Watch an Ahn Bo-hyun K-drama and you almost always expect him to be the tough male lead. And there’s no doubt that he plays it well. In Prime Video’s latest K-drama offering “Spring Fever” where he stars with Lee Joo-bin, Ahn Bo-hyun as Sun Jae-gyu is the cranked up version of the alpha male. Only this time, that toughness is mostly a façade, shaped by exaggerated rumors and mistaken impressions.
Meanwhile, Lee Joo-bin stars as Yoon Bom, a high school teacher who retreats into emotional distance after a painful past experience. She has been living in an emotional winter of sorts — until meeting Sun Jae-gyu slowly draws her back toward warmth and connection.
Months before its airing, the stars of “Spring Fever” talk about their characters and what spring means to them.
Ahn Bo-hyun on Sun Jae-gyu’s layered character
We’ve seen him tackle intense characters in the past, but Ahn Bo-hyun says his role in “Spring Fever” is unlike anyone he has played before. And we agree. Sun Jae-gyu’s fierce energy in the early episodes, combined with Ahn Bo-hyun’s natural comedic timing, reveals a charm we haven’t seen from him before.
“He’s definitely somebody who has many layers and complexities and a lot of great appeal. So I also tried to bring a lot of things within myself and that helped a lot with my performance,” he said.
Lee Joo-bin on Ahn Bo-hyun’s real personality
While Ahn Bo-hyun may often appear tough onscreen, his personality off cam suggests the total opposite. His costar attests to this and even has a surprising description for the actor.
“I think from the outside you may think that Bo-hyun is someone who is quite tough but in fact, he is very unexpectedly sensitive, very kind and very considerate and he’s also very thoughtful. So I feel like even though from the outside, he seems like a tough person on the inside, he’s almost like a little girl or a grandma,” according to Lee Joo-bin.
The small-town charm of Pohang
Aside from the chemistry of the lead stars, another major pull for this Prime Video K-drama is its small town charm. Parts of the series were shot in the coastal city of Pohang, which is also known for great seafood.
Lee Joo-bin recalls a great dinner they had by the beach. “Not long after we started filming, Bo-hyun actually treated everybody, including everyone in the crew, to seafood and we actually had the meal in front of a very well known beach. I remember really enjoying it. It was just so delicious. So I thought to myself, you know, does the food taste better because of the ocean or have I always liked seafood this much?,” she said.
Ahn Bo-hyun says he now has a newfound appreciation for Korea’s coastal scenery and even noted what to eat in case you find yourself in Pohang.
“There’s what’s called ‘gwamegi’ which is half-dried fish. And there are different types of crab that are really delicious. And also ‘mulhwae,’ which is cold raw fish soup that you can enjoy all year round,” he recommended.
What spring means to the cast of ‘Spring Fever’
For both stars, spring carries a special meaning — a season associated with fresh beginnings, emotional renewal, and quiet hope, all of which are central to the story “Spring Fever.”
For Ahn Bo-hyun, spring represents a gentle emotional shift after a long winter.
“I feel like after you go through winter and spring arrives, I change my music playlist. You feel a sense of a new beginning,” he said. “When I’m outside looking at the falling flower petals, it makes you want to go out. So for me, both the word and the season spring are filled with hope.”
That sense of hope extends to how he hopes audiences will feel after watching the series.
“I hope it can be a healing experience,” he added. “I hope it will bring you comfort.”
Lee Joo-bin, meanwhile, describes spring as a kind of emotional reset.
“Out of all four seasons, I’m most impacted by spring,” she said. “I just feel happy, like I’m almost floating. I don’t even need that much sleep — I just feel good no matter what I do. For me, spring is like a reset button. It gives me the strength to go on for the rest of the year.”
She also connected the season directly to her character Yoon Bom’s emotional journey.
“Bom’s name in Korean literally means spring,” Lee explained. “At the beginning, her emotional state is very cold, like winter. Then she meets Jae-gyu, who is very warm, almost like a flame, and she slowly changes into her true self — which is spring.”
Asked to describe the series in just one word, Bo-hyun chose “magnet.”
“The two characters are drawn to each other,” he said. “They try to push each other away, but they refuse to be pushed away. They try to pull each other closer, but they also refuse to be pulled. That’s why I would describe them as magnets.”
Why ‘Spring Fever’ is a healing K-drama worth watching
Whether you are watching for Ahn Bo-hyun’s layered portrayal of Sun Jae-gyu, Lee Joo-bin’s tender performance as Yoon Bom, or simply for a healing romance set by the sea, “Spring Fever” is a gentle reminder that sometimes, learning to open up and rely on others can make the biggest difference.
“Spring Fever”is now streaming on Prime Video in the Philippines.