Suho of EXO. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Kim Jun-myeon, best known as EXO’s Suho, couldn’t help but laugh when he was asked about his experience of working with “Behind Your Touch” co-stars Lee Min-ki and Han Ji-min, with the latter saying they’ve “learned more” from the K-pop star.
In his first K-drama in five years, Suho portrays the role of Kim Seon-woo, a good-looking, but mysterious convenience store worker who caught the attention of Bong Ye-bun (Han Ji-min).
Meanwhile, Min-ki and Ji-min are familiar names among K-drama circles, with the former starring in the hit series “My Liberation Notes.” The latter’s acting portfolio includes the shows “Rooftop Prince,” “Hyde Jekyll, Me,” and “Our Blues,” just to name a few.
“I want to say that ever since I was a kid and during my teen years and when in high school, basically, I can say that I grew up watching [Han Ji-min and Lee Min-ki] act. I’m personally a huge fan of both of them and this was actually my first time meeting them,” the singer-actor told INQUIRER.net at an exclusive roundtable.
But before going on, Ji-min teased Suho saying, “You made us sound so old—as if we’re [your] teachers” which made him laugh again.
Given how the “Hurdle” singer made a name for himself as the leader and lead vocalist of EXO, solo artist, and musical actor, he confessed that he was very “nervous” while filming. But it was the “laidback” attitude of Han and Lee that made him feel “at ease.”
“It felt very fascinating to be with them and I also loved being able to work with them. I’m very grateful,” he said. “Whenever we were on set, I would be very tense and nervous. But since both of them are very experienced, they were a lot more laidback and at ease so they did a lot to make me feel more at ease and more comfortable with what I had to do.”
“They would throw jokes and talk to me a lot, they helped me a lot on set. I’m very grateful for them,” he continued.
Since “Behind your Touch” tells the story of a veterinarian with psychometric powers, Suho said he doesn’t wish to have a superpower as he has the ability to “control water” already.
“I already have a super power. I’m not sure if you already know this but I have the ability to control water,” referring to his “superhuman” ability as an EXO member.
Suho as Kim Seon-woo. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
To recall, EXO’s concept revolves around a group of aliens with superpowers visiting Earth. Other abilities include frost (Xiumin), healing (Lay), light (Baekhyun), wind (Sehun), earth (Kyungsoo), fire (Chanyeol), teleportation (Kai), and electricity (Chen).
Min-ki, on the other hand, admitted that he wants to have the powers of John Hancock, referring to the lead character in the 2008 film. For her part, Ji-min says she wants to have the ability to travel through time.
“I got asked this question quite often recently. But if ever, I would love to teleport but I feel like time-traveling would be a better option. It would give us the opportunity to meet people that you have never met in this world, so I would love to have the opportunity to travel in time,” she said.
Han Ji-min as Bong Ye-bun. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
‘I can’t hide my feelings’
While Seon-woo is more of an enigma in the series, Suho revealed during the K-drama’s press conference that he’s the type of person who “talks quickly” and is “very transparent.”
“I can’t really hide my feelings. So because the character Seon-woo is someone who’s a little bit of an enigma, in order to portray him, I had to deliberately speak a little bit slower, walk slower, even breathe and just move slower than how I would normally. So, I had to train myself to do that,” he said.
Lee Min-ki as Moon Jang-yeol. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Since the singer-actor’s role is usually seen at a convenience store, he also shared that he “went around different convenience stores” to prepare for his character.
“Because he works at a convenience store, I went around different convenience stores around where I live and tried to observe each one because they’re each a little bit different,” he said. “So, I kind of tried to grasp the overall penetrating theme, the tone of convenience stores. I stayed there for quite a long time pretending to decide what to buy.”
Suho as Kim Seon-woo. Image: Courtesy of Netflix
Suho debuted as a member of EXO in April 2012, then as a soloist in March 2020. He wrapped up his activities for the musical play “Mozart!” last August, where he starred as the title role Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. EDV