He's called a genius in action for a reason.

AsiaOne attended a press conference yesterday (April 8) for the new K-drama Blood Free, where South Korean actor Ju Ji-hoon earned his new nickname.

In the series, the 41-year-old takes on the role of Woo Chae-woon, a former commissioned officer who gets hired as a bodyguard for Yun Ja-yu (played by Han Hyo-joo), the CEO of Blood Free, a company producing artificially cultured meat.

Chae-woon has a hidden agenda — he is determined to uncover the truth behind a terrorist attack that he survived several years ago. He set his sights on fellow survivor Ja-yu after learning that her company experienced record growth and profits as a direct result of the attack.

According to the host at the press conference, the stunt choreographer for the series called Ji-hoon a "genius in action", which he humbly acknowledged with a smile.

"This drama is set against the near future so it was challenging to set the details. The director and I wanted to go for a grounded look, especially in the action sequences. We thought a lot about the genre of action," said Ji-hoon.

"There are very tightly choreographed scenes and also scenes with less choreography which look more rash and realistic. Even if you prepare for it a lot, there's a possibility that you could get hurt on set."