「Just Between Lovers」2PM’s Junho “Each of the members is cheering me on in their own way”
「Just Between Lovers」featuring 2PM’s Junho will finally begin broadcasting on Thursday, March 22nd [in Japan]. It’s a love story that has gained a lot of attention since it will be Junho’s highly anticipated first lead role following “Chief Kim,” for which he received recognition for his acting ability. The drama paints a detailed account of a man and woman who, having miraculously survived a shopping mall collapse, help to heal each other’s wounded hearts and grow. The drama has been praised by Korean viewers for being a high quality “sensitive romance.”
This time, in commemoration of the drama’s Japanese broadcast, we have an interview with 2PM’s Junho, who plays the protagonist, Kang Doo. In the context of the difficult role of Kang Doo, a young man weighed down by life, Junho shares his thoughts as an actor, including scenes that left an impression on him and incidents that happened during filming.
―Following the broadcast channel drama 「Chief Kim」,「Just Between Lovers」 will also be broadcast in Japan. This is your first lead role in a drama. Can you tell us how you feel about it being broadcast in Japan?
Junho: Following「Chief Kim」, I’m really happy everyone will also be able to watch「Just Between Lovers」. I’m very grateful that it’s being broadcast on the general satellite network.
―What sort of drama is 「Just Between Lovers」?
Junho: 「Just Between Lovers」is the story of people who are living with deep wounds. The drama depicts the ordinary everyday lives of people connected by a certain accident, as well as the meetings, love, and partings of people who cannot live ordinary lives.
―Please tell us about your impressions having read the script for the first time and what the biggest factor was in your deciding to appear in the drama.
Junho: When I first received the script [Yoo Bo Ra] had written up through the 4th episode, and I read through them all right then and there. As I was reading, I was immediately able to picture the scenes clearly in my mind. The script was very persuasive and absorbing. I got the feeling that I was steadily being permeated [by the story/world]. I thought that it was a wonderful production so I decided to take part.
―What sort of person is the character you play, Lee Kang Doo?
Junho: He is a person living with a wounded heart. He’s a young man who lost his dream and lives in the back alleys. He lives day to day without thinking of tomorrow. After meeting Moon Soo, he gradually starts to change.
―Is there anything you worked particularly hard at in preparation for this role?
Junho: I talked a lot with the director in order to create this character. The director told me, “I want you to be expressionless but still express a wide range of emotions.” To start with, I was told that it would be good if the character of Kang Doo was visibly struggling and fatigued, so I did my best to bring that image to life.
―If you prepared anything in the way of character building, please share it with us.
Junho: Kang Doo is someone who carries deep wounds and pain that I myself have never experienced, so I worried about how best to portray that. I was really worried that if I did it wrong, it would be an affront to people who are living with those wounds in real life. So I did the best thing that I could think of, which was to confine myself. For example, while I was living in Busan, I would keep the curtains closed so no light could come in, I decreased the amount of conversation I shared with the people around me, and I made a point of not listening to music...I created a situation for myself where I wouldn’t feel well. In order to make Kang Doo appear more unstable, I also went on a diet and worked hard to create that image.
―Kang Doo is someone who appears cold from the outside but is actually a very warm person. Are there aspects of his character that resemble you?
Junho: You could say that Kang Doo is kind, but more than kind, I think he’s just a very straightforward person. That’s why he does what he thinks is right unwaveringly, and if he thinks something isn’t right, no one can change his mind. He’s had that same straightforward personality since he was young, but in the wake of a certain accident, his personality becomes darker, he loses his dreams, and he stops thinking about tomorrow. As far as what parts of Kang Doo resemble me...to be honest, I’m not really sure. I tried thinking of ways in which we’re similar, but I couldn’t come up with anything. In any case, I worked hard to become the character of Kang Doo.
―This was your first time attempting a deep, sensitive romance. Did you receive advice from any of the other members of 2PM?
Junho: Among the members, we typically just tell each other “good luck” (laugh). We don’t really give each other advice, but we always support and cheer each other on. I’m fortunate in that each of the members cheers me on in their own way. For example, sending me a coffee wagon, or Wooyoung sent a catering truck (which served a special new year’s soup with mochi in it) on January 1st so I ate that together with the staff. That sort of stuff.
―You pierced the hearts of Korean viewers with your heartrending yet sparkling gaze. Was there anything you worked particularly hard at in terms of acting with your eyes?
Junho: I felt that if I tried to think of the details of each and every gesture and calculate as I acted, expressing emotion with my eyes became conversely harder. So rather than focusing on that, I worked hard to pour myself into Kang Doo to the greatest extent possible. That was what helped me the most when acting. I worked hard so that every moment I was acting as Kang Doo, every action and gesture would come naturally.
―The scene in which you and Moon Soo hold off a landslide in the rain at the construction site looked like quite an ordeal.
Junho: We always had fun filming, but I particularly remember the scenes when we had a hard time. That scene where we’re holding off the landslide was one of them. It was a cold autumn day on the cusp of winter, and we spent it being rained on for hours on end while filming. I was at least wearing a rain parka, but Won Jin Ah, who plays Moon Soo, wasn’t...in any case, it was a scene in which we both had a rough time together.
