Director Jung Dong-yoon said Wednesday he aimed to depict a story of individuals driven by their monstrous desires that transcends time in Netflix's Korean original series "Gyeongseong Creature," two days before the release of the show's new season.

Season 2, set to premiere Friday, shifts the setting to present-day Seoul, following Jang Ho-jae, a character who closely resembles Jang Tae-sang from the first season, and Yoon Chae-ok, as they uncover mysterious events and connections.

The first season, released in two parts in December last year and January this year, respectively, was set in 1945 Gyeongseong, known today as Seoul, during Korea's final days under Japanese rule. It portrayed the Imperial Japan's gruesome human experiments to create a monster and two lead characters who infiltrate the scene of the experiments together to locate missing Koreans.

Director Jung Dong-yoon speaks during a press conference for Season 2 of "Gyeongseong Creature" in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2024. (Yonhap) 

"When we first started the project, the creature that emerged during the Gyeongseong era was just the beginning. I wanted to weave a story transcending the past and the present through the creature," Jung said during the press conference.

"Instead of confining the narrative to that era, I considered bringing the creature into the present day and examining the era's lingering remnants. Despite 79 years of progress, the irony of our times is that people who commit terrible acts for personal gain remain, and that people easily forget about them."

Actors Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee reprise their roles as Ho-jae and Chae-ok, respectively, in the new season.

Ho-jae, the vice president of a private detective agency that handles any request for money, becomes entangled in a serial murder case. He is driven to uncover the truth behind the case to clear his name.

Chae-ok, who was an amateur Korean sleuth from China in Gyeongseong, meanwhile, has remained youthful as a result of ingesting the creature named Najin 79 years ago. Her world is thrown into confusion when she encounters Ho-jae, who has a chilling resemblance to Tae-sang, at a murder scene while searching for a missing person she was hired to find.

Actors Park Seo-jun (R) and Han So-hee pose for a photo during a press conference for Season 2 of "Gyeongseong Creature" in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2024. (Yonhap) 

Playing the same characters but showing different sides in both seasons was a challenge for the actors.

"Because Season 2 is set in the modern era, it felt fresh, even though it's the same work. I found it interesting to portray different sides during the filming," Park said.

When asked to provide more information about the mysterious character Ho-jae, he responded, "It's a bit difficult to explain exactly who he is, but I think everything will be clear when you watch Season 2."

The director and cast of Season 2 of "Gyeongseong Creature" pose for a photo during a promotional press conference in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2024. (Yonhap) 

Han explained her character, Chae-ok, had spent a long time alone to hide her secrets from others.

"I had to portray the passage of time with my acting because the time has not significantly affected her," she said. "So, I focused on expressing the character's emotions to show how she had endured the time."

The director and cast highlighted the fast pace of the story and the spectacular action scenes as the season's strength.

"I tried to increase the pace in the second season," Jung said. "I've also hidden connections to Season 1, so there would be fun in discovering them."

"Action scenes are more extravagant in Season 2," Park Seo-jun said. "The way they're portrayed is different, so I think there will be more visually impressive and entertaining action scenes," he added.

Among the new characters joining the second season are Captain Kuroko (Lee Mu-saeng) and Seung-jo (Bae Hyeon-seong).

The captain, who commands the Kurokos, an elite group of operatives following secretive orders, crafts a sinister plan in the labs of Jeonseung Biotech. Seung-jo is a Kuroko who tenaciously pursues Ho-jae and Chae-ok.

Written by Shim Sun-ah