Once again, I get to write a short letter to you (fans) for this Fan Meeting. This is the only way that I can repay and reply to all of you fans who have written me letters in the past.
When you all hold this letter in your hands and are reading it, I suspect that the fan meeting would be over and you all would be returning home in the evening. How was today? Did you enjoy yourselves? ^^
As this fan meeting is to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of my debut, and I think it will be memorable as a more meaningful and joyful occasion because of it.
To be honest, I completely forgot that it was my 15 year anniversary, and I just concentrated on filming my drama, until one day a fan congratulated me on my 15 year debut anniversary. Because of that I felt a strange sense of responsibility. At the filming location, I felt always a sense of newness, unfamiliarity and difficulty. Because of this, I had forgotten that it had been such a long time since my debut.
But now I go to the shoots, and find that my juniors increase one by one, and the days in which I get called a senior at these shoots become more and more frequent. And because of this I feel a greater sense of responsibility and burden that I have to carry as an actor.
I felt once again, that the reason that I could continue on as an actor like this, was due to the unconditional love and support from all of you fans. Thoughts of you fans who steadfastly loved me came to mind. Although there were times when I showed you guys an unsatisfactory side of me, you all send such words of encouragement that it gave me so much strength to continue.
If I look back, it could be said that 15 years is a long time, but if you look at my future as an actor, you could also think that it’s not such a long time in that perspective.
Please continue to send love to me and have great expectations for me as I continue into the future. In return, I will continue my best efforts to be that actor that through the long term that you follow my career, continues to show something new and different.
Once again, I thank you for your precious steps in coming here.
I love you ❤
The actor who loves all of you Yoo Yeon Seok
2018 YOO YEON SEOK FAN MEETING
(Translated by YeoNiverse. Give full credits when taken out or used for other languages translation)
FAMILIAR YET UNFAMILIAR, THE MEETING BETWEEN YOO YEON SEOK AND LOEWE A familiar name Yoo Yeon Seok, an unfamiliar face of Yoo Yeon Seok.
I heard you just got back from a fan meeting in Japan yesterday.Did you go sightseeing in your spare time? I had about three days of private time after the fan meeting. Nowadays, when I travel, I tend to charge myself by eating delicious food and having a drink at a bar with a nice atmosphere rather than busily wandering around.
You’ve shaken off Hyuk Soo from <A Bloody Lucky Day>, right? He’s a character that received a lot of attention and is intense, so I think he must have left a lasting impression in many ways. I don’t tend to get so immersed in my characters, so I haven’t had to do anything special to try to get out of the roles. However, I wanted to shake off <A Bloody Lucky Day> as soon as possible. I also had unpleasant and ominous nightmares about it, and it was such an intense character that I traveled to Japan to get some fresh air and clear my mind as soon as the filming was over.
While preparing for the interview, I watched Yoo Yeon Seok’s filmography. I thought <A Bloody Lucky Day> is Yoo Yeon Seok’s most brilliant work, do you agree? Of course, Ahn Jeong Won of <Hospital Playlist> and Gu Dong Mae of <Mr. Sunshine> were still loved enough to be mentioned. Serial killer Hyuk Soo is definitely the most intense character I’ve ever played. Thankfully, people around me said a lot of good things, such as ‘It feels new’ and ‘He’s scary’. Some people I met in private said it was creepy even though I just smiled and said hello. I guess there was an afterimage. What is more meaningful for an actor than getting good reviews for his acting? He was also a character who challenged myself to show my different side, so it’s rewarding to hear such feedback.
Why did Director Pil Gam Seong choose Yoo Yeon Seok? I don’t think he chose me based on any specific work of mine. He told me that he liked my acting as villainous roles in <A Werewolf Boy> and <Hwayi>, and my intense acting like Gu Dong Mae in <Mr. Sunshine>, but I think the good image I showed in recent years seemed to have some influence too. He said that he had a desire to find my new face and show it to the viewers.
And the choice worked. The timing was also good. My previous works were <The Interest of Love> and <My Heart Puppy>, and my image as a good doctor was imprinted on the public, so I think my image change get to be maximised.
When Hyuk Soo’s character proposal came to you, did you jump at the chance without thinking much? Absolutely. There was no reason to say no. And I knew that Lee Jung Eun sunbae-nim and Lee Sung Min sunbae-nim were both the first casting choices for their roles. I think the fact that they both of them accepted, didn’t it mean that it’s a very attractive work? In particular, isn’t Hyuk Soo’s character quite unique and bizarre? He is definitely a character that I covet as an actor. Also, when I heard that Sung Min sunbae-nim will appear it in, I became more greedy.
You must have had confidence in yourself. Actually, my expectations and excitement were higher than my worries. Strangely, I thought, ‘This is going to be fun,’ before I thought of the doubt of, ‘Can I do this?’ But looking back, I don’t think I had faith in myself, but rather in my seniors and the director. I think it was because of them that the character Hyuk Soo came alive, and the work was able to receive positive reviews.
What was it like working with the two seniors in real life? They are both as passionate as young actors. Above all, they lay the groundwork for the junior actors to give their best performance and bring out their emotions. They gave me ideas and created an atmosphere where I could act comfortably. It was so cool to see them passionately create their characters. Their mere existence made scenes alive. Seeing those sides of them inspires me in many ways. Their passion as actors, their attitude as seniors, and more.
Was there anything in particular that drew you to the script while reading it? There were some actors who said they wanted to act on the spot and as soon as they can when they saw an impressive line. In the webtoon, Hyuk Soo tells the story of his murder with his eyes wide open and a bright smile on his face, and his innocence is so bizarre. I thought it would be interesting to play that subtle and delicate emotional line.
The webtoon’s Hyuk Soo and Yoo Yeon Seok’s Hyuk Soo don’t seem to have a high synchronization rate. What did you take and leave behind in bringing Hyuk Soo to the screen? First of all, I wanted to keep his curly hair. He’s also characterised by his big frog-like eyes, and I thought that’s where his bizarreness, madness, and innocence come from. But that wasn’t something I could create, and I was trying to figure out how to make that point, so I decided to use freckles. In fact, there is a limit to what I can show externally, so I tried to make it work as much as possible with acting.
“I’m so thankful and fortunate that I chose a career as an actor. Actors inevitably meet new people and have no choice but to be placed in new environments. I was able to overcome the mannerisms that came up from time to time through the newness.”
I know you had quite a few scenes that you came up with yourself, including the one where you eat a spicy hot bar. Do you actively present your opinions when working on your works? Or did you come up with a lot of ideas for this work? In fact, I didn’t come up with big ideas. I tried to communicate with the director to make the character convincing. He is a psychopath and someone who couldn’t even feel pain, and I thought a lot about understanding the character. The scene of eating a spicy hot bar was also proposed to reinforce the setting of him not able to feel pain, and like any actor, we discussed it to make the character come alive.
From Part 1 to Part 2, every scene was tense and compelling. When watching this drama, there was even talk of an “acting party” afterward. Was there a scene that is particularly satisfying to you personally? There’s a scene in the greenhouse where Hyuk Soo chokes Oh Taek with a hose. At that time, I worried about the lines and scenes that Hyuk Soo spoke to convince Oh Taek the most, but after filming it, I think the characteristics of Hyuk Soo were well captured. Personally, I think it was the scene where Hyuk Soo’s creepiness came to life, and I was able to finish it well because Sung Min sunbae-nim was smiling and saying “It’s okay,” “It’s okay”, in between cuts.
Hyuk Soo may be an evil character in the drama, but isn’t he like a gift to actor Yoo Yeon Seok? If you could pick a gift that Hyuk Soo left for Yoo Yeon Seok, what would it be? Hmm, what could there be? I can’t tell the rating. Oh! In the future when I’m in my 40s… no. I try not to talk about my age, but it keeps coming up. Anyway, to answer your question, a new face? I feel like I got another mask as an actor. Even though played villains in the past, but strangely, I think my good and straight image seem to be imprinted on people. I chose this work because I wanted to break that, and I’m proud that I broke one of the walls too.
