South Korean musician-actor Kang Min Hyuk made his return to television this 2021 after being away from the small screen for three years, partly due to his mandatory military service.

Kang, 29, currently stars in the drama “Oh! Master,” which premiered in Korea in late March. Prior to this, he starred in the web series “How to Be Thirty,” which concluded just last month.

“Before joining the cast of ‘Oh! Master,’ I filmed the drama ‘How to be Thirty,’ which allowed me to get back on track as an actor,” Kang said in an interview.

“That filming experience relieved my awkwardness and [the] anxiety I felt from returning to the set for the first time after my military discharge,” said Kang, who completed his conscription in March 2020.

In “Oh! Master,” Kang plays the second male lead Jeong Yu Jin, who is head over heels for Oh Joo In, the character portrayed by Nana of the girl group After School and its sub-unit Orange Caramel.

“Yu Jin only has eyes for his first love, Joo In, from the day he met her. He also has a heart of gold,” Kang said about his character.

“Even though he is in love with Joo In, he prioritizes Joo In’s well-being over his personal feelings. He stands by Joo In, and is her reliable pillar of strength. That’s what I like about Yoo Jin,” he added.

The series also marked the first time Kang worked with Nana on a drama. In 2010, the drummer of the idol rock band CNBLUE starred in the music video for “Magic Girl,” Orange Caramel’s debut single.

“We had a blast working together, she brings such a positive energy to the set,” Kang said of his co-star.

Nana, meanwhile, said she was “delighted” to work again with Min-hyuk.

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“Oh! Master,” which is now available on streaming platform iQIYI, follows the push-and-pull relationship between actress Joo In and Han Bi Soo (played by Lee Min Ki), a critically acclaimed thriller drama writer.

Despite being eligible to date, Joo In and Bi Soo seem to find it difficult to fall in love until they find themselves living together in the same house.

Lee said “Oh! Master” is different from other dramas because “it is a story of love in various forms.”

“The fact that this drama is filled with optimism and warm-heartedness attracted me to take up the role,” said Lee, best known for his lead role in the 2018 series “The Beauty Inside.”

Nana said the “various forms of love” theme was reflected in her character.

“In the drama, Oh Joo In expresses love for different people. There is romantic love between a man and a woman. She is also a loving daughter to her mother,” she said.

“I believe that the two different perspectives of love shown by Joo In will give you the chance to rediscover the warmth of human relations,” she added.

Nana hoped that the show would help viewers “heal from wounds inflicted [on them] by other people.”