Singer and actor Jung Jihoon (Rain) is taking on a villain role for the first time in his 28-year career, while Woo Do Hwan, who bulked up by 13kg, and Lee Sang Yi, who share chemistry at a "bromelo" level, deliver even more intense K-action. This is Bloodhounds 2, armed with a stronger scent of sweat.
Netflix held a press conference for the new original series Bloodhounds season 2 on the 31st at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman hotel in Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by lead actors Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi, Jung Jihoon (Rain) and director Kim Joo Hwan. Under the moderation of broadcaster Park Kyung-rim, they spoke with domestic reporters about the project.
Bloodhounds 2 is a drama about Geonwoo (played by Woo Do Hwan) and Woojin (played by Lee Sang Yi), who beat a ruthless illegal loan shark gang and once again land a satisfying straight hook against a global illegal boxing league ruled by money and violence. It is a sequel to the first season of Bloodhounds, an eight-episode series released in August 2023, and has been eagerly anticipated.
Director Kim Joo Hwan said of the work, "It is a drama in which the two protagonists encounter fierce adversaries and engage in even more intense fights. We thought a lot during season 1. We wondered how to present fresh action, bromance, and familiar flavors in a more entertaining way."
He also explained the season 2 setting of the illegal boxing ring, "In season 1 we set the story in the COVID-19 era and dealt with a boxer's feelings fighting loan sharks, and when taking that theme here, we wondered how to put 'boxing' at the forefront and make 'money vs. humans' compelling."
Among them, Woo Do Hwan is expected to return as a more developed Geonwoo and showcase the flavor of K-action. After fierce battles in which he succeeded in wiping out the illegal loan shark gang, Geonwoo begins another fight against new threats to protect those he cares about.
Lee Sang Yi offers interest as Woojin, who has become Geonwoo's boxing coach. Woojin, who met Geonwoo as a rival in boxing tournaments and fought rough battles together, has forged their friendship. Now he becomes Geonwoo's staunch supporter outside the ring and joins the journey toward the championship. But his resolute gaze that does not back down before enemies still suggests the heart of a boxer lives in Woojin, making his performance eagerly anticipated.
Woo Do Hwan said, "I am honored to be here again because so many people liked season 1." Lee Sang Yi expressed emotion, "This is my first time in a seasonal drama. When we filmed season 1 we didn't think about season 2. I was secretly very proud that what we did seemed to be recognized."
What has changed between the characters since season 1? Woo Do Hwan said, "First, Geonwoo's house changed. To a nicer house. He even received gold bullion and his life became more comfortable. Geonwoo also grows by training consistently with the goal of becoming a world champion. At the same time, we had to show him getting closer to Woojin. I thought that if a friend aiming to be world champion trains for three years, they should change day by day. Since we couldn't prepare for three years, we thought a lot about how to portray it." He added, "The easiest thing to do was change the appearance. Changes in appearance and action, and the power the script gives. If the script had a youthful feel like someone new to society, season 2 shows a more grown-up, more adult version."
Lee Sang Yi also discussed Woojin's changes. He said, "Through season 1, Geonwoo and Woojin became as close as brothers. As someone who loves and treasures Geonwoo, I still have a heart for boxing, but if the younger brother I love and cherish can become a champion, I thought I would give up boxing and become his coach. Then he meets Baekjeong and conflict arises. Over three years, the biggest change in season 2 is that both Geonwoo and Woojin have grown deeper and become more responsible. Becoming world champion is also a responsibility toward my profession, and meeting Baekjeong deepened my sense of responsibility to protect my family and people, so I think that is the main changed emotion or point in season 2."
Having introduced external changes such as wearing a headband, Lee Sang Yi explained, "I actually wore a headband. When you steel yourself you tie something around your head. Thinking of that, I wore a headband with a 'let's go' mindset. After being a coach, I stand in the ring again, and as a southpaw boxer, aiming for a counter with the left hand is the difference."
Woo Do Hwan said, "Our friendship deepened. Many people call it 'bromance' but we call it 'bromelo.' The two of us lost precious people, so we want to protect them more and hope no one gets hurt until the end. That will be a community of fate and a support." Lee Sang Yi chimed in, "I totally agree," prompting laughter and anticipation.
Director Kim Joo Hwan also spoke about Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi's chemistry: "In this season there are scenes where they cry together a lot, and I cried a lot during filming too. I can't say which episode because it would be a spoiler, but it hit me. It's surprising that the emotions have carried through from season 1 to here, so I think this bromance is the best bromance I've filmed so far."
