Seol In-a Transforms for tvN Drama My Guilty Man

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By Lila Roberts

Subverting Romance Tropes on the tvN Schedule

Actor Seol In-a underwent intensive physical training, reducing her body fat to the 8-kilogram range and completing a dramatic physical transformation to play a muscle-bound detective in a short haircut for tvN’s new Monday-Tuesday drama “My Guilty Man,” tenasia.co.kr reported.

The role marks a sharp departure from traditional romance tropes. It casts the character as a special-forces-turned-detective who infiltrates a chaebol family as an executive secretary to guard a murder suspect. Unlike previous television series characters who adopted male disguises merely as a defensive tactic or to enter forbidden zones, Kang Jae-hee acts as a protector shielding the male lead from physical threats while simultaneously monitoring the suspect. Previously recognized for bubbly and feminine performances in television projects such as “Business Proposal,” “Mr. Queen,” and “Twinkling Watermelon,” Seol In-a faces a major turning point in her acting career with “My Guilty Man,” pairing short-cut styling with a lower vocal register to eliminate traditional cross-dressing awkwardness and capture a visual appeal that attracts both male and female audiences. She stands at the center of this reverse-cliché narrative alongside co-star Lee Si-wan, who portrays a prickly and sensitive chaebol heir named Yoon Lee-jun whose eccentric and exaggerated speaking style has drawn mixed reactions from viewers, while Seol In-a’s grounded and straightforward acting tone stabilizes the drama’s balance.

Overcoming Injuries and Breathing Restrictions on Set

Director Park Da-hee praised Seol In-a’s physical commitment on set, noting that the actor performed high-intensity action sequences with minimal stunt double work despite sustaining an early injury that required a hospital visit. I have never seen a female actress who is better at action than the action team, Director Park Da-hee stated, expressing astonishment at Seol In-a’s tenacity after she returned from the emergency room just one hour after her injury on the first day of filming to complete her scenes.

Conditioning Benchmarks and Coffee Prince Comparisons

Chief Producer Kim Ho-jun also credited Seol In-a’s dedication to physical conditioning—achieved through boxing and triathlon training first documented on tvN’s “Iron Girls”—for establishing a new benchmark for cross-dressing television roles that departs from conventions established by 2007’s “Coffee Prince 1st Shop.” It would be great if an actress uses her body well like this. Let’s change the cross-dressing proper noun that has been Go Eun-chan for 20 years this time, Chief Producer Kim Ho-jun remarked, expressing firm trust as Seol In-a reached a height of 167 centimeters and a weight of 53 kilograms with her physical transformation.

Chemistry with Lee Si-wan and Iron Girls 3

“My Guilty Man” pairs Seol In-a with co-star Lee Si-wan, who portrays a prickly and sensitive chaebol heir named Yoon Lee-jun.

Seol In-a’s athletic preparation continues outside the current drama production, with a scheduled appearance in the third season of tvN’s reality sports series “Iron Girls 3” focusing on short-track speed skating relay events set for November.