In the viewer reviews, many people said, “I saw Yoo Yeon-seok’s potential.” There must be some pressure to choose your next work. As long as it’s not a bad guy. Actually, I’ll act in anything if given the chance, but it would be nice to have a different image from Hyuk Soo, be it good-natured or sweet.
Do you feel compelled to always feel new? To a certain extent. I wouldn’t call it a compulsion, but should I say it’s more of a pressure? I have greed for characters I haven’t done before. I want to keep breaking away from my existing image, and I seem to be looking for such (new) characters.
I can’t believe how you’re 21 years into your career and you’ve played so many different roles, yet you still have that thirst. As an actor, you’ll have a constant thirst for newness. Honestly, I had a lot of fun acting this time. It’s not necessarily because he’s a villain, but because there’s so much more to the character of Hyuk Soo that I can show. There were a lot of scenes that showed not only the face of a serial killer, but also a high school student, an attentive husband, and more. I think I was able to enjoy it because there were a lot of things to try and I felt like I could be a little more daring.
You seem to be a more adventurous person than I thought. I thought you would be passive because you don’t talk much during the shoot and has a calm image. I’m someone who’s very curious. I’m very curious about things I haven’t done, things I haven’t eaten, and things I haven’t experienced. I have a a lot of adventurous spirit too.
I now understand why you are rich in hobbies such as woodworking, camping, golf, photography, and cooking, and that you enjoy off-road driving. Are there aspects of Yoo Yeon Seok that people misunderstand, like the editor? I hear people around me say that it looks like I’m resolute about everything, but I’m flimsier than you think. Some people say that it feels like I live each day like it lasts for 30 hours. However, there are many times when I was feeling low and lazy too. As time goes by, I am making a deliberate effort to live more leisurely and without plans.
I guess you feel that way because you are constantly active in musicals, dramas, and movies without a break. I didn’t plan it. I did one musical, one drama, and a year passed by like this.
And just like that 20 years have passed since you debuted. I wonder how I’ve been acting for 20 years. I’ve been dreaming of becoming an actor since I was in elementary school, but once I decided to become an actor, I decided to throw myself into acting without expecting any results for the next 10 years. So I didn’t have much anxiety or impatience. I didn’t have any particular goal or expectation, just the idea of doing what I was given and what I could do for the next 10 years. At that time, I myself didn’t think that I would be acting for 20 years.
How did you feel when you reached the 10-year mark, and what kind of mindset kept you going for another 10 years? In my 10th year, I met Chilbongie from <Reply 1994.> How lucky I was. I think it was because I met a good work and got positive energy from it that I have been able to not let go of being an actor until now.
By the way, your debut movie, <Oldboy>, is already 20 years old. Time flies. Time really flies. I was 20 then. When I attended an acting academy, a noona whom I’m close to and worked on the costume team for <Oldboy> told me about the audition. At that time, there were many applicants my age, but I thought I was cast because I was good at acting. I found out later that wasn’t true, and it was because I looked a lot like Yoo Ji Tae sunbae. (Laughs) Anyhow, I was lucky to be able to appear in that work, and I’m very grateful that it became my debut work. I often get the chance to watch it on the 10th or 20th anniversary of my debut, and I think, ‘I was very lucky.’
The face of the handsome young man from 20 years ago was also very unfamiliar. Is there anything new or regrettable when you see Yoo Yeon Seok from the past? Even though I didn’t know anything then, I still think I did a good job. (Laughs) If I were to act it out again now, I don’t know if I could do it well to that extent. No, I won’t be able to. I think it was because I didn’t know anything that I was able to act purely.
If you know too much, it can become an obstacle. Rather, I think that when you don’t know anything, you take on challenges and become bolder. That’s right. My acting technique may have improved, but there are certain things that can only be expressed at that age, like emotions and facial expressions, and more. Something that twenty-years-old Yoo Yeon Seok could do, but forty-years-old Yoo Yeon Seok couldn’t.
Has your attitude toward acting changed? Isn’t this the age when your excitement and passion for work starts to fade? Probably not as much as when I was younger. But still, I’m so thankful and fortunate that I chose a career as an actor. Actors inevitably meet new people and have no choice but to be placed in new environments. I was able to overcome the mannerisms that came up from time to time through the newness.
(Translation by YeoNiverse. Please do not repost without permission and credit.)
I have a vivid dream in the middle of the day. The strange daydream of facing Lee Sung Min, Yoo Yeon Seok, and Lee Jung Eun of <A Bloody Lucky Day> does not scatter, but hangs and hovers on every dry branch.
THE BARE FACE OF NEWNESS, YOO YEON SEOK
On your YouTube channel, The Yeon Seok Weekend Show, you often show photoshoots. Did you have your camera crew accompanying you today as well? No, no, they didn’t come with me today.
On Youtube, you called your fans “our Yeondeoks”. Do you ever think about the basic qualities of a Yeondeok? Like, “you should know at least this much about me,” or “this work I starred in is a must-watch”. There’s no such thing. You just have to subscribe. Anyone is welcome. But you can’t just walk out at will.
What do Yeondeoks think of your transformation into a brutal serial killer in <A Bloody Lucky Day>? When the trailer was released and when parts of the show were released at Busan International Film Festival, my fans reacted enthusiastically. I was even told that “you changed your face”. Surprisingly, they seem to like my stronger side. In <Mr. Sunshine>, too, many people liked the scene where my character, Dong Mae, was covered in blood while fighting.
This time around, you’re playing a villain who is filled with madness, and foreshadowing an unexpected face. What was your reaction when you first read the script? I read the original webtoon first. The story itself was very unique, and the character I played, Geum Hyuk Soo, was interesting to me because he doesn’t feel pain, and he doesn’t show any emotion with his overdone perm and frog-like appearance.
I’m curious to know what it was like during your first monitoring. It’s hard to actually materialise the appearance that’s written in the webtoon, so I tried a lot of different looks while getting into the character. In the end, I wore a full wig and added freckles to my face to give it an unusual vibe. I was worried that it would look unnatural, but during the first shoot, I realized that it came out well just as much as we prepared for it and I thought, “This is it.”
It sounds like you had a lot of fun creating (the character). If the pleasure scale is from 0 to 10, I’d say it’s a 9? I always want to try something I haven’t done before, but at the same time, I also think about whether or not I can do it, and whether or not it would suit me. When I started with those doubts and then things somehow click, it feels so great. I think such kind of pleasure is what keeps me curious about new things.
Is there any emotion you felt for the first time while playing a character who doesn’t have an emotional connection? There’s an expression called empathy. Or act completely synchronised with the role. But this time I purposely distanced myself. For my previous roles as villains, I had a point of sympathy for the characters, but Geum Hyuk Soo is different. He’s a killer who kills indiscriminately without cause and effect, so if I fall into him and act him out, it will be hard.
That is possible. What do you feel after acting out the whirlwind of abnormal emotions? I thought it would be okay because I kept my distance, but it wasn’t. Due to the flow of the story, there were days when it was difficult to go to the set because it was mostly filmed at night and there were many intense scenes. I talked to Lee Sung Min sunbaenim about the difficulty of this work.
An actor’s face has to lock the audience’s gaze on the screen, so how do you feel about the power of your face? To me, I feel like my face doesn’t have strong characteristics. So from the time I started acting, although my face was sort of like colourless? and plain on first glance, I thought it was ideal that it can absorb both good and bad roles. An image that doesn’t lean on either side, I felt like that was the right path for me. It’s the same reason why I’ve done so many different genres and characters until now.
Does the impression of an actor get influenced by characters you’ve been immersed in for a long time? I’ve never thought about that, but after playing a strong character, people around tell me that my eyes look a little different. When that happens, I’m like, “My goodness!” I want to stay true to my real self.
