Actor Kim Rae-won attends the press conference for his upcoming TV series "Thousand Days Promise" held in Seoul, South Korea on October 11, 2011. [SBS]

Having mainly played many carefree and cheerful characters in the past, Kim Rae-won says that a melodrama like SBS' upcoming series "Thousand Days Promise" is a new genre for him.

Kim made the remark to reporters on Tuesday while talking about playing Park Ji-hyung, the male lead in the upcoming show, who is willing to lay everything on the line for the woman he loves.

"Authentic melodramas are a new genre for me because I have played many carefree and cheerful characters in my previous works," Kim explained.

Kim, who is making his comeback to the small screen after completing his mandatory two-year military service, rose to stardom in the country and throughout Asia for his roles in romantic comedies "My Love Patzzi" (MBC, 2002) and "Rooftop Room Cat" (MBC, 2003) as well as playing a chef in SBS' "Gourmet" in 2009.

He added, "I had to control my emotions and try not to show too much which was difficult since I had to control even my slightest movements and actions."

"That is why I read the script before we began shooting, in order to become more like Park, and scenarist Kim Soo-hyun had said that I shouldn’t take my eyes off of Soo-ae even when we are not acting which I thought was really meaningful and interesting.”

In "Thousand Days Promise," Park is an architect who will do anything for the woman he loves named Lee Seo-yeon (played by Soo-ae) who gradually loses her memory.

The series, also starring actors Lee Sang-woo, Park Yu-hwan and actress Jung Yu-mi, will run in the Monday and Tuesday primetime slot starting October 17.

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