―What scene is it that left the greatest impression on you? Also, if there is an incident that happened while filming please share that as well.
Junho: The scene where I first met Moon Soo remains in my mind. Not the scene where we meet on the stairs, the scene where I’ve collapsed in the rain after being beaten up by some bad guys. The wind that day was really strong so it was very cold. The wind in Busan is really strong in general. During the winter we filmed a lot of scenes near the ocean, so in any case, there were many days when the wind was really strong...There were really important serious scenes where we’d be crying and all of a sudden we’d be hit by a huge gust of wind and our bangs would go flying and we’d end up bursting out laughing...in any case, we had a fun time laughing while filming.
―What was your favorite scene?
Junho: I’m pretty sure it was in episode 6, but there is a scene where Kang Doo kisses Moon Soo for the first time at [the base of] the lighthouse. When they wake up in the morning, Kang Doo has spent the night lending her his shoulder, and I think it’s a scene where you can feel Kang Doo’s purity. Also, at just that moment the morning sun rises and that was really beautiful. [In the scene] Kang Doo says “let’s go” and extends his hand to Moon Soo, who takes it, and at just that moment the sun rose and it was caught on camera. Not just the film director, but the whole staff were surprised by the exquisite timing of it. It’s a very beautiful scene, so I personally like it as well.
―The deep [sentiments expressed in the] lines of this drama left a lasting impression. What is your favorite line from the drama?
Junho: There are a lot of lines, but among those, there’s a line that Na Moon Hee, who plays Halmeom, says that left a particularly deep impression on me. The line is, “be happy with all of your might.” People who can’t live an ordinary life, people who are trapped by their pasts and can’t see a future for themselves, people who are busy just trying to get by, I want those sorts of people to hear this line and become happy. Happiness may not be something that comes your way from a distance and meets you as you continue to move forward, but at the same time, I think that happiness is something that you can’t find simply by accepting everything as is. For these characters, what they need most is just an ordinary way of life, an ordinary love, truly a very small happiness. That’s why that line deeply moved me.
―Within the drama, the main couple experience a fateful meeting. What「fateful meeting」have you experienced in your life?
Junho: When I was young, I happened to turn on the TV...I honestly don’t remember who it was, but someone was singing and dancing. I really loved that image. It wasn’t a music program, it was a program where a lot of celebrities would appear and have fun singing and dancing, but I remember watching and thinking “I want to try doing that too.” I think that it may be because I saw that program at that moment that I came to like singing and dancing, that I decided I wanted to be a singer and entertainer.
―How old were you at the time?
Junho: I think I was in middle school. Seeing that program left an impression and I feel like I must have thought that I wanted to try doing that as well.
―Up until now, you’ve performed a wide range of acting roles. Is there a particular role you wish to try next?
Junho: In each of the productions I’ve been in up until now, I’ve basically made a point of acting characters I’d never tried before. Going forward as well, if there’s a genre or character I’ve never tried before, I’d like to try doing that. Even if that’s not necessarily the case, if there’s a production where I read the script and I feel like I really want to do it, I’d like to try my hand at that.
―I believe you lead a very busy life. Do you have any methods for de-stressing or relaxing?
Junho: It used to be that when I became too stressed I would eat a lot...but for this role I had to not eat so that was really hard (laugh). So I bought a punching bag. I set up the punching bag in the middle of my apartment in Busan, making an already small apartment even smaller. That made me even more stressed so I did my best hitting the bag. (laugh) I also worked out a lot to relieve my stress. I would punch continuously for 3 minutes, rest for a minute, and then continue that pattern for 5 rounds.
―You come to Japan on tour or for your fan meetings as well. Is there anything in particular that you tried or ate recently [in Japan]?
Junho: Things I ate recently...I had kalbi-don (kalbi over rice) and that was really delicious. I’d like to eat it again. I ate it in Fukuoka on the day I headed to Osaka.
―What has this drama come to mean to you?
Junho: For me, 「Just Between Lovers」was a production that made me rethink the meaning of happiness. I’ve had the opportunity to think about the question of what happiness is before now as I was working as a singer and actor, and each time I came to think that “small happinesses are really important.” While filming this drama, I think I came to that realization all over again.
―Please tell Japanese viewers who will be watching the drama what “viewing points” to look out for.
Junho: To start, I want the viewers to watch Kang Doo and Moon Soo’s circumstances closely, but this isn’t simply a story about the two of them. It’s a story about all of the people who were caught up in a certain accident, so I want people to observe those characters’ feelings as well. I’d also like for the viewers to, as they’re watching what happiness it is that the two protagonists are trying to find, look for that meaning together with them.
―Finally, please leave a message for everyone who is looking forward to the drama.
Junho:「Just Between Lovers」will be broadcast in Japan starting in March. We worked really hard filming, and filming was a lot of fun. I tried my very best to act the role of the protagonist, Kang Doo, so I’d like for people to see the results of that effort, and I’d like for them to watch over Kang Doo and Moon Soo’s love, and the love of all the other characters as well. Please look forward to seeing what sort of happiness they find.
Photography：Kyungpyo Kim（STUDIO DAUN）
Original interview available here. | Translation originally published on tumblr here.
All source materials belong to the parties to which they are licensed. All translations are our own.