Actor Lee Sang Yi is taking on a new challenge as he transforms into a determined detective in MBC’s upcoming Friday-Saturday drama “A Bona Fide Killer.”
The 14-episode series premieres on July 31 at 9:50 p.m. KST and follows an intense hunt for a notorious criminal known as Kingfisher. Based on the popular Kakao Webtoon, the drama combines action, suspense, family, and romance as its story unfolds.
Lee Sang Yi plays Detective Lee Dong Jin, a lieutenant in the Violent Crimes Unit who has dedicated himself to capturing Kingfisher. Known for his strong investigative skills and high case clearance rate, Dong Jin believes justice must be carried out through the law. His unwavering mission to arrest the elusive criminal is expected to become one of the drama’s biggest driving forces.
The actor said the original webtoon immediately caught his attention, even though he already knew who the culprit was.
“Even though the original webtoon meant I knew the culprit from the start, the thrilling suspense of the work felt very engaging,” Lee Sang Yi shared.
He explained that the story’s suspense remained powerful from beginning to end, making it an easy project to choose, AllKPop reported.
Preparing for Lee Dong Jin required a different mindset. Lee Sang Yi admitted that his real-life personality is much more playful than the serious detective he portrays.
“I am usually very playful, but Dong Jin is a serious and earnest character, so I always tried to keep that in mind,” he said.
Lee Sang Yi Describes His Detective Character
To make the role feel authentic, he wanted viewers to sense that Kingfisher never leaves Dong Jin’s thoughts.
“Since he’s someone who has wanted to catch Kingfisher for a long time, I wanted to give the impression that Kingfisher is constantly on his mind, even in his everyday life.”
According to ChosunBiz, to describe his character, Lee Sang Yi chose three keywords: “black wolf,” “mole,” and “tenacity.” He explained that Dong Jin’s black clothing and relentless pursuit of Kingfisher reminded him of a wolf that is always alert.
The detective’s habit of digging into every clue felt similar to a mole working beneath the surface. Above all, he believes tenacity defines Dong Jin because it fuels every decision he makes throughout the investigation.
The actor also found similarities between himself and the detective. He said both share the determination to keep moving toward a single goal without giving up.
Lee Sang Yi invited viewers to look forward to the series, saying, “A Bona Fide Killer” is a work that blends action, chase, family love and romance, and I am confident it will be a new and interesting drama.