Dex, known for his long-haired instructor role in the military reality show Fake Men 2, his game-changing character in the dating reality show Single's Inferno 2, and his captivating presence in the travel show Adventure by Accident Seasons 2 and 3, is now starring as Kim Jin-young in the movie Tarot. Tarot is an omnibus film about people facing sudden horror situations, created by LG Uplus STUDIO X+U, and this version compiles three episodes of the seven-part series. In the third part, Please Throw It Away, Kim Jin-young plays a delivery man named Dong-in, who gets entangled in conflicts and horrors with his customer Mi-jin.

Kim Jin-young’s portrayal of Dong-in feels both fresh and familiar. He blends the playful side he shows on various variety shows and his YouTube channel Dex101 with the tension required for a horror genre. In just a few years, he has seamlessly transitioned from soldier to YouTuber, variety show star, and now actor. We explored his charm by looking at him as ‘Actor Kim Jin-young,’ ‘Variety Star Dex,’ and ‘Human Kim Jin-young.’ His innate humor and thoughtful reflections on ‘successes and ‘adulthood’ make it clear why he’s so popular.

Actor Kim Jin-young

-What is background on starting your acting career

=I began receiving many acting offers since the end of last year. While I was grateful for the interest, the roles were often too big or significant for my first acting project, so I cautiously declined. However, after some deep thinking, I changed my mind. Like my time in the military, I've always been interested in specialized fields. I have a tendency to focus intensely on a specific category and delve deeply into it. If variety shows require quick wit and creativity, acting feels more like digging deep underground. It might sound funny, but the thought of breaking down and studying a script line by line makes me incredibly happy.

-Why did you choose Tarot as your first project?

=Even though I was eager to act, I realized that people wouldn't keep seeking me out forever. Nowadays, rookie actors show such polished performances right from the start that someone inexperienced like me might be easily forgotten. So, I thought about how I could make up for my lack of skills, and the answer was to take on a role like myself. I felt it was the best way to express myself as an actor for the first time. Just then, the role of Dong-in in Tarot came along. I found many similarities with the character, and as soon as I read the script, I was bursting with ideas on how to portray Dong-in.

-The character of Dong-in seems to overlap a lot with what we've seen of Kim Jin-young (Dex) so far. Riding a bike, working out at home, and saluting with friends are all familiar scenes.

=That's right. There are scenes where I ride a motorcycle myself and salute, which I usually do. The director was very considerate of my inexperience in acting and always asked for my input first. Instead of confining me to a fixed way of acting, he opened up a range of possibilities. As I grew more ambitious, I was able to incorporate improvising and various settings flexibly.

-Do you have a favorite improvised moment or idea?

=One of my favorites is the scene where Min-gu (Park Hae-rin) and I are talking at the food stall. Originally, we were just supposed to exchange a few words like 'Good job.' But as we were working on the scene, it turned into several minutes of natural conversation. At one point, I spilled a bowl of fish cakes because they were too hot, which turned into a funny take. Another favorite is the scenes where I talk with Mi-jin (Kim Ji-hye). The quick exchanges like 'Can we talk for a moment?' 'No,' followed by 'Do you have a girlfriend?' 'No,' were fun moments created by bouncing ideas off each other. Also, when Mi-jin gives Dong-in a glass of water, instead of just drinking it, I came up with a comic action of swirling it in my mouth on the spot.

-You're drinking a chocolate latte right now. I remember a line in the movie where you sked for chocolate milk instead of water.

=That's right. (Laughs) It's a kind of the Easter egg for the fans. I thought fans who know I love chocolate would find it amusing and enjoy the little reference."

-It seems like Dong-in's character changed quite a bit with the added improvisations and settings.

=The original Dong-in in the script was much more of a troublemaker. In the end, he was reshaped to be a more cheerful and 'scaredy-cat' type, making him a more appealing character—an ordinary, everyday person. The context added to the story that even if someone isn't inherently bad, they could still find themselves in Dong-in's situation when faced with unfavorable circumstances.

-On YouTube, you mentioned, "This year, I want to focus more on acting." You've been acting throughout the first half of the year. How do you feel about it?

=As always, life doesn't go exactly as planned. (Laughs) While I've learned and enjoyed a lot, seeing the results made me realize how much I still lack. Apart from standing in front of the camera, everything was different from shooting variety shows. I haven't had any formal acting training, so I had issues with pronunciation, and my emotional tension fluctuated from scene to scene. Despite this, I can confidently say that I gave 100% of myself to Tarot. I'm good at self-assessment. I want to evaluate what I did well and what I didn't objectively and then look forward to the next opportunity.

-Your acting often feels fresh, possibly because you haven't had formal acting training. It's like you're a sudden game-changer in the acting world, similar to how you were in Single's Inferno 2. It also reminds me of actor Koo Kyo-hwan, who brought a unique charm to mainstream movies and series after being an indie film star.

=Ah, if Koo Kyo-hwan showed the fresh charm of a born to be game-changer in acting, I might be a highly contaminated game-changer who came through various fields... If I've made the quality of the acting field blend, I'd like to apologize to everyone involved. Nevertheless, if there are people who appreciate my current acting as a unique trait, I'll do my best to improve, fueled by their support.

Variety Star Dex

-It's been about three years since you started your personal YouTube channel, Dex101. It seems like it would be increasingly difficult to keep creating new content.

=These days, the YouTube scene is quite tough.... With corporate-level channels and professional personnel and equipment coming in, the line between traditional broadcasters and YouTube has blurred. In this situation, a self-employed creator like me needs something special to survive. So, my breakthrough this year is 'challenge'. Although I'm always afraid of failure, once I get into something, I can dive into it obsessively. Normally, I stick to the same food and avoid new things, but this year, I'm planning to dive deep into challenges like motorcycle racing and various physical activities.

-You've gained significant popularity in just 2-3 years. You might have experienced an identity crisis between being a celebrity and a non-celebrity. Especially since you have to constantly show your true self on Dex101.

=When I used to do live internet broadcasts, I created a strong barrier between my on-air persona and my real self. However, when I expressed this on the show, viewers were quite confused. They supported me based on my on-air personal, so it was unsettling for them to hear, 'That's not the real me.' So, I've decided to narrow the gap between my different identities. Of course, it's impossible to align all my identities perfectly, but I want to minimize the sense of dissonance for my viewers and fans.

-Many viewers appreciate your process of adjusting your identity as one of Dex’s unique strengths. Perhaps that's why the OFF, DEX segment on Dex101, where you hang out and drink with close friends, is so popular. The 'Neungi Baeksuk' episode, in particular, is considered a masterpiece.

=You know about that masterpiece? (Laughs) That video really captured the vibe of the real Kim Jin-young. When I first started OFF, DEX, I was quite scared. I wanted to slowly show the real Kim Jin-young, but I wondered if I was being too ambitious. If you watch the Fridge Interview content on the Ililchil - 117 channel, you can see my transformation. I tried to be more natural and straightforward in Season 2 compared to Season 1.

-The recent second Fridge Interview with TWICE's Sana has been a hot topic. How did it feel to meet your bias again?

=As you know, the first interview was so chaotic that even the viewers could feel it, and I completely forgot my role as the host. (Laughs) This time, I slowed things down, tried to refresh the atmosphere, and approached it seriously, person to person. Seeing her like that, I realized she's even more impressive. I could better appreciate her maturity and human qualities. Although she's younger than me, there were many things I could learn from her. Anyway, it was a happy experience.

Human Kim Jin-young

-You've often said, "I don't think people will always seek me out." In other shows, you've also expressed the determination that "I need to recognize my peak moment to last longer".

=That thought remains the same. Someone once advised me, 'Our job is always about extending our lifespan.' If you don't receive the public's interest and love, it's over. I always keep this in mind and believe I need to stay true to myself while moving forward.

-Even so, it must have been very difficult to maintain your original mindset.

=If people ask how I can prove that I haven't changed, I always say this: I've never used installment payments in my life. I do use a credit card, but only because of my credit score. If I start indulging even a little, I wouldn't be able to handle it if things fell apart. I live with the thought that the popularity and circumstances I enjoy today could disappear when I wake up tomorrow."

-You often express your ambition for success in your personal broadcasts. You seem to be thriving, winning rookie awards in variety shows and starring in movies. What is your definition of success?

=There's a famous saying, 'Surviving means you're strong'. That's exactly how I define success. Additionally, I think success is about being able to decide your own retirement. Whether it's at 30 or 40, having the determination and the position to say you can stop working if you want to—that's what makes someone successful.

-In the masterpiece 'Neungi Baeksuk' episode, you toasted with a friend saying, 'Let's become cool grown-ups.' What does be a cool grown-up mean to you?

=I think it means having your own kind of ease. I don't mean material ease. It's about having the patience to wait for others to speak, the ability to reconsider your emotions, not being too harsh on enjoying life, and being able to make others laugh when you're with them. That's the kind of ease I pursue as a grown-up. Another important thing is maintaining a sense of romance. Like sometimes stopping your car on the side of the road after a late-night workout to enjoy the scenery and listen to music. If you can keep a mindset that allows you to pause the rush of daily life, becoming a cool grown-up isn't that hard.

Written by Lee Woo-bin,

Photographed by Oh Gye-ok

Translated by Jang Yuri