Do you have emotions that show up on your face even when you try to hide them? When I watch videos or pictures of my dog, Rita, I wonder if it shows on my face, and people next to me would say, “You’re looking at Rita, aren’t you?” It’s not my first time adopting and raising a shelter puppy, but the feeling of Rita being my baby is a bit stronger. Before this, I raised pet dogs with my mother. I have a lot of affections for Rita maybe because I’m taking care of her alone.
You’ve been acting for 20 years now, how do you self-evaluate yourself? At a fan meeting I had in Thailand, I’m so grateful as my fans put together a video of all the work and characters I’ve done. And there are so many works and so many different genres. “Wow, so I’ve lived my life really hardworkingly,” such thought came to my mind. When I look back on my 20s and 30s, I don’t have any regrets.
Have you done everything you wanted to do in acting? I’m not satisfied. There are some things I haven’t accomplished. However, I’m proud to say that I’ve tried various genres and characters. And while doing movies and dramas, I did plays and musicals too. I’m proud of that alone.
How about you imagine this? If you were to decorate a space with your work, what would it look like? In a similar vein, I have a room where I keep all the gifts and memorabilia that fans give me whenever I concluded my works. If you go in there, it’s crazy, no joke. It’s all mixed up and cluttered and chaotic. I want to organise it neatly, but I don’t think I can. So to answer your question, I think the space would probably be quite cluttered, in a good way, with diverse colours and compositions.
Come to think of it, you’ve shown your maximalist side in “The Yeon Seok Weekend Show.” Then what kind of work do you want to put at the most visible / prominent place (in that space)? My debut film <Oldboy> was re-released in the US for its 20th anniversary. To celebrate it, I met director Park Chan Wook and the seniors whom I co-starred with, and I remember the main character’s figurine that was there. As soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to have it. Looking back, I didn’t know anything when I starred in <Oldboy>. I was a student, and I didn’t have an agency. Now that I think of it, I didn’t have anything to commemorate it. In that sense, I would like to put <Oldboy> at a place that stands out (in that space). Because it’s my starting point and it’s a work that’s still talked about as a masterpiece, so it’s meaningful.
Do you remember the resolve you had when you made your debut? I told myself that for the next 10 years, let’s just do acting as if I was going to die, without complaining. The seniors close to me said, “Don’t be in a hurry because you never know when you’ll see the light, and you need to take a long breath.” I started with that determination, and fortunately, by the time I reached my 10th year, I found a work that made people remembered my name.
In <A Bloody Lucky Day> there is a chilling scene in which Geum Hyuk Soo chills the atmosphere by quoting lines from the movie <Taxi Driver> starring Robert De Niro. Was there a line that you memorized so well as a rookie that you could just press a button and it would come out? I really liked Park Hae Il sunbaenim at the time. You know, he has so many faces, like I mentioned earlier. I don’t remember what it was, but I practiced acting and prepared for auditions with works that he appeared in and his lines.
I’m also curious about this too. Is there any other character you’d like to reprise, just like how you reprised “Kang Dong Ju” in <Dr. Romantic 3> after six years? What if I play <Oldboy> now? I recently thought about that. When Oldboy was made, Choi Min Sik sunbaenim was about the same age as me (now), and Yoo Ji Tae sunbaenim was in his 20s. Director Park Chan Wook was around 40. They made a historical work at my age. So I wonder if I can do well if a work like <Oldboy> comes along.
I think you have set a certain direction you’re going to take, but what are you looking forward to in the future? Rather, the more I do not know. I’ve heard a lot of advice that I should choose my work more carefully starting next time. I find that difficult. Rather than being sure, I was like, “What should I do after acting like this?”, “What should I do next?” Those were the first questions that comes to my mind. If in my 20s I was fighting to endure for 10 years, and in my 30s I was following my greed and satisfaction, now I think I need to tread carefully and cautiously going forward.
You once said on a web variety show you appeared in, “I feel like I’m going through puberty for the first time since I turned 40.” Why did you feel that way? Haha, that’s because I became less able to keep my mother’s words as I got older.
What kind of words? Like, “When are you going to get married?” Uh, I don’t know that either.
I’m asking because I don’t think you have any. Did you ever have any major deviations or rebellions? Not really…yeah. My mother also said I grew up without any particular adolescence, and now that I have my own direction in life and I’m pushing for my own choices, I think puberty has come.
When do you think, “I’m living well?” Actually, I don’t know. When I keep on filming all the time, the thought of “Is this a good life?” suddenly crosses my mind. I became doubtful because the time I spend with my family is gradually decreasing and I have less time to pay attention to my surroundings. I met my childhood friend for the first time in a long time, and he said he is greatly attached to the family he has built. When looking at the sight, “Is this the right way to live? Have I been running just for my own self too much?” I pondered about those.
It’s part of being human, I guess. What do you think it would be like to have a child who resembles you exactly? It wouldn’t be easy (laughs). It wouldn’t be easy, but I think it will be okay if I think of my parents who are proud of me. Anyway, I’m not a son who is affectionate or has a lot of agyeos. That part is a bit disappointing. Now that I’m in the position of my parents, I get it.
<A Bloody Lucky Day> begins with a taxi driver, Oh Taek, dreaming of pigs. Have you ever had a crazy awesome dream that you didn’t want to wake up from? Amazingly, I rarely dream. Even if I dream, I don’t remember when I wake up.
Then, what kind of dreams do you have in reality? I wish I can work with people in the field forever. Teacher Lee Soon Jae is my college teacher. When I see him still on the theater stage, I admire him and the thought of wanting to receive love as I act for a long time came to mind. It’s a dream-like sight for me.
Earlier, actor Lee Sung Min said something similar in his interview and told us something important. Oh? What did he say?
That you have to be alive by then. Ahahaha. That’s right.
I’ll end with a question I asked actor Lee Sung-min: If you could take a taxi anywhere, what would you want to do? I traveled to Thailand a few days ago, but it’s gotten really cold in the meantime. As soon as I arrived at the airport, I wanted to go back to Thailand. I don’t know how much it would cost to take a taxi there.
Woo Young Hun, freelance editor (VK)
Translation by YeoNiverse. Do not repost without permission.
YOO YEON SEOK AND MUN KA YOUNG STANDING IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER’S LOVE
Two worlds becoming closer to understand each other. <The Interest of Love>, a certain love blossomed with the warmth of Yoo Yeon Seok and Mun Ka Young.
By Jin Hye Jin. 2022.12.27
Yoo Yeon Seok “Love is the power to endure everything.”
Q. Do you know there are so many people who have been counting down to and waited for Yoo Yeon Seok’s romance for a long time? Your heart must’ve been shaken by the story of <The Interest of Love>, where the word ‘love’ is firmly placed in the title. A. Suddenly, the thought of wanting to portray love purely came to my mind. I don’t think there have been many works recently that focused on the feeling of love in itself, without relying on provocative or the elements of other genres. That being said, I was more drawn to realistic stories rather than a love that’s being hindered by the era, or transcending time and space.
Q. Chilbongie from <Reply 1994> had a fresh and sad unrequited love against the backdrop of the nostalgic 90s, and Dong Mae from <Mr. Sunshine> risked his life for love under Japanese colonial rule. Has contemporary ‘common love’ become a challenge for you as someone who has been saying, “Every work is a challenge,”? A. It might be common, but could it be because it’s a love story that I haven’t done before yet? If works like <Steel Rain 2: Summit> and <Suriname> were a challenge to find unfamiliar faces that I myself didn’t even know, <The Interest of Love> approached me freshly in the sense that I could talk about the feelings I could be feeling and agonize about at my age.
Q. The four men and women in the drama have very different interests and realities they faced in life. They show various ways of love, like yearning for the other person who makes them feel smaller, or pitying the other person who makes them feel ten feet tall. A. All four of them are realistic in their words and actions. These are things that can be snap out according to each of their perspectives and situations. Viewers will be able to assign themselves to any of them. They can relate to them, but to understand and supporting such ways is of another matter. In that irony, I think there will be various stories not only about love, but also the perspectives of life.
