Lee Hee-jun: "He was concerned about Seo Ji-hye," mistaken for a "melodrama" — The "Scarecrow" behind-the-scenes revealed [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Lee Hee-jun shared an interesting behind-the-scenes story about "Scarecrow."

Lee Hee-jun concluded his successful run with the 12th episode of ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama "Scarecrow," which aired on the 26th.

"Scarecrow" tells the story of detective Kang Tae-ju (played by Park Hae-soo), who was investigating a serial killer, unexpectedly forming an alliance with prosecutor Cha Si-young (played by Lee Hee-jun), someone he had despised. The drama was inspired by the 1986 serial killings in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, one of South Korea's three most famous unsolved cases. While director Bong Joon-ho's film "Memories of Murder" (2003) highlighted this case that remained unsolved at the time of its release, "Scarecrow" covered the period up to the arrest of the true culprit in September 2019, leaving a meaningful message.

In a recent interview with StarNews, Lee Hee-jun said, "It may sound cliché, but I remember being very surprised when I read the 'Scarecrow' script. Most actors decide to join a project after seeing the first four episodes, but this one was outstanding." He praised the work's quality.

He continued, "During the meeting, when Director Park Jun-woo explained how the story would unfold after the fourth episode, I was shocked just by hearing it. It exceeded my expectations and made me even more excited. He said he wanted to tell a story not only about the culprit but also about people who were wrongly accused, those who suffered together in a village, and who endured for 30 years. At that moment, I thought to myself, 'This director is truly an amazing person.'"

He then mentioned his character's relationship with Kang Soon-young (played by Seo Ji-hye), which surprised viewers. Originally, Kang Soon-young was introduced as Kang Tae-ju's younger sister and the lover of Lee Gi-beom (played by Song Geon-hee). However, in the 10th episode near the end of the series, it was revealed that Kang Soon-young and Cha Si-young were half-siblings, shocking the audience. It turned out that Cha Si-young's father, Cha Mu-jin (played by Yoo Seung-mok), was Kang Soon-young's biological father. Kang Tae-ju and Kang Soon-young shared the same mother but had different fathers, hiding a tangled "