K-pop idol back to haunt TV screens

SHE plays a ghost in the new Korean drama Cheo Yong 2: The Paranormal Detective.

But in real life, K-pop idol Jun Hyo Seong, better known as the leader of girl group Secret, does not like scary shows one bit.

The 26-year-old singer and actress told The New Paper in an e-mail interview: "I am not a fan of horror or ghost movies, but I find it amazing that I acted in a ghost-related TV drama."

Jun said she had a brush with paranormal activity when she was a teen and the experience still haunts her.

"When I was 17, there was a particular night when I was very tired and had a nightmare. I heard some creepy voices and suddenly woke up and prayed to make the voices go away," she said.

In Cheo Yong 2, Jun reprises her role as a uniformed high school ghost who roams round a local police investigation unit and helps detective Cheo Yong (Oh Ji Ho), who makes use of his ability to interact with spirits to solve crimes.

It starts on Thrill (StarHub TV Ch 618/Singtel TV Ch 415) at 10pm today.

For Jun, who made her lead acting debut in 2014's Cheo Yong, acting with veteran actor Oh, 39, was an honour.

She said: "We are always happy whenever he's around. I have learnt a lot from him as he gives me advice when it comes to acting. I also don't feel nervous any more in his presence."

On the challenges of playing this role, she said: "In the TV drama, I can only communicate with very few people and I had to do the same scene repeatedly. I had to act in a lot of computer-generated scenes and scenes where I possessed other people.

"I felt like I was acting on my own with no partners."

Jun debuted in 2009 as part of sexy quartet Secret, alongside bandmates Han Sunhwa, Song Jieun and Jung Hana, all 25.

The group, who were in town last week to perform at the Asian Television Awards, released several chart-topping hits such as Magic, Madonna and Poison over the past few years. In August last year, they released their fifth mini-album, Secret Summer.

Jun dropped her EP Fantasia in May, a follow-up to her debut solo album Top Secret, which was released last year.

Secret have no plans for a comeback, but Jun said: "We value the importance of music and will only come back when we manage to make good music to include in our album. I am sure whatever we come up with, in terms of the music concept, it will be brand new."

She cannot choose between acting and singing as "both appeal" to her and she wants to "work enthusiastically" at them.

She has acted in four TV dramas, including Cheo Yong and its sequel, and does not favour any particular genre, but would like to try out different types of roles.

She looks up to veteran Korean actress Gong Hyo Jin of The Producers fame, saying: "I think her acting is natural and pretty close to real life. Plus, she can work with basically anyone without losing her own character and for this, I really respect her.

"As for foreign actresses, I like Natalie Portman the most."

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