So I made a highlights video from Salon Drip on my commute home yesterday. If you haven’t watched it yet, 🔗 Actor Yoo’s impression of Ji-hoon’s awkward mumbling is absolutely adorable. The whole studio was dying.
But what really stuck with me wasn’t just the cute moments.
It was what happened after.
Quick Recap: What Salon Drip Revealed
I wrote about this in detail in my previous post, but here’s the quick version:
Yoo Hae-jin revealed something simple but significant: “Ji-hoon doesn’t make empty promises.”
In Korean culture, we have this whole social language of “binmal” – empty words that keep relationships smooth. “Let’s eat sometime!” (We won’t.) “Come visit!” (Please don’t.)
Ji-hoon physically can’t do it.
Even for social courtesy, he won’t make promises he can’t keep.
And veteran actors noticed.
🔗 [Read the full Salon Drip analysis here]
The Press Screening Storm
After the press screening, reviews started pouring in.
And they weren’t just good.
They were… intense.
Critics saying things like:
- “Ji-hoon IS Danjong”
- “Eyes that hold a story”
- “The very centre of an actor’s growth”
But it wasn’t just the critics.
Something else was happening behind the scenes.
Na Young-seok’s Wagle Wagle: The Moment Everyone Noticed
The cast appeared on Na Young-seok PD’s variety show 🔗 “Wagle Wagle.”
And this is where things got interesting.
Yoo Hae-jin admitted:
“I was honestly worried and curious – how would this kid pull off Danjong? But early in filming, there’s a scene where he yells at me… and I thought ‘Whoa! This kid’s got some serious energy!’”
The Praise That Made Director Jang Speak Up
Here’s the thing about Yoo Hae-jin.
He’s been Korea’s beloved actor for decades. Countless box office hits. Zero major scandals. Known for his gentle, humble personality.
PD Na Young-seok himself said, “I’ve known Hae-jin hyung for so long, and he’s stingy with compliments.”
Yoo Hae-jin defended himself: “I do compliment people! I don’t… make a big show of it.”
But Director Jang Hang-jun cut in:
“Yoo Hae-jin loved Ji-hoon. Not just as an actor – as a human being.”
What Director Jang Said About Ji-hoon’s Acting
Director Jang didn’t hold back:
“No words needed. He’s the best. This isn’t acting that a 20-something can pull off.”
Then he added:
“Ji-hoon doesn’t talk much. He’s careful with his words and actions. He thinks carefully. That’s probably why Yoo Hae-jin is so crazy about him.”
Why This Matters
Let me tell you why Yoo Hae-jin’s public affection is significant.
This man has been in Korean cinema for decades.
He’s seen countless rising stars shoot up like meteors… and crash just as fast.
Some couldn’t deliver on the hype. Some let success go to their heads. Some had scandals. Some just… changed.
For Yoo Hae-jin to publicly praise a young actor like this?
That’s not just about talent.
That’s about character.
He’s seen enough to know the difference between a flash-in-the-pan and someone who’ll last.
And he’s betting on Ji-hoon.
What Yoo Hae-jin Told the Press
In a recent in-depth interview with a daily newspaper, Yoo Hae-jin shared something vulnerable.
He attended the press screening yesterday – his first time seeing the completed film.
Even though he knew the story. Even though he acted in it himself.
He cried.
“The story is just… sad,” he said.
“Not the light sadness of parting. It’s something heavier. No matter how many times I watch it, it stays sad. The thought that Danjong shouldn’t have suffered this fate – it just overwhelms me.”
He noticed Ji-hoon beside him during the screening.
“Ji-hoon cried a lot, too. His eyes were red.”
The scene that broke them both?
When Danjong says, “I don’t want to lose anyone I love anymore.”
And then: “Am I… included in that?”
From that moment on, Yoo Hae-jin couldn’t stop crying.
What I’m Realizing About This Film
While making videos about 🔗 “The King’s Warden,” I kept noticing something.
The film is deliberately hiding something.
First Surprise: King Sejo Doesn’t Appear
I thought the movie would center on the confrontation between Danjong and his uncle, King Sejo (the one who usurped the throne).
But no.
King Sejo doesn’t appear in this film at all.
Instead, the tension comes from the battle between Danjong and Han Myeong-hoe – the kingmaker, the power behind the throne.
Korea’s Cromwell.
That alone is a bold storytelling choice.
Second Surprise: How Danjong Dies
Historical records are vague about Danjong’s death.
Some say he was strangled. Some say he was forced into an overheated room until he suffocated. Some say he was poisoned.
But this film?
The film creates its own interpretation of how Danjong died.
And from everything I’m hearing – from Yoo Hae-jin’s tears, from the reviews, from the whispers about “the riverside scene” – that moment is going to be the film’s devastating emotional climax.
I heard there’s a scene where Hong-wi plays by the riverside…
Yeah, I’m definitely gonna cry in the theater.
February 4th
Opening day.
I’ll be there.
And I’ll bring you my full review.
Until then, if you want to catch more cultural context like this, the stuff that gets lost in subtitles, I write a weekly newsletter called Off Script.
Bite-sized cultural notes about Korean dramas and films. The layers your subtitles miss. The context that makes rewatches twice as good.
🔗 [Subscribe to Off Script here]
See you at the movies.
—Jennie
- The Real Weak Hero Legacy: Why We’ll Never See Our Kanu Trio Together Again (And Why That’s Okay)
- Park Ji-hoon’s “The King’s Warden” Is Coming to U.S. Theatres—And His Director Can’t Stop Praising Him
- Dialogues in the Weak Hero Class 1 Script Books That Never Made It to Screen
- Park Ji-hoon’s ‘King Danjong’ Performance Already Drawing Rave Reviews
- When a Veteran Actor Falls in Love with a Rising Star: Yoo Hae-jin on Park Ji-hoon
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