Forged of “Soundtrack #2”—PHOTOS COURTESY OF DISNEY+

The stunning Keum Sae-rok and the dashing Steve Sang-hyun Noh might have already received acclaim for his or her appearing chops—she for “Youth of Could” and “The Fiery Priest,” he for “Pachinko” and “Curtain Name”—however they haven’t performed the primary leads of their respective tasks till the Okay drama sequence, “Soundtrack #2,” got here alongside.

Within the six-part Disney+ present, which started streaming final Wednesday (with two new episodes each week), ex-sweethearts Do Hyeonseo (Sae-rok) and Ji Suho (Sang-hyun) are reconnected 4 years after they determined to finish their six-year relationship.

Upon his physician’s orders, the overworked Suho, now the CEO of his firm, should rent a piano tutor as a part of his month-long restoration. However Suho solely finally ends up revisiting the most important heartbreak of his life when he begins his remedy and surprisingly comes face-to-face with the piano trainer his buddy unwittingly employed for him—the cash-strapped however constantly cussed Hyeonseo.

Finishing this story’s romantic roundelay is proficient musician Okay (Sohn Jeong-hyuk aka singer/songwriter Demian, in his appearing debut), whose presence in Hyeonseo and Suho’s lives additional complicates the couple’s renewed “entanglement.”

“Viewers will discover Hyeonseo’s dilemma very relatable,” famous Sae-rok on the press con final Wednesday. “She’s at all times dreamed of turning into an expert pianist, however she’s struggling [financially], so she offers up her dream simply to make ends meet.

“She’s very grounded and practical about her choices in life. Regardless of the challenges, she tries so onerous to maintain herself afloat—and I needed to correctly convey her ideas about her desires and the way she offers with actuality.

“However the preparation to make Hyeonseo convincing was very troublesome as a result of it was my first time ever to truly play the piano. Fortunately, I had the very best tutor [to help get me up to speed with what I was supposed to do]. I acquired an digital piano to observe at house, and I attempted my hardest to tug it off regardless of my restricted time to organize.

“For piano taking part in, what’s actually essential is your posture and the way in which you place your fingers on the piano … as a result of it reveals whether or not you may actually play or not. However, director Kim is definitely an ideal piano participant, so she wouldn’t eat [during breaks] and play the piano as an alternative.

“So I might at all times observe and watch her do it. And each time she would give me a praise me and say, ‘Your shoulders look extra relaxed in the present day,’ I knew I used to be heading in the right direction. She might inform.”

Scene from “Soundtrack #2”

The window to the soul

As for Sang-hyun, he mentioned that he used his eyes so much to do his delicate character justice.

He defined, “Suho feels lots of totally different feelings, particularly when he abruptly finds himself reconnecting along with his ex-girlfriend. There are butterflies in his abdomen and he feels his coronary heart fluttering. I attempted to indicate all of that by means of my gaze.

“This undertaking reveals totally different sides and a brand new facet of me as an actor. The roles in my previews works had been fairly totally different as a result of, regardless of what he needed to undergo, Suho is simply extra playful and enjoyable.

“He’s additionally a really jealous individual. As you may see, he’s very expressive of his feelings—he can’t actually disguise his emotions even when he needed to. And that makes him an endearing character much more.”

Didn’t he discover it formidable to play the lead character this time round?

“I did really feel a little bit of strain as a result of this can be a new problem for me, particularly with regards to bringing the character to life,” Sang-hyun acknowledged. “However we’ve these great administrators and a high-quality forged, so I knew that if I might take it step-by-step and work very onerous, I might pull it off. I used to be very excited to be a part of this present.”

Admittedly, Jeong-hyuck was very nervous on the prospect of diving deep into appearing along with his extra seasoned and established costars. However music was a crutch that actually helped him even the taking part in area and join along with his function immediately.

“Music is one thing that I’m actually used to doing,” Jeong-hyuck mentioned with a nervous smile. “Earlier than becoming a member of ‘Soundtrack #2’ final 12 months, I used to be getting ready for an album that I couldn’t launch. So I wasn’t having a positive relationship with music on the time (laughs). However engaged on this sequence made me love music much more.”

“Okay could be very clear and simple as a result of he’s naive. So, he doesn’t overthink issues in any respect—and I believe that explains his appeal.”

Scene from “Soundtrack #2”

Debut

However the actor identified, “That is my appearing debut, so there have been many moments on set once I felt I wasn’t doing nice. However our administrators, Kim Hee-won (‘Little Ladies,’ “Vincenzo,’ ‘Soundtrack #1’) and Choi Jung-kyu (‘The Satan Choose’), would at all times reassure me that I used to be doing alright.

“And I’m eternally grateful to Sae-rok and Sang-hyun as a result of I might see them cheer for me. They had been a lot busier than I used to be on the set, however they at all times tried to root for me. So thanks [for the vote of confidence].”

Requested to touch upon Sae-rok’s piano taking part in, Jeong-hyuck quipped, beaming, “She may very well be a session pianist in my live shows! Significantly, I’m not a guitar participant myself, and I additionally needed to be taught to play the guitar for this sequence. So we didn’t actually have a lot time to evaluate one another’s taking part in expertise as a result of we had been each working actually onerous to deal with the work at hand.

“For a few month, we actually labored onerous to tug it off. And it sounded high-quality after we had been taking part in collectively. As they are saying, observe makes excellent.”

Jeong-hyuck’s presence made the worldwide press con extraspecial as a result of in between the presentation and Q&As, he was coaxed to sing and accompany himself on the piano to carry out “The Couple,” a dreamy ballad that he particularly wrote for the present!

Jeong-hyuck’s impromptu efficiency wasn’t the one “charming” shock on the press con. After a behind-the-scenes clip was proven, you might see the classically good-looking Sang-hyun wiping tears in his eyes, visibly moved by the feel-good recollections of the shoot that wrapped up simply six months in the past. “I don’t simply cry … ,” he intimated.

Scene from “Soundtrack #2”

A brand new take

To deal with a query asking concerning the seemingly “been there, executed that” premise of her newest rom-com, director Kim mentioned, “You’ve most likely seen lots of such a love triangle. However as an alternative of attempting to do one thing new, what I needed to work on, along with director Choi, was to return to the classics as a result of I needed to imbue our story with the essence of affection, captured superbly by these basic romances.

“I needed to deal with [telling the story well] and, as you’ve additionally seen from the spotlight clip, our predominant theme revolves round music. We needed to be sure that the music and the story would complement one another and move properly collectively.

“Sure, it’s a well-known story. But it surely’s boosted by good performances from an thrilling forged. So whereas it might appear acquainted, it’s however a brand new dish for everybody who likes an excellent story.”