Q. Among them, Ha Sang Su, a banker played by you, is a man who always tries to maintain a certain value in life, just like his name (‘Sang Su’ means ‘constant’). What about Yoo Yeon Seok? A. If we talk about the numerical concepts of variables and constants, well I’m not sure. If a variable or an unexpected value input were given during work, the Yoo Yeon Seok in daily life keeps everything constant like Sang Su. When my work is over, I take the time to come back to myself while doing things I originally liked. That way, I can confidently face another variable.
Q. I’m used to seeing you in a white coat, probably because I’ve often seen you in medical dramas such as <General Hospital 2>, <Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim>, and <Hospital Playlist>. Your appearance as a banker dressed in a neat suit is approaching in a new way, but what was it like to be in a space called bank? A. For sure there is a peculiar side in a love story that takes place in a space where money are being counted. The expression of the word ‘ihae’ in the title can mean ‘to understand’, but it can also be read as ‘interests’, which is about profit and loss. When I was a doctor, I practiced in the hospital and went into the operating room, but this time, I sat at the bank for hours to find out what was going on at the ‘window’ and observed how the employees treated the customers.
Q. Sang Su made a mistake of giving his heart to the other person who should not have taken it. What kind of charm did you find in Mun Ka Young, who played the role of Su Yeong in the drama? A. I get to actually feel how the word ‘happy virus’ felt so real (laughs). There’s an unexpected side of her too, where she enjoys exciting sports. There’s not even once where I felt like we’re talking about things differently, be it when we act or when we’re understanding the work. In some scenes that we saw on the monitor screen, we can see how our faces resembling each other, too.
Q. Have you ever been shaken by your feelings for the other person due to your surrounding circumstances or timing, like your character in the drama? A. Looking back at the end of my 30s, I think it wasn’t always easy for me. Even if a relationship approaches, there are parts that I have to be careful about due to the nature of my profession, and there must have been a lot to consider or be considerate of.
Q. It’s also a site where you’re together with the junior actors, such as Keum Sae Rok, Jung Ga Ram, and more, right. A. When it comes to ranks, I’m at the bottom, no? Way down there (laughs). Our chemistry was good enough to the point that I didn’t feel the burden or responsibility to lead them as a senior, and I couldn’t feel the age and work experience difference.
Q. I saw an impressive comment on Youtube. In a clip of your romance acting, the sentence being, “the love Yoo Yeon Seok portrays has always made my heart flutter and moved me to tears.” The moment I read it, I immediately wondered in way does this man understand love and acted it out? A. While filming this drama, I also tried to think about and understand the concept of love. The conclusion was that the more I do it, the more difficult it gets. The feelings I felt when I was young and at the end of my 30s are also distinctly different. The more I know about it, the more I do it, the more ambiguous it gets.
Q. Can love enrich us even in such ambiguity? A. It can enrich us, but we can be in an extreme pain due to it too. Even so, it can also become the strength for us to be able to endure all those.
Q. If you think of the best romance work you’ve seen in your life that influenced you… A. I watched senior Jeon Do Yeon’s and Hwang Jung Min’s <You Are My Sunshine> in the army. I was also in a painful love back then. Wasn’t there a visiting prison scene in the latter part of the movie? I remember sobbing while sympathizing with the feelings of the main characters in a restricted situation (laughs).
Q. Shin Won Ho PD of <Hospital Playlist> once said, “Yoo Yeon Seok’s sweet side, tenderness, and child-loving aspect seemed like a perfect fit for the pediatric surgeon Prof. Ahn Jeong Won role,” referring to your actual personality as an advantage in certain scene. Will such an aspect be shown in this drama too? A. Back then, I liked children so much, so I think those expressions and gaze came out naturally. In this drama this time around, I’m expressing an ordinary person, but it’s more difficult because I have to show the criss-cross of subtle emotions on my face. In addition to the familiar faces shown in the melodrama genre, you will be able to discover unfamiliar expressions added to complex and subtle situations.
Q. Maybe because you debuted with <Old Boy>, you had a strong image of a villain when you were a rookie. How many inherent bad aspects are there in reality (laughs)? A. Maybe there’s a part of me that’s dormant (laughs)? From that clue on, it could be finding a character like David Park in <Narco Saints>, or it could be expressing the emotions I wanted to express but have been holding back and expressed it in my work instead.
Q. In the recent <Game Caterers 2>, you also blended in with K-pop artist juniors. Were you originally an ‘insider’? A. When I was young, I thought it would be nice if everyone I worked with had good memories of me. It was like a kind of compulsion. But there were more times when I got hurt when I tried so hard to remain as a good person. Now I cautioned myself that I don’t have to do that to the extent of getting hurt. Just have fun (laughs).
Q. The most important point to understand others is… A. Often, when I try to imagine what someone might have been thinking, it helps me to refresh my thoughts and gain a better understanding. However, if someone still behaves in a way that I can’t comprehend, I used to try to understand it but now I admit that it’s different and let it go, and I look at it from a different perspective.
Q. What you love right now is… A. My pet dog Rita. I sent her to school when I went to film, but when I received notifications showing her playing, my energy surged. Also, these days, I carry a small film camera to the set and take pictures of my colleagues. In my spare time, I printed out photos I took with Ka Young and gave the photos to her as a gift. I took some photos today, too.
Q. In addition to that, that’s definitely not a prop prepared by <Elle> , but I was curious about the identity of the ‘snap button’ camera placed on one side of the set. A. I used to take pictures often before, but it was nice to start doing it again recently. I think I find a little bit of fun in taking film photos, printing, and distributing the photos to the actors and staffs.
Q. You’re such a kind actor to your fans. You worked hard and did your best to show various sides of you not only through your works, but also through your Youtube channel ‘The Yeon Seok Weekend Show’, or variety shows like <Three Meals A Day: Doctors>, and even through ‘(Universe’s) Private Message’. A. You do not necessarily need to meet an actor only through their work, right? Regardless of the form or method, fans and the public seem to recognise the person’s true self even without needing to wait or wrap your up. Of course, I’m afraid and hesitant to reveal myself, but even so, I wanted to show what I can show them.
Q. If there’s a concern that keeps you awake these days, it’s… A. I wanted to give you a special answer, but actually, before I go to bed, I only think of my work (laughs). I fell asleep thinking about how the viewers will see it, how much can they relate to the scenes we filmed today, or did I do a good today, things like that.
Q. It’s already been 20 years since your debut. It’s fun to understand and create characters and various images, but it’s can also be very exhausting. Are you still excited about approaching a new character every time? A. Every time I work on a new project, my excitement and fears always repeat. If the results of the process are good, I can gain momentum and take on new challenges. I think that is why it’s fun to work as an actor.
Mun Ka Young “In the end, I’m driven by love”
Q. I personally like the face of Mun Ka Young where I can feel her curiousity about the world. What kind of impression do you have of yourself? Your most favourite face is… A. The unfamiliar faces revealed by the momentary captures are always interesting. That’s the reason why photoshoots are fun. I think my expressionless face that comes out when I’m alone is my most favourite face and the face I’m most familiar with. When others see (that face of) me, they always ask me what I’m thinking so hard about, but I think that (face) is like me the most.
Q. Is it a face when you’re thinking of something? A. I didn’t have any particular thoughts. It’s like when I’m looking at the clouds outside the window quietly when travelling by car, and then moved onto thinking that the clouds resembling something. I read things like the signboards and car plates numbers. I enjoy daydreaming.
Q. Ahn Su Yeong in <The Interest of Love> is bright and sweet on the outside, but she’s actually cynical about life and love. A. Su Yeong is someone who has a lot going on inside. She’s similar to me in that regard. I have always played characters who lavishly radiate emotions and energy, so at first I was worried if I might be too expressionless or whether I could stay still like this. I acted believing in the reactions on set that such an appearance of me was new.
