Park Hyung-sik Hits Career High in ‘Buried Hearts’ Finale
Apr 13, 2025
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The last episode of 'Treasure Island', which ended on the 12th, broke its own record with a national viewership of 15.4% (based on Nielsen Korea), making it a success. Park Hyung-sik's immersive passion, as well as a detailed revenge play and a narrative dissecting human desires, led to the degree of completion.
Seo Dong-ju, played by Park Hyung-sik, started out as an elite from a prestigious university and crossed the threshold of death several times in a power struggle. He was at the center of the catastrophe by hacking into Article 2 slush funds of his secretive power, Yeom Jang-sun (played by Heo Jun-ho), and watched the death of his nun Añez (Han Ji-hye) and the shocking end of his birth father, Heo Il-do (Lee Hae-young), awakening as an incarnation of revenge.
In particular, Park Hyung-sik performed intense actions, sea swimming, water torture, and shooting scenes without a stand-in, showing the real 'Bareth fighting spirit'. Acting, which pushed physical strength and emotion to the limit in each episode, played a decisive role in maximizing the tension of 'treasure island'.
In the final episode, after a highly calculated design, he locked the saline line in a living hellish safe, revealing all evil acts in a hundred days. The exhilarating retribution 't kill but completely topple ' gave the viewer a thrilling pleasure.
Even after completing his revenge, Seo Dong-ju's last appearance of leaving alone with futility and remorse left a bitter and heavy lingering image. Seo Dong-ju, who was the only one who tried to protect humanity even in the words of people in the swamp of power, was eventually completed through Park Hyung-sik's face.
The following is the full text of actor Park Hyung-sik's question-and-answer.
Q. 'Treasure Island' has come to an end as of yesterday. I think there will be a lot of thoughts on saying goodbye to Seo Dong-ju, but how do you feel about leaving 'Treasure Island' and Seo Dong-ju after a long journey.
= The filming period was similar to other dramas, but it felt much longer. Even if there was a time when I was emotionally overwhelmed playing the desperate life of Dongju, I was able to overcome it well thanks to the positive and passionate 'Treasure Island' team. Now that I think I should let go of 'Treasure Island' and Dongju, I have a lot of regret and regret as I received a lot of love and support.
Q. It seems that there must have been a decisive reason for being drawn to the drama 'Treasure Island' and the character Seo Dong-ju. What captured Park Hyung-sik's heart when he first encountered the script.
= 'Treasure Island' is a very meticulous depiction of the psychological changes of various characters, focusing on the events that occur when human desires and ambitions are intertwined. I wanted to portray Dongju struggling with ambition and vengeance to survive in their respective journeys toward the `Treasure Island.' The characters I've played so far and Dongju were completely different characters, and the three-dimensional aspect of constantly calculating and moving to survive came to me particularly interesting. Since he is a character with a variety of colors, I had high expectations that he would be able to show more in-depth acting through Dongju.
Q. How did you build the character to play Seo Dong-ju. If there's anything particularly focused on.
= Dongju is not a person who took the elite course like the Daesan Group family, but he gained the trust of the chairman and went up to the position of chief of staff with a powerful weapon called 'Photo Memory'. They are devoted to Daesan alone and are favored by the chairman, which leads to constant checks from other figures in Daesan. They appear strong and confident on the outside, but rather, they repeatedly fail and betray because of their confidence. When I first encountered a character named Dongju, I remembered a young man living fiercely in a difficult reality. I think I thought a lot about how to vividly express Dongju's rough and hard life to survive in Daesan and climb higher.
Q. If there was anything you felt that Park Hyung-sik and Seo Dong-ju looked alike.
= Dongju looks strong on the outside without shaking, but it retains deep wounds on the inside. Rather than staying in that wound, I think there is a similar aspect to me in that I silently walk my own path. I also have a tendency to take responsibility for the decision I made once and go all the way without regret, so I sympathized a lot with Dong-ju in that respect.
Q. If there's anything particularly memorable during the shoot.
= I remember the most when I went to the South Sea to film the sea. The scenery in front of me is so beautiful that I remember looking at it with mesmerization for a while. Even while filming, I was looking forward to how this wonderful background would be included in the drama, and if I have a chance later, it is a place I really want to visit again.
Q. Seo Dong-ju had to deal with very extreme emotions, such as being betrayed by his beloved lover, falling into the sea in a shooting, going through water torture, and eventually losing his sister. I don't think it would have been easy physically and mentally.
= Maybe that's why I had a wonderful experience of losing weight no matter how much I ate. I also thought about whether a person who is in a situation like Dong-ju can exist in reality, and if so, can I endure it somehow. At the end of the shoot, Heo Jun-ho said "It was a close call. Hyung-sik, after the work, go on a trip for a few months and get some rest." Ha ha.
Q. In the end, the ending of Seo Dong-ju, who took away everything from the saline line and completed his revenge in his own way, is deeply lingering. I wonder if the ending was the expected direction and how you felt when playing the last scene of Seo Dong-ju.
= I felt relieved that I could leave Dongju well. Things that have happened to Dong-ju have passed like a panorama. The ending scene of Dongju on a yacht was actually the last day of filming 'Treasure Island'. I think the silence of the moment when I greeted everyone with the sound of "Cut!" and stood with the director, actors, and staff looking at the sunset as if I was reflecting on what had happened so far will be remembered for the rest of my life.
Please say goodbye to the viewers who loved Q."Treasure Island".
= I hope all viewers find their own 'treasure island' And above all, I hope that precious family members, friends, and colleagues will always come before that 'treasure island'. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has loved 'Treasure Island' and supported Seo Dong-ju. We will continue to see you in good ways. I hope you are always happy!
Meanwhile, Park Hyung-sik will return with the fantasy action blockbuster series 'Twelve', which depicts a huge battle against a group of evil intent on waking up sealed forces.
mj.cho@sportschosun.com