Meanwhile, Jung Jihoon is expected to stand out as the villain Baekjeong, who will inject explosive tension as he confronts Geonwoo and Woojin. Baekjeong is a figure who operates a global illegal boxing league driven by massive viewership and huge betting, moving solely for money. His overwhelming visual presence and a fishy smile that seems to enjoy the situation hint at the ruthless attack power of an evil character. In particular, Jung Jihoon is capturing attention by trying villain acting for the first time since his debut.
Jung Jihoon, who newly joined as a villain in season 2, said, "I have long been a fan of director Kim Joo Hwan. I had been watching his works as a fan, and by chance when I moved house and turned on Netflix, Bloodhounds came up. I planned to watch for only an hour but ended up watching all eight episodes. I thought, 'Really new action has come out.' But I didn't expect to be in season 2. From the moment the director said he was doing it, I wanted to do it." He added, "I liked that the action was different from the usual. You could feel how much Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi worked hard."
Jung Jihoon joked, "I realized for the first time that such a side exists in me," and laughed, "While those two (Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi) were in love, I was with my organization on the asphalt." He continued, "The director wanted me to smile but be scary, smile but not with the eyes, be very evil, perform actions that could make the two miserable, not be too fit but bulk up enough to box. There were a lot of demands. I liked it. I felt trained after a long time. I decided to follow the director's instructions and do only what he told me to do."
He added, "I talked with the director a lot and moved as if I were holding a knife on the edge, like I was holding the blade. I have no 'side.' In the organization, if someone has what I want, they are all 'enemies.' Expressing that wasn't that difficult. I kept reading the script and talking with the director and I was really soaking in it. I had to act like I'd lived that way my whole life, so I acted like that at home and got scolded a lot. Unconsciously I was like that. I lived as that character for a year. When I tied my hair back I really felt like that character, like a warrior. I'm still soaked in it," he said with a laugh.
He also praised Baekjeong's intense styling, saying, "The director and I had many discussions; the makeup team worked hard on the Viking-style hair. It looked like a real psychopath with impeccably neat hair. The makeup team worked very hard."
Director Kim Joo Hwan said about casting Jung Jihoon, "First, there was no one else with that aura and charisma besides Jihoon sunbaenim. We needed someone who could beat both Geonwoo and Woojin, someone who could handle overwhelming physicality and action. There was no one but Jihoon sunbaenim. Once we filmed together, he became a dependable eldest brother on set. Every time we watched Baekjeong, there were many exclamations from the monitor. People said, 'Is this the Jung Jihoon we knew?'"
Woo Do Hwan said of the action between 'Geonwoojin' and Baekjeong, "Safety was the most important. For that we had to check and build rhythm. I kept checking with Sang Yi hyung and Jihoon hyung, saying 'see you tomorrow,' checking schedules and matching time. At first the choreography was too long, so we adjusted it to be a bit longer or shorter."
Lee Sang Yi quipped, "It really felt like a dance. Because we worked together, moving through set choreography gave it a sense of timing and often felt like couple dance."
Jung Jihoon said, "The director and I talked a lot about not wanting the existing action style to appear. Even lying in bed I practiced shadowing a lot, and practiced again when I woke up in the morning, and tried lines again. We did almost close-contact touches. If a hit just grazed the face it could have been serious. Fortunately there were no accidents at all," and added with a laugh, "I don't think my family can watch it, so I can't recommend it. I don't think my family will watch it."
Woo Do Hwan said, "Everything was fun, but the scene that appears in episode 2 has laughter, fun, and even catharsis. I think the action is longest there," urging anticipation for the episode 2 ending.
Director Kim Joo Hwan described how season 2 differs from season 1: "It was a frontal breakthrough. Instead of practicing more and backing away, we dug deeper into boxing to show realistic, raw boxing that only our actors can do. We focused lighting and cinematography to capture that action. There's a scene in episode 5 where Woo Do Hwan and Jung Jihoon clash; it was dawn and the moment the two met the set went quiet. Everyone's concentration rose, like a scene of smashing a car worth tens of millions, and even though I didn't increase the speed, they struck so fast and it was amazing they didn't hurt each other."
Regarding viewing points, Woo Do Hwan said, "Definitely the action. After season 1 ended I wondered if there was any more action I could show with just my two fists. But when I got season 2 script I realized there was more to show. There's still a lot. There are many things two fists can still do. Please look forward to it."