Q. It’s a realistic romance story set in a bank, but what attracted you to the work? A. First of all, the script was so good. Whenever a script is good, I’d show it to my mom or friends with excitement, and everyone welcomed this work. I thought I could show the sides of Mun Ka Young that people didn’t know much about yet.
Q. Are you in a state where you’re heavily immersed in your role? A. I tend to get out of (my role) easily because I tend to have a clear “on and off” between my work and personal life. Even after being immersed in a calm and quite role, I return to the original Mun Ka Young with a song I listened to on the way home from work.
Q. If there is a part where you worked hard into acting realistically… A. That I didn’t clear my throat well (laughs)? I wanted to act naturally and with a sense of realism up to that extent. I gave myself an ample time to film it. If the emotions couldn’t come out, I waited. If there’s a line I wanted to say again, I’d repeat it over and over again. I think that’s why more realistic expressions came out.
Q. I think there must have been a sense of realism in its background being a bank too A. That’s right! On the first script reading day, I remember a banking manual with a photo of each employee ID was placed next to the script. After more than six months of filming, it was fun to see how each of our desk having our own taste and personality. In my case, I feel calm when the seal and stapler are always in place (laughs).
Q. How did you enjoy the original novel of the same title written by writer Lee Hyuk Jin? I am also curious about how you, a prolific reader, use the original work. A. I tend to read the original work at least once with a comfortable mind like just reading it. I kept only the important events and big flows in my mind and after that, I focused on the script. If you enjoyed reading the novel <The Interest of Love>, I think you will be very curious about which point was chosen as the ending in the drama. The tension escalates towards the latter half, but from the point of view of acting, it felt charming.
Q. How did you feel about the relationship between Ahn Su Yeong and Ha Sang Su, who seem to be getting closer, but not getting closer? A. To be honest, it can feel frustrating from a third person’s point of view, to be seeing the two of them worrying a lot, hesitating, and missing the right timing over and over again. It’s also embarrassing to face all the naked emotions you experienced when you’re in love in real life. But I think such an honest depiction is the charming point of this work.
Q. It’s your first time meeting with actor Yoo Yeon Seok, who plays the role of Ha Sang Su, right? When seen up close, the charms of your partner are… A. I would describe him as a very delicate ‘gentle guy’ (laughs). I think we were able to communicate very comfortably and act. I also learned something by watching his figure as he always checked the scenes meticulously. Also, since Oppa speaks the same line slightly differently each time, I had to react differently too, but I enjoyed that process as well. Because I like adlibs.
Q. Your collaboration with actors Keum Sae Rok and Jung Ga Ram are also something to look forward to. A. Sae Rok unnie is a bright and positive person in real life, just like her character Park Mi Gyeong. Ga Ram oppa was shy at first, but he’s actually a total chatterbox (laughs)! However, since my role is calm, it was regrettable that I could not fully capture the energy of the two. In particular, I only encountered very heartbreaking scenes with Ga Ram oppa, who plays the role of Jeong Jong Hyeon, someone who’s preparing to take the police force examination.
Q. How important is love in your life? I know you as someone who enjoys spending time alone. A. No matter how well I spend my time alone, in the end, I’m driven by love. When I feel like I don’t have any energy, when I look back, it’s because I didn’t have anything to pour my heart into. Just like waking up excitedly every morning at the thought of eating the delicious apple extract my mom sent me for a while, just pouring love into something gives me energy in my life.
Q. The thing you need to protect your love is… A. I think the most important thing is willpower. I think how strong the will to protect a relationship determines the validity period of that love.
Q. Then what is the most important thing in ‘understanding’ others? A. To admit that you may not understand. When I was young, I firmly believed in the saying, “sincerity always shines through”, but now I think sincerity may not be that important. There are things that even family members do not understand. Nevertheless, because they are by my side despite everything, sometimes pretending to understand in making an effort to listen to my story, that’s why I am feeling grateful and precious.
Q. You seem to have built your career without wavering since you were a child actor, but I was surprised to see you said <Find Me in Your Memory> as ‘a work that I was glad and grateful to have met at a time when I had low self-esteem’. So far in your acting career, the moment you were greatly shaken the most is… A. After filming <Welcome to Waikiki 2> in 2019, my worries about ‘next’ deepened. I didn’t know what to use to fill my break, and when I realised that I didn’t know much about myself, I became lethargic. It was a site where I received a plenty of love, so my self-esteem increased. While acting as Yeo Ha Jin, I gained confidence in my bright and lovely acting too.
Q. You’ve been acting for 16 years now. Looking back, if you had to choose the person who needed the most effort… A. It’s Ju Kyung of <True Beauty>. It was a work with a mix of manhwa style directing and fantasy elements, so I wasn’t sure how far should I immerse myself. I acted by changing the lines and settings little by little to suit my taste so that I could understand her myself. I worked really hard in order to empathise with Ju Kyung, and I was overwhelmed with pride because of the good response.
Q. You’ve shown great presence in <Find Me In Your Memory>, <True Beauty>, and more, especially in romance genre. What’s special about Mun Ka Young’s romance acting is… A. I think sincere interactions with my acting partner is important, and I think that brings out the good ‘chemistry’. I try to get closer to my partner not only on the set, but also during script reading time and rehearsals. Because you can see it all on the screen. In an intimate relationship, even the way a tangerine being offered is different. Giving it by throwing, or taking a step closer to hand it over. I think the more we become intimately acquainted, the more diversity in our acting is created.
Q. As someone who love reading and writing, you seem like a person who fills yourself well. That’s how much you pour your heart out in tidying up and emptying things too, right? A. Until recently, I was in a hurry while filling it up too. The tempo of life was also fast. I have a tendency to meticulously plan everything, so it was painful when the results didn’t meet my expectations. That’s how I came to think that I should spend the time that stood still well. To think that it’s not a period of stagnation, but a period of caring for myself and a period of preparation for the next one.
Q. The thing that excites you the most these days is… A. ‘A moment of relaxation’. Strangely it’s a word that I repeat often these days. I have been running without rest since last year, and as a result, little by little, the happiness that small moments of relaxation gives me felt bigger and bigger. When I drink a delicious cup of tea, when I concentrate on listening to my favorite songs, or when I encounter a perfect sunset on my way home from work, the excitement I felt was really great.
Q. It’s such a penetrating expression (laughs). It would be good as the title of Mun Ka Young’s first essay. A. Please use it on my behalf (laughs). I will be content to fully enjoy those moments for the time being.
Yoo Yeon Seok who returns as a master of melodrama.
This man’s face has certain moments of boyhood, still. Actor Yoo Yeon Seok’s “today, and then now”.
BY BAZAAR 2023.01.30
Q. You are reuniting with Bazaar after two years. If in the last pictorial we captured the intellectual Yoo Yeon Seok’s faces, this time we’re able to capture the human Yoo Yeon Seok’s smiles.
A. I heard that the pictorial concept is to capture the today’s person that is me, to welcome the new day and new era. Overall, the atmosphere is comfortable and it’s a pictorial with a human scent, so it was fun. I like humanism. (Laughs) It’s my first schedule this year and thanks to you, I was able to get off to a good start.
Q. Isn’t the currently airing “The Interest of Love” on JTBC a show like that, too? Contrary to shows these days that are bound to have elements that are either breathtakingly fast that makes you out of breath, or a fantasy like ‘RePoRein’ (return, possession (by a spirit), reincarnation), the drama came out as fresh. Looking back, I think the genre that Yoo Yeon Seok plays the best as an actor is “humanism” that you just mentioned.
A. I agree. More than anything, I wish viewers will find my acting relatable when they watch me. Rather than projects where I’m handsomely dressed up, I prefer projects that give a sense of humanity. Although I’ve tried a lot of roles that were complete opposites of my image, this time, I just wanted to do a good job at something I’m best at. [This time] my target was not a ‘big transformation’ or a ‘great challenge,’ but instead, I focused on how to deliver details such as delicate gazes, exchanges, and subtle stares. That’s why I think viewers will be able to enjoy [the drama] comfortably.
