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

The beautiful Keum Sae-rok and the dashing Steve Sang-hyun Noh could have already gained 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 initiatives till the Okay drama collection, “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 gifted 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 all the time dreamed of changing into knowledgeable pianist, however she’s struggling [financially], so she provides up her dream simply to make ends meet.

“She’s very grounded and lifelike about her choices in life. Regardless of the challenges, she tries so onerous to maintain herself afloat—and I wished to correctly convey her ideas about her goals 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 perfect tutor [to help get me up to speed with what I was supposed to do]. I received an digital piano to observe at residence, and I attempted my hardest to drag it off regardless of my restricted time to organize.

“For piano enjoying, what’s actually vital is your posture and the best way you place your fingers on the piano … as a result of it exhibits whether or not you possibly can actually play or not. However, director Kim is definitely a fantastic piano participant, so she wouldn’t eat [during breaks] and play the piano as a substitute.

“So I might all the time observe and watch her do it. And each time she would give me a praise me and say, ‘Your shoulders look extra relaxed at this time,’ 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 loads to do his delicate character justice.

He defined, “Suho feels a number of completely different feelings, particularly when he immediately finds himself reconnecting together with his ex-girlfriend. There are butterflies in his abdomen and he feels his coronary heart fluttering. I attempted to point out all of that by my gaze.

“This mission exhibits completely different aspects and a brand new facet of me as an actor. The roles in my previews works have been fairly completely 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 possibly can see, he’s very expressive of his feelings—he can’t actually cover his emotions even when he wished 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 it is a new problem for me, particularly in terms of bringing the character to life,” Sang-hyun said. “However we now have 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 together with his extra seasoned and established costars. However music was a crutch that actually helped him even the enjoying discipline and join together 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 good relationship with music on the time (laughs). However engaged on this collection made me love music much more.”

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

Scene from “Soundtrack #2”

Debut

However the actor identified, “That is my appearing debut, so there have been many moments on set after 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 all the time 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 have been a lot busier than I used to be on the set, however they all the time tried to root for me. So thanks [for the vote of confidence].”

Requested to touch upon Sae-rok’s piano enjoying, Jeong-hyuck quipped, beaming, “She could possibly be a session pianist in my live shows! Significantly, I’m not a guitar participant myself, and I additionally needed to study to play the guitar for this collection. So we didn’t actually have a lot time to evaluate one another’s enjoying expertise as a result of we have been each working actually onerous to concentrate on the work at hand.

“For a few month, we actually labored onerous to drag it off. And it sounded high-quality after we have been enjoying 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 could possibly see the classically good-looking Sang-hyun wiping tears in his eyes, visibly moved by the feel-good reminiscences 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 handle a query asking in regards to the seemingly “been there, carried out that” premise of her newest rom-com, director Kim mentioned, “You’ve in all probability seen a number of one of these love triangle. However as a substitute of making an attempt to do one thing new, what I wished to work on, along with director Choi, was to return to the classics as a result of I wished to imbue our story with the essence of affection, captured fantastically by these basic romances.

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

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