LSK: “Why do you like me?” IU: “I just do.”

Lee Seon Kyun and IU interview, published in Haruhana Magazine Vol. 051, August 2018 

This is Part 2 of their interview with Haru Hana. Read  part 1 here: She’s My Lee Ji An

Translated by @justamom

We are unable to upload the actual interview due to copyright issues. Please support print journalism and buy a copy of Haru Hana magazine if you’re in Japan!

What were your thoughts on reading the script?

LSK: The script was great, but I’m a big fan of PD Kim and I was thrilled and honoured to receive an offer from him.

IU: At the start I thought there was a temperature difference between Ji An and Dong Hoon, but at the same time I sensed they were somehow similar, which made me realise this was a really great script.

What are the drama’s unique points?

LSK: It’s not a lighthearted, happy story, but about ordinary people carrying the weight of life and how their wounds and scars are healed and comforted by other people…it’s extremely realistic and something you’ll be able to identify with.

What did you pay attention to when becoming your character?

IU: We paid a lot of attention to Ji An’s visual appearance. From dieting, to the dark circles below my eyes, creating my cracked lips each time…that was suggested by the make-up team. The detail and care they took into creating my appearance made me completely discard any thoughts of trying to look pretty. It was the same with my attire, the tone of my voice, the glancing up-from-under look. Her character is very different from myself so we started by first putting effort into her outward appearance.

LSK: Dong Hoon’s and my character are quite different, and there were frustrating moments at the start. ‘How about showing my feelings a little more with my brothers or colleagues at work?’ I thought. But PD Kim told me I should restrain myself even more than that (t/n: not showing his feelings). Up until the 5^th episode, we had many such discussions.

He even asked me to think about how to interpret “…” in the script.

One of Dong Hoon’s many “…” lines

Before this drama, there were times I ad-libbed or rearranged my lines myself, but this time we hewed perfectly to the script, even to the sentence endings.

 What do you think was the charm of each other’s character?

LSK: Ji An is a character that’s never been seen in a Korean drama before (laughs). She feels like a young, abandoned stray cat. She is dark, has internal scars and is intensely guarded, but the stray cat gradually starts to find her place and therein lies her charm.

IU: There was no need for me to work hard at trying to “respect this person, I must like him, I need to feel his attractive humanity.” Just following the script alone and acting with Sunbae on set, I came to like him very naturally. There was one time Sunbae asked me, “What exactly do you like about Dong Hoon?” (laughs)

LSK: I just couldn’t get it. (laughs) Why do you like me? Hahaha!

IU: I just do (laughs). Just going along with the script, I felt there was absolutely no reason not to like him.  He’s such a compassionate, warm person. He’s not perfect, he has flaws, and he puts up with others to the extent that he’s lonely and suffers, and he’s able to see people for who they are without distortion. I found that really attractive.

To be continued …

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Read Lee Seon Kyun and IU’s other Japanese interviews here:

Japanese Release: Official M-NET Interview

Interview with Korean TV Drama [Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

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