Q. Is there any reason why it had to be an authentic melodrama?
A. Although I heard that they’re going to change it into the international age starting this year, in Korean age, I’m turning 40 this year. I actually had a vague wish that the last project I did in my 30s would be a romance—a dream I thought was far-fetched. But when I was reviewing and choosing [my next drama], I found it interesting that ‘The Interest Of Love’ depicts a realistic love story. It’s not a love that has a great background narrative or deals with pain and suffering, but it’s so realistic that I found it to be more heartbreaking.
Q. While working on this work, did you personally feel how easy or not the so-called “common love” and “ordinary love” are?
A. I think it’s because of my profession’s reason. It’s a little different from the context of “ordinariness” in the drama, but it’s not easy for me to have an “ordinary” relationship where I could go on a date in a crowded place, for instance. I always feel so short of such kind of ordinariness.
Q. “My dream is ordinary. It means an all around good life.”, “It means there’s no shortage and you want for nothing”, “Ordinary is the best”. Each of the four main characters presented a different interpretation of ‘ordinary’ in the drama. If you were to personify ‘ordinary,’ wouldn’t it be the ‘banker’ who is the main characters’ job in itself? I wonder if the original novel of this drama itself started with an insight into ‘ordinariness’. Having lived your life as an actor known to the public for 20 years, how did you interpret this ‘ordinary’ and work on this drama?
A. Sang Su whom I played, graduated from a high school in Gangnam School District Eight, so in the eyes of others, he must have had an affluent childhood. However, as a matter of fact, he was someone who had it hard to catch up with his friends’ level all the time. In other words, Sang Su lived his whole life trying to be ordinary, that is, to be similar to his friends’ level. In that context, it reminded me of my childhood. I also lived in the countryside and suddenly transferred to Kyunggi High School (also in Gangnam School District Eight) when I was in high school. My father was teaching at a university, so he might have looked rich in the eyes of others, but it was practically just an honorary position and after coming to Seoul, I lived in a 40 years old aged apartment. When my classmates wore Nike shoes and I wore no brand sneakers that cost 15,000 won, I envied them so much in my heart. I didn’t have to skip meals, but I wanted to look rich. While preparing for this work, I think I tried to find a point of contact between my childhood and Sang Su’s childhood. It is also interesting that Sang Su wanted to be a hockey player in high school and he plays in a hockey club as a hobby after becoming an office worker, and my alma mater’s hockey team was actually famous, too. Back then I didn’t dream to become a hockey player, but I just watched a few games. I thought it was amazing that there are many points of contact between us, as if I was predicted to meet this role.
Q. I thought a white doctor’s gown looked best on you, but your role of a banker wearing a white dress shirt also fits you naturally. Did you practice separately for the scene where you were counting a bunch of bills?
A. I actually went to the bank to practice. I think the observations on how they sit behind the window, how to respond to customers all day long, how to count money, and how to close the balance was very helpful to me.
Q. It is interesting that the background of the melodrama is a bank. It is an ironic place where conflicting concepts of money and love coexist.
A. A bank is place that is sensitive to money and numbers. There’s a description like that in the beginning of the drama, that is a place where treatment and relationships change sharply depending on the customer’s credit rating and financial status. I thought it is interesting, the fact that its background are related to the conflicts between the main characters.
Q. The “class” of the four main characters you just mentioned is also well illustrated by director Jo Young Min’s delicate directing. The poor test taker Jong Hyeon drinks mixed coffee, the high school graduate teller Su Yeong drinks drip coffee, the ordinary office worker Sang Su drinks capsule coffee, and the daughter of a rich family Mi Gyeong drinks a freshly brewed espresso coffee from the coffee machine.
A. It’s a scene that I like, too. Director Jo Young Min is strong when it comes to such details. When delivering a melodrama acting, there are times when it’s hard to control the emotional line. In scenes where it’s done too much or too less, the director did a great job in treading the tricky paths between them. I received helps from him when it comes to the fine details, such as whether I’m looking at the other person or not, or if it’s okay or not to show I like her more when it comes to the obviousness of liking her.
Q. Have you ever been drunk like Sang Su in the drama and texted, “Are you sleeping?”
A. Of course I have. (laughs) I think I wanted to get in touch under the pretext of being drunk.
Q. Sang Su is someone who would earnestly wait for the other person by giving candies and nutritional tonics to her. How about your own love life?
A. I think I made the other person wait. Because of work, I couldn’t run to her unconditionally during the times she wanted me to. Since I was always busy, and that I have no fixed time for clocking in and out of work, it seems like there were many situations where I could not be by her side whenever she needed me. That’s why I always felt sorry.
Q. The ending of the original novel was somewhat shocking. Going into the second half, were there any concern that the two main characters, Sang Su and Su Yeong, might be seen as unlikable?
A. In this drama, the ‘star-crossed love’ may not look like an ideal form of love that we pursue. And I don’t think the viewers will unconditionally cheer for Sang Su. However, among Sang Su, Su Yeong, Mi Gyeong, and Jong Hyeon, there must be one person whom they can sympathize with. There was one thing that I wanted when I started this work. I just wish for the viewers who are represented by each the four characters will have a deep and rich conversations on the subject of love through this love story.
Q. Just like you wished for, fields of debate have already taken place online. For instance, there’s a split between people who want 100% from Sang Su like Su Yeong because she doesn’t have anything, and people like Mikyung who have a lot so it doesn’t have to be 100% from him.
A. If you watch future episodes, opinions will probably be even more divided (laughs), so please discuss it a lot.
Q. Mi Gyeong who has a one-sided love for Sang Su said, “I like Sang Su because he is a constant.” What is the constant and variable of love, in your opinion?
A. Just like the expressions of an unchanging love no matter how much time has passed by, I wish that kind of steadfastness would be the constant of my love. Looking back, it seems that there were always variable because situations are always bound to change as time goes by.
Q. This year marks the 20th anniversary of your debut. What are your constant and variables in acting?
A. The constant is my wish to act for a long time until I’m old, and the variable seems to be every project that I’ve done: all the new characters, new platforms, and new genres that I’ve met. COVID-19 was also a big variable. The market that is now more familiar with OTT platforms rather than movie theaters is also another new variable. At the beginning of my debut, I acted with the mindset of, ‘Let’s try to endure this for 10 years and 10 years only,’ but then in my 10th year, I received such great love through ‘Reply 1994.’ How lucky was I? I can’t believe 10 years have passed, and now it’s my 20th debut anniversary. There were countless variables, but overall, I’m just thankful for the fact that people still think of me and that I’m able to continue acting. In the future, I also wish I can continue to act as I do now.
Q. What kind of turning point is the age of 40 for you, who have a ‘constant’ desire to act for a long time?
A. The age of 40 isn’t that a big of a deal, but now that I’m an adult, the sense of responsibility towards my own self has grown. Doesn’t ‘age of forty’ (불혹이) means it’s an age where you don’t get swayed by temptations? So I want to continue acting as I am now without falling for the empty temptations. But still, I’m still young. (laughs)
What are the keywords for Ha Sang Soo that Yoo Yeon Seok himself introduced?
#Ordinary #Invariable Constant #Hesitation
‘The Essence of Melo’ Yoo Yeon Seok is conveying the feelings of love that everyone has experienced at least once.
JTBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘The Interest of Love’ (written by Lee Seo Hyun and Lee Hyun Jung, and directed by Jo Young Min) is a melodrama that tells the story of individuals with different interests (이해·利害) meeting each other to understand (이해·理解) the meaning of true ‘love.’
