatable topics so my shows like 'Love Alarm,' 'Nevertheless,' they're very relatable shows. I'm very grateful to be able to act at a time like this," he added.

For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the Hallyu Corner microsite.

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