Actress Kang Mina marked her 10th debut anniversary by showcasing a new acting transformation in the office romance drama ″Tomorrow at Work!″ She revealed that she lost 13kg to shed her bright and cute childhood image and focused on realistic acting and deep emotional expression in the work.

Kang Mina played the role of Yoon Noah, an employee in the Product Planning Team 1 of the DA Business Division at Saeum Electronics in ″Tomorrow at Work!″ The drama is a tvN Monday-Tuesday series depicting the office romance between Cha Ji-yoon (Park Ji-hyun), a 7-year career worker, and her boss Kang Si-woo (Seo In-guk), who become irreplaceable to each other. It is based on a webtoon of the same name.

After the drama ended, Kang Mina shared, ″It doesn’t feel real. I enjoyed watching it again as a viewer. The memories are vivid and remain as good recollections, and I want to express my gratitude.″ She described her character Noah as having ″the fresh excitement and beginning of love with a younger man,″ explaining that acting out the worries of someone in their late 20s brought her comfort.

During the acting process, Kang Mina said the director emphasized the similarities between herself and Noah. She related deeply to Noah’s concerns, which aligned with a period when she had many thoughts about her future direction. The most difficult scene for her was the farewell with Gu-won (Yoon Jung-hoon), where she struggled to convince viewers in the scene that ended a 7-year long relationship.

Regarding her weight loss, she stated that unlike her previous work ″Gireugo,″ she lost 10 to 13kg to immerse herself in the office drama. She joined ″Tomorrow at Work!″ just one week after finishing filming ″Gireugo,″ and tried to act calmly while adapting to the new environment.

Kang Mina revealed that she has challenged various roles to break away from the bright and chubby image she had since her debut. She had a strong desire to work in the office genre and found the line ″You’re too light″ in the conflict scene with Lee Jae-in (Won Kyu-bin) most relatable. She also expressed enthusiasm for detailed acting research.

She also mentioned her craving for an image transformation. She said, ″Many people remember me as bright, but those who see me for the first time say I am calm or have a low tone,″ adding that she wants to show more diverse sides of herself in the future.

Regarding the Senegal dispatch and the use of French in the drama, she explained that unlike the original work, the setting was changed to Senegal where French is spoken. Although she is not fluent in French, she made an effort. She also shared her impression that she probably wouldn’t be able to leave if it were a real situation.

She also talked about her chemistry with fellow actors Won Kyu-bin and Park Ji-hyun. She said she had good eye contact with Won Kyu-bin and quickly became close with Park Ji-hyun, maintaining a strong relationship by sharing snacks and jokes during filming.

About her future acting plans and concerns, Kang Mina said, ″I want to show more acting to the public. I want to rebuild from the basics.″ She believes ″Tomorrow at Work!″ will be an opportunity to break away from her existing image.

She also emphasized the importance of communication with fans. She expressed her desire to spend more time with fans, mentioning that she planned an event through a communication app earlier this year and hopes to create opportunities to meet fans at the end of the year. She added that she wants to be remembered as a calm and cool actress 10 years from now.