In the drama, Yoo YeonSeok plays Ha Sang Soo, a section chief in a bank, who considers that ‘love is a constant under any condition’. Just like the meaning of his name Sang Soo (constant), he has been living an orderly everyday life where he would work during weekdays and plays ice hockey on his off days. However, as he felt love towards his co-worker Ahn Soo Young (Mun Ka Young), he faces changes in his everyday life. Thus Yoo Yeon Seok’s performance in expressing the emotions of Ha Sang Soo who is in love is anticipated.
Yoo Yeon Seok, who said “I was waiting for a drama of melodrama genre” expressed his first impression the work, saying “After reading the script, I thought that it is a melodrama that has a very realistic story.” He especially expressed his faith in director Jo Young-min, who stirred the audience’s emotions with ‘Do You Like Brahms’, saying “I have trust in the director.” Therefore it invokes curiosity on the synergy between Yoo Yeon Seok, ‘the possessor of melo eyes’ who can summon the flutters in the hearts, and Director Jo Young Min, the ‘master of emotions/sensibility’.
Yoo Yeon Seok then introduced the keywords of Ha Sang-soo’s character as “ordinary, invariable constant, and hesitation.” When talking about Ha Sang Soo, he explained, “He is someone you wouldn’t have to be jealous of, if seen from the outside, but he actually spent his childhood where it was hard for him to even be ordinary. So he always try hard to be similar to others so that he wouldn’t stand out.”
He also believes that a life without variables is an ‘ordinary’ life, “since he is someone who he has been living his life while feeling it’s hard to become ordinary”, so because of this, he even considers love as an ‘invariable constant’. Above all, just as how the meaning of Ahn Soo Young, who made Ha Sang Soo’s heart flutters, is defined as a ‘variable’, it gives off the sense on how he couldn’t approach her easily and how he couldn’t help but to hesitate. It is wondered if Ha Sang Soo will overcome the hesitation and if he could follow his true feelings.
He drew attention when mentioning that he learned a lot of new things when preparing for this drama. According to Yoo Yeon Seok, “Since I’m playing the role of a banker, I went to actual banks to learn and observe how do bankers work, and since Ha Sang Soo’s hobby is ice hockey, I went to the ice hockey rinks and practiced ice hockey a lot.”, making the anticipation for his performance even higher as he foretells a difference charm.
JTBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘The Interest of Love,’ where ‘the essence of melodrama’ Yoo Yeon Seok’s long-awaited acting transformation will take place, will premiere at 10:30 p.m. on December 21 (Wed).
A calm wave begins crashing in Yoo Yeon Seok’s peaceful daily life.
JTBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama “The Interest of Love” (written by Lee Seo Hyun and Lee Hyun Jung, and directed by Jo Young Min), which will premiere on December 21st (Wed), is a melodrama that tells the story of individuals with different interests (이해·利害) meeting each other to understand (이해·理解) the meaning of true “love.”
In the drama, Yoo YeonSeok plays Ha Sang Soo, a third year section chief of KCU Bank’s Yeongpo branch, who wishes to live an ordinary life that maintains a constant value under any circumstances, just like his name ‘Sang Soo’ (‘constant’). He considers a daily life without variables as happiness, so he also has a fixed, regular schedule of going to work at the bank on weekdays and going to the places where he enjoys his hobbies on holidays.
Just as much as his pursue of a stable life, he thinks that love, too, should maintain an even value under whatever conditions. However, contrary to his values, a pebble called “love” is thrown into his consistent daily life, shaking his heart and eventually, Ha Sang Soo (played by Yoo Yeon Seok) starts to struggle with his emotions, losing his firmness. As a result, it’s making people becoming more and more curious of Ha Sang Soo’s daily life as he stepped into the introduction of love that will continue like the seasons.
The released still cuts are drawing attention as they shared glimpses of Ha Sang Soo who’s caught up in the waves of love. His professionalism can be felt as he sits in his seat and focuses on his work with his firm eyes.
However, even Ha Sang Soo’s ever so solid wall could crumble powerlessly in the face of love. Out of his uniform and wearing comfortable clothes, he seems to be waiting for someone under the streetlights, and unlike his usual upright look, there’s a subtle sense of anticipation and awkwardness in Ha Sang Soo’s face.
In the following still cut, as Ha Sang Soo wears warm smile, it awakes the love cells of those who are seeing his expression. Attention is focused on how will Ha Sang Soo deal with the variables that shake up his ordinary life and whether he will be able to overcome various obstacles and win the stable love that he wants.
On top of that, Yoo Yeon Seok’s different transformation, where he draws Ha Sang Soo’s romance flutters filled eyes and shows off his dignity as “the essence of melo,” are also drawing attention. Yoo Yeon Seok’s distinctive soft image and the warmth of Ha Sang Soo’s character are creating a synergy in harmony. Therefore, the more it is to look forward to meeting Yoo Yeon Seok, who will softly melt the freezing sensibility.
The production crew of The Interest of Love said, “Yoo Yeon Seok is an actor who expresses the figure of a man who’s in love most dazzlingly.” They also stated, “When seeing Ha Sang Soo’s heart shaken in the face of love, everyone will come to like him.”
Ha Sang Soo’s character, who will be created by actor Yoo Yeon Seok, can be seen in JTBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama “The Interest of Love,” which will premiere on December 21st (Wed) at 10:30 p.m.
The photos from the drama “The Interests/Understanding of Love” script reading scene have been released.
The new JTBC’s Wednesday-Thursday drama “The Understanding/Interests of Love” (written by Lee Seo Hyun and Lee Hyun Jung, and directed by Jo Young Min), which is scheduled to premiere in the second half of this year, is a melodrama that tells the story of individuals with different interests (이해·利害) meeting each other to understand (이해·理解) the meaning of true “love.”
While delivering his greeting lovingly, Director Jo Young Min said, “I feel so excited to start this with such good actors” and then raised their spirit by saying “I’ll try my best to create a good drama safely.”
And then with the opening announcement by Yoo Yeon Seok, the actors were absorbed into the drama immediately as the script reading began. Yoo Yeon Seok depicted the romantic feelings of Ha Sang Soo that’s continuously blooming in the midst of the busy bank scene, making the love cell springs up.
With a calm voice, Mun Ka Young expressed the delicate shades of psychology of Ahn Soo Young, who considers love as a sand castle on the beach that can collapse in an instant, increasing the level of immersion. Mun Ka Young’s detailed emotional performance stood out particularly in the scene where each person has a conflict due to their different views of love.
Not only that, the extraordinary presence of Keum Sae Rok who shows Park Mi Kyung’s unhindered instinct to go forward through her lively energy, and Jung Ga Ram who revealed the pure youth spirit of Jung Jong Hyun who never gives up his dreams and hopes even in difficult situations, added tension to the love line between the four men and women.
On top of that, the passionate performance of the actors in charge of the KCU Bank employees roles in the risky office romance have doubled the level of relatability. Jeong Jae Sung, who plays the role of milord Yuk Si Kyung, the branch manager of KCU Bank in Yeongpo and Park Hyung Soo, who plays team leader Lee Goo Il with zero empathy, playing the bosses roles that exist in every workplace there is, causing laughter. It was also said that Moon Tae Yoo plays a well known nosy person So Kyung Pil and Oh Dong Min plays a social butterfly Yang Seok Hyun and they met in a drama as Ha Sang Soo’s friends who bicker with each other and they are the 3 best friends of Yeongpo branch.
Yoo Yeon Seok, Mun Ka Young, Keum Sae Rok, and Jung Ga Ram will appear in JTBC’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama “The Understanding/Interests of Love” (written by Lee Seo Hyun and Lee Hyun Jung, and directed by Jo Young Min).
“The Understanding/Interests of Love” is a melodrama that tells the story of individuals with different interests (이해·利害) meeting each other to understand (이해·理解) the meaning of true “love.” It depicts a realistic love story of four persons with different perspectives on the feeling of “love”, as they meet in the Yeongpo branch of KCU Bank. Yoo Yeon Seok, Mun Ka Young, Keum Sae Rok, and Jung Ga Ram will star in the show.
