Park Bo Gum and Kim You Jung reunited 10 years after their signature work Love in the Moonlight to delight fans.
Actors Park Bo Gum, Kim You Jung, Jinyoung, Chae Soo-bin and Kwak Dong- yeon reunited for a fashion magazine photoshoot.
Marking the 10th anniversary this year of the KBS drama Love in the Moonlight, the five actors who shared a shining moment of youth came together in one place with united hearts. After a long time, dressed in hanbok at a hanok and standing before the camera, they created a wonderful moment as if time had been reversed, with then and now intersecting in a single frame.
Love in the Moonlight, which aired in 2016, was a work that received great love for delicately portraying beautiful hanbok, Korean scenery and the love and growth of youth at the time. Ten years on, while K-dramas expanded their reach to the center of the world, the five actors also spent that time building their own worlds in their respective places. In that sense, their appearance together in one frame after 10 years is more than a reunion; it is a memorable scene that re-records an era of youth that led to the present of K-drama. This project reexamines the various values a single work can leave beyond time through the five actors' present selves.
Park Bo Gum, who received much love for his portrayal of Lee Young, said, "Everyone looks exactly as they did when we first met. I am truly happy to be able to wear hanbok again and leave a record of how we are now. Even the weather is similar to when we were filming back then. Whenever we gathered then, no one could stop smiling," expressing his joy at the reunion. Regarding the significance of this work as a benchmark K-period drama that captured the hearts of viewers worldwide, he said, "I was happy to be able to act wearing beautiful traditional hanbok in scenery that fully captured Korea's sentiment. Of course, it was also an experience to play Crown Prince Hyomyeong, who excelled not only in politics but also in literature, music and dance. Above all, as an actor, I am honored that people still remember the characters' names even 10 years later."
When asked what Lee Young meant to his acting life, he replied, "There is a line by You Jung in the drama: 'Who knows if the memory of being loved will be the strength that carries you through life?' Thanks to those who loved Lee Young, I have been able to walk on with that strength," he said. To his colleagues he conveyed affection, saying, "Because of you, my youth, our youth, was able to shine beautifully. May we all always shine brightly like the moonlight."
Kim You Jung, who played the lovable and spirited Hong Ra-on at the age of 17, expressed her affection, saying, "The name 'Ra-on' itself is pure Korean and means 'joyful.' Like her name, she was a character who shared warm affection with people, and the feelings I felt through Ra-on were also warm affections that came from deep within."
Asked about the biggest change in herself over the past 10 years, she said, "I have gained full strength. Even when difficult situations come, I have the courage to face them more proactively and the willingness to move forward." To her past self she said, "My mother once told me, 'If you endure, you will end up in that place.' 'Enduring' does not only mean getting through hard times. It means continuing to live your own time by doing what must be done, whether in joy or hardship. I would tell our younger selves that it is okay not to be impatient by looking too far ahead."
Jinyoung, reflecting on the 10 years and the image of himself he does not want to lose, said, "I don't want to lose the love of people. I simply like people; I enjoy being with them, doing things together and sharing. If one day I stop liking that, I would be very sad." To the colleagues he spent 10 years with, he added, "Let's stay together for a long time. At first we met through work, but staying in touch for 10 years, sharing each other's things and supporting one another is not easy. I'm happy that we ultimately did it."
Chae Soo-bin, who played Jo Ha-yeon, who boldly chose her heart in love, said that 10 years later she rather gains courage from him. She explained the courage she gained from the character, saying, "Ha-yeon was not someone who stayed in a place just because she wasn't loved. I remember her as a bold woman who chose her life and was able to move forward." If she could say a word to her younger self, she said, "You're doing well, you'll do well, live well. It seems I always worked hard without great worries, but looking back I was always anxious. After it's over, it's nothing, so I want to tell myself I'm doing fine."
Kwak Dong- yeon, who recently enlisted in the military, said he would tell his fiercely driven 20-year-old self, "Don't be nervous (laughs)!" He added, "At that time I performed each project and each scene as if it were the last of my life. That mindset may have constrained me. If I had been more confident, I might have been able to show more diverse sides of myself," expressing determination. To his four colleagues he said, "I will be faithfully serving the country until early 2028, so don't worry and pursue your dreams freely (laughs)."
Meanwhile, Love in the Moonlight first aired in August 2016 and ran for a total of 18 episodes until October that year. It told the story of a crown prince of a nation falling in love with a eunuch, and was an unpredictable palace-disguise romance between the tsundere crown prince Lee Young and the cross-dressing eunuch Hong Ra-on. It generated great buzz at the time of its airing, recording a peak viewership rating of 23.3% (Nielsen Korea nationwide).
[photo] Elle Korea
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