Lee Sang Yi added, "These days, the internet is full of AI and such, but I think we made the 'real' thing. We sweated for it; it's analog but we made the real thing entertaining and intense. I think that effort is well captured. Please look favorably upon it."
Jung Jihoon joked, "Please also watch the bromance between these two and the bromance within our organization. It's almost like H.O.T. There are about five members, so please watch that bromance too. Our chemistry was really good. The villains' chemistry. They manipulate, envy, and threaten to kill each other." Director Kim Joo Hwan added, "Please watch the actors' bold and outstanding transformations. Besides those here, we worked with many great actors including Hwang Chan Sung, Lee Sin Young, and Kang Mina. Please look forward to it."
Director Kim Joo Hwan discussed balancing a strong villain, "Baekjeong is a boxer who doesn't exist in the world. When he changes stance his style switches dramatically. Style 1 and style 2 are nemeses and poison to Geonwoo and Woojin; I made Baekjeong a chimera-like combination that can only be defeated if the two join forces. To pull that off he uses both hands. I watched and made him overwhelmingly powerful; he's played by one of the best action performers in Korea, and I watched how to overcome him." He added, "I write most of the scripts, and when actors I had in mind are cast I revise again. Working with Jihoon sunbaenim allowed me to demand more boldly. Even without my demands, he prepared like a perfectionist. So I kept ordering things." Regarding mistakes from season 1, he said, "I tried to be slightly less brutal, but it may have become a bit more brutal. We tried to focus on striking contests."
Jung Jihoon said of taking on the eagerly awaited first villain, "Playing a villain was a huge burden for me. Previously I had often been cast in kind, happy roles, so I wanted to try a truly evil role someday. If I portray it poorly once, it might be hard to accept. When the director said he was doing it I trusted him and decided before our meeting that I would do it. I thought I could completely set aside my standards and philosophy in acting."
On how he differs from other villains, he said, "There are many famous villains, but from the start I thought only about how to make the two protagonists feel more desperate and miserable. How to make it sadder and more despairing. If that is accepted, could I become a complete bad guy? In result, this character constantly gives the two despair and pain. Then people can hate me and see me as evil. Rather than persuade viewers, I only thought about inflicting relentless pain on the two." He added with a tease, "It might be a spoiler, but there is an action I do to Geonwoo's mother, senior actor Yoon Yoo Seon. The script briefly described it, but I persuaded the director and the senior actor and asked, 'Is this okay?' We did that. That must have made Geonwoo and Woojin furious."
Woo Do Hwan chimed in, "He was truly a bad person. Watching the on-set edit, we'd never really faced the senior so much on set because he did bad things where I wasn't looking. But watching the on-set edit, I really thought he was bad. That motivated me more and I tried to beat him by any means."
Above all, he discussed physical transformation, "I had to show that I trained harder for three years and that I had to bring back the world champion title, so I weighed about 13kg more than now. I increased that much. I also put on weight in season 1, about 5kg more. Since I had done it once, I thought season 2 might be a bit easier, and comparatively it's easier than other things because you just have to keep exercising. I thought making the body for character study was easier than other things, like refining the inner self or studying."
Lee Sang Yi said he was happy to reunite with actors such as Park Hoon, who also worked with him in season 1. He added, "It was so fun. Maybe because it's a familiar flavor, there are fun scenes with Park Hoon and the marine spirit. When the absolute evil Baekjeong appears we struggle and, like in season 1, receive help, so I hope audiences also enjoy the chemistry with friendly older brothers like Park Hoon."
Finally, director Kim Joo Hwan laughed, "There are two post-credits scenes. Please give us double thumbs up," and Jung Jihoon emphasized, "I fought again with the desperation of my youth. I filmed with the mindset of hosting very precious guests. I filmed hard with that heart, treating each person as a treasured guest. Please enjoy it—have a beer ready. Thank you."
Lee Sang Yi said, "Being able to do season 2 was purely thanks to the fans who loved season 1. I hope this series continues. Please support us." Lastly, Woo Do Hwan said, "Being in about 190 countries brings an immense sense of responsibility. Many staff, actors, and production crew made it possible to present season 2. We made a series we are not ashamed of with those people. Please enjoy it a lot," showing confidence.
Bloodhounds 2 will be released on Netflix on Apr. 3.
[photo] OSEN reporter Park Joonhyung.
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