SBS’s ‘신이랑’: Unveiling the Chemistry Between Yoo Yeon-seok and Lee Som in a Unique Legal Drama

Translation result.

Lead actors Yoo Yeon-seok (41) and Esom (36) shared anecdotes about their on-screen chemistry.

SBS held a press conference for its new Friday–Saturday drama, Shin-Ilang Law Office (hereafter Shin-Ilang), on the afternoon of the 11th at its Mok-dong headquarters in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Director Shin Jung-hoon and stars Yoo Yeon-seok, Esom and Kim Kyung-nam attended. Shin-Ilang centers on Shin Ilang, a supernatural lawyer who helps resolve the grudges (han) of the dead, and Han Na-hyun, a cold, elite attorney who will do anything to win. The series blends strange, comic-fantastical elements with a warm, character-driven revenge adventure.

Esom plays Han Na-hyun, an ace lawyer at a major firm with a 100% win rate. She said their chemistry was difficult at first because the characters occupy opposite poles, but by the end they found a rhythm and often joked together on set.

About her role, Esom said, “On the surface she may seem cold and detached, but I wanted to dig into her inner pain and vulnerability. Crafting that emotional arc was rewarding. I think viewers will see a more human side of her in this series than in my past work.”

Yoo Yeon-seok plays Shin Ilang, who opens his first law office in a former shaman’s house and unexpectedly begins seeing ghosts. He said of co-star Esom that her early “possessed” scenes made him instinctively keep his distance. On-screen, their characters initially face off as opposing counsel, creating deliberately standoffish early scenes; as the story progresses, their chemistry deepens, and that dynamic carried over to the set.

Yoo laughed, “I worried a lot about Na-hyun early on and probably drove the director crazy — he practically ran away. Watching him spend 30 minutes to an hour talking through each character and scene convinced me of his sincerity. He clearly enjoyed shooting the comedy, which made the atmosphere lighter. He also knows the best local restaurants, so we ate out between takes, and that helped our rapport.”

Shin-Ilang premieres on SBS on March 13 at 9:50 p.m. KST.

Sojung Lee, TenAsia reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr