The SBS Friday-Saturday drama My Royal Nemesis (written by Kang Hyun-joo, directed by Han Tae-seop and Kim Hyun-woo) is a high-stakes, war-like romantic comedy about Shin Seo-ri (played by Lim Ji-yeon), a nameless actress who becomes "vicious" after being possessed by the soul of a notorious Joseon-era villainess, and Cha Se-gye, a ruthless chaebol heir dubbed a "monster born of capitalism."
Currently, My Royal Nemesis is continuing its unstoppable global success, not only breaking its own viewership rating records with every episode but also ranking No. 1 on Netflix's "Top 10 Series in Korea Today" and landing in the Top 10 in 57 countries worldwide. In particular, Heo Nam-jun's flawless suit styling as the main character, Cha Se-gye, is drawing enthusiastic responses from fans both domestically and internationally.
In the drama, fitting for a cold-hearted character who views even marriage as a merger and acquisition, Heo Nam-jun boasts a flawless suit fit with no margin of error, wearing everything from classic single-breasted suits to three-piece suits and double-breasted suits. In the early episodes, he established his cold demeanor with toned-down colors like all-black, navy, and deep burgundy. However, as romantic feelings for Shin Seo-ri began to blossom, he added soft variations to his suit styling, enhancing the viewing pleasure.
Heo Nam-jun's stylist, Director Shim Yoon-jung, stated, "To naturally bring out the character of Cha Se-gye, who wears the armor of notoriety, we actively exchanged ideas with the director and the actor to establish the styling direction." She added, "Given Cha Se-gye's personality, we believed he would stick to a style that fits him perfectly, so we custom-made not only the suits but also the shirts and ties to match the color tones."
She continued, "In the early episodes, we maximized his coldness with formal styling, featuring peaked lapels (a jacket lapel design that points upward) and a tie. On the other hand, as the romance progressed, we paired casual notched lapels (a standard V-shaped jacket lapel design), no tie, and bright-colored shirts to express Se-gye's inner self slowly changing because of Seo-ri."
Specifically, regarding the "battle suit fitting scene" in Episode 5, where he was compared to a male peacock entering a courtship war, Director Shim Yoon-jung added, "I felt the outfit was crucial for this scene. I thought there needed to be details that were similar yet different from his previous suits to show the power of a 'battle uniform.' Therefore, we created a sharp styling with a three-piece suit and a tie pin to show that it wasn't just any ordinary all-black suit. We also used a silk shirt to add a variation to the styling and emphasize Se-gye's masculinity."
In this way, Heo Nam-jun is completing a unique character with a sexy visual and an unexpected "cold on the outside, warm on the inside" charm, combining solid acting skills with detailed "suit flirting." As he drives the rising viewership ratings by embedding the character's narrative even into a single outfit, anticipation is soaring for how he will continue to captivate global viewers in the future.
My Royal Nemesis airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM KST.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)