"The Journey to Gyeongju" Lee Yeon laughed, saying, "I didn't aim for it, but I'm enjoying it," in response to reports of a date spotted with her close friend IU.
On the morning of the 19th, an interview with Lee Yeon, the lead actor of "The Journey to Gyeongju," was held at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul.
"The Journey to Gyeongju" (screenplay and director Kim Mi-jo, presented by Lotte Entertainment·Michigan Venture Capital Co., Ltd., distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Studio High Five, co-produced by Euphoria ENT) depicts a family revenge drama of four mothers and daughters who set out on a "killer" trip after eight years of waiting for the youngest daughter Gyeongju, who did not return from a school trip. It is Kim Mi-jo's first commercial film, following her debut work "Seagull," which earned recognition for strong directing at prominent film festivals at home and abroad, and it has drawn considerable attention by being invited to the Hawaii International Film Festival and winning the audience award at the Florence Korean Film Festival even before release. It is currently ranked No. 1 in advance ticket reservations for Korean films, raising expectations. Lee Yeon gave a passionate performance as Dong-ju, the third daughter and a former wrestling athlete who acts before she thinks. The decisive reason the youngest daughter went to Gyeongju for the school trip is related to the third daughter Dong-ju, and their deeply conflicted mother-daughter relationship delivers an emotional payoff in the latter part. Lee Yeon is actively working across drama and the screen with Perfect Crown and "The Journey to Gyeongju" this year.
Earlier, in Perfect Crown, which ended in May, Lee Yeon and IU presented an intense woman-to-woman romance, and the two have since maintained a close friendship. Recently, reports of a date spotted in Seochon appeared, and some overseas sites even ran absurd dating rumors.
Lee Yeon said, "I saw it too. (laughs) From what I saw, Ji-eun sunbae has so many overseas fans that the date sighting seemed to come out more overseas than in Korea," adding, "That day was the day Ji-eun sunbae, actor Yu Su-bin and I planned to meet for dinner. Actor Yu Su-bin hadn't arrived yet, so the two of us had coffee at a café in Seochon and then moved to a restaurant, and our backs were photographed."
She continued, "Actually we were somewhat aware. We felt, 'Someone is taking pictures,' but we didn't know who that person was. Maybe it was posted on an overseas site or X and became an issue abroad," adding, "But I heard the agency denied the dating rumors. (laughs) It's definitely not our agency. It's true we were friends on a date, but it's not like we denied it or anything," she laughed.
Lee Yeon also said, "Because the two of us have appeared in pictorials and have good chemistry, fans seem to tease and link us as a joke. But Ji-eun sunbae said, 'I think it's because of you.' (laughs) I just laughed it off," adding, "Once a fan of Ji-eun sunbae came to the opening of an independent film I appeared in and asked, 'Are you dating Ji-eun unni?' so I laughed it off. I'm just enjoying it. I think fans feel it's a favorable chemistry. But I never intended it. I'm just having fun as usual," which drew laughter.
Meanwhile, "The Journey to Gyeongju" opens on the 26th.
[Photo] MBC, Lotte Entertainment provided
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