According to the production team, the role of ‘Ha Sang Soo’, played by Yoo Yeon Seok, is someone who wishes to live an ordinary life that maintains a constant value under any circumstances, just like his name ‘Sang Soo’ (‘constant’). Sang Soo believes that an unmoved life is happiness, but a new variable appears, crashing waves in his calm daily life. It is arousing curiosity on how will the variable called ‘love’ affect the safe and sound, peaceful life led by Ha Sang Soo, the role played by Yoo Yeon Seok.
Unlike Ha Sang Soo who pursues a stable love, Ahn Soo Young considers love to be something that can collapse in an instant, and this role is played by Mun Ka Young. Ahn Soo Young is living through the busy realities of life trying to protect what’s hers in her unfortunate environment, but one day, she feels excited because of a man who suddenly approached her. It leaves a question mark on what kind of change will that feeling of excitement bring to Ahn Soo Young, who thinks love is like a sand castle.
Park Mi Kyung, played by Keum Sae Rok, was born with a silver spoon and she is calm and has sophisticated charms. Park Mi Kyung is a strikingly self-assertive type of person and possesses unrelenting, straight-forward instincts. She’ll make sure to have a relationship with the person she wanted to be her person, and she’d do anything for them and would give them everything generously. However, as there is a relationship that does not go the way her heart wants it, the attention is being paid on whether she will able to maintain such a heart until the end.
Jung Ga Ram is chosen to play Jeong Jong Hyun, an exam taker to become a police officer who lives with dreams and hopes of success. Jeong Jong Hyun is a serious character who always tries his best and lives his life without losing the hope of becoming a person who suits the person he likes. When Jeong Jong Hyun, who is sincere in everything, encounters a wall of reality that couldn’t be overcome, the attention is now focused on what choice will he make.
The production team said, “The Understanding/Interests of Love will make the viewers relate deeply with the story of four persons who came from different backgrounds as well as having different personalities getting intertwined with a connection called ‘love’.”
The Understanding/Interests of Love will premiere in the second half of the year.
Rita, a dog rescued from the shut down private shelter Aerinwon, has finally met her family 💗
Rita’s family member is actor Yoo Yeon Seok. After getting to know Rita by chance, Yoo Yeon Seok, who already have experiences of being with abandoned dogs for the rest of their lives, decided to adopt Rita after a long deliberation.
After countless of dogs were rescued from Aerinwon back in 2019, they needed support in forms of supplies and treatments. For the purpose of the support, The KARA Volunteer Project visited the site of (former) Aerinwon and met Rita there. Rita, of English Setter breed, was believed to have been abandoned by someone and has barely survived, thanks to Aerinwon volunteers. After Aerinwon was shut down, she was then rescued by KARA.
It was unsure whether she had an experience as a hunting dog when she was young, or if she experienced conflicts with the other dogs when she was in Aerinwon which led to a wrong learning, but she was very excited to see small dogs and almost cause a bite accident. As much as her show of love towards people, she also showed a lot of anxiety and depression when being alone. However, she started living a stabilized life at KARA The Bom Center. In addition, she was trained by the City College trainers and gradually settling down.
Two years in a shelter is by no means a short time. Her basic survival problems such as eating, sleeping, and taking a walk have been solved, but because she still didn’t have a family, Rita might have gotten lonelier and lonelier.
On the day of her adoption, Rita walked towards and sat still with Yoo Yeon Seok who became her new family, rather than the volunteers she has known for a long time. (IG vers). On the day of her adoption, Rita walked side by side with Yoo Yeon Seok, who became her new family member. Since she has been waiting for a family for such a long time, we hope she will be happy for a very long time with Yoo Yeon Seok, and will be happy only. It’s a given since he adopted abandoned animals, but we would like to wish only good things to happen to Yoo Yeon Seok, who has formed a relationship with Rita 🥰
🙏 Rita was able to live with treatment, care, and training with the help of the volunteers until she was adopted at the end of August. Once again, thank you to those who have embraced Rita with all their hearts.
🚙 Rita was able to arrive next to her family by riding the Tracks supported by Chevrolet. Thank you Chevrolet for being with on our journey home.
💙 Please protect the animals with your sponsorship!
(M / Med School Undergrad Class of 99, Paediatric Surgery Assistant Prof / 40 yo)
A man of angelic personality who could beat (Albert) Scheweitzer, Confucius and even Mencius. Despite of his Catholic faith since birth, he is nicknamed as “Buddha”.
The cries of the children who are more used to the hospital beds than being in the arms of their parents. Due to the aimless, empty and devastated rage of parents, the tears in paediatric surgery ward break the hearts.
In the paediatric ward where it is a toll on the mind rather than on the body, Jeong-won’s warmth is the source of comfort and hope.
Although he himself is a doctor for about 20 years who’s feeling worn out, he never once get angry at the patients, their guardians or at his fellow medical staffs.
That is why his nickname is ‘Buddha’! Even though his faith since birth is Catholic.
Of course, his ‘Buddha-ness’ doesn’t apply towards his gang of five friends since medic school. What’s the point of not getting angry at them~ His stubbornness and oversensitivity are a given, and he is full of grudges…
He’d sleep fitfully even if there’s just a tiny mistake, and once he made up his mind, he won’t even eat until he sees the end of it.
Since college, Jeong-won has always been a little different from his peers, and it could be felt that there’s something extraordinary about him. So naturally, people’s interests were drawn towards him, they wanted to know him and always inquire about him.
But ironically, he remained friends only with the 4 persons who have no such interest in him, up until 20 years.
The reason why Jeong-won, whose hobby was photography, abandoned his camera so deep into the drawer was because of the departed children who left only their smiles in those photos. Those children’s names still giving him heartbreaks, so he thought that being a doctor is not his calling. He has been having such thought for a long time now.
He wanted to be a priest. Way before his brothers and sisters did… He was shaken by his dream of becoming a doctor, but he has never given up his dream of becoming a priest.
There is nothing that shine as brilliantly as his dream of becoming a priest. Not even budding love in his 20s, or receiving fame in his 30s.
Some would sneer at him for being a chaebol with a lot of money, or bluffing with his golden spoon, but just like the ‘garden’ (the meaning of his name), Jeong-won would go forth towards the thorny path in silence.
![[Eng translation] Yoo Yeon Seok’s hand written letter to fans at 2018 All About YOO fanmeeting.](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/fb_img_1539343131998.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[ENG] Familiar yet unfamiliar, a meeting between Yoo Yeon Seok and LOEWE.](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/6.jpeg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[ENG] Walking in the dreams of Lee Sung Min, Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Jung Eun (Vogue Korea Dec 2023 issue)](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/6-1-2924681957-e1701842395253.jpeg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[ENG] YOO YEON SEOK AND MUN KA YOUNG STANDING IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER’S LOVE](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/screenshot_20230310_102520_chrome.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[ENG] Yoo Yeon Seok’s Interview for Harper’s Bazaar February 2023 issue](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/image_editor_output_image79329050-1675089309250.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[ENG] Yoo Yeon Seok of The Interest of Love, “I have been waiting for a drama of melodrama genre”](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/stillalive_photography7e16704631547e2988383988326319114_318306760-1.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[ENG] Yoo Yeon Seok’s essence of melodrama and heart♥attack launching gazes are captured in The Interest of Love](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/stillalive_photography7e16692541637e2978242238387449047_318306760-1.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[Eng] JTBC upcoming drama ‘The Interests/Understanding of Love’ script reading](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/stillalive_photography7e16679524167e2967322392906426889_318306760.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[Eng] Yoo Yeon Seok · Mun Ka Young · Keum Sae Rok · Jung Ga Ram confirmed for ‘The Understanding/Interests of Love’](https://yeoniverse.files.wordpress.com/2022/10/0001008456_001_20221006100601656-3.jpg?w=600&h=372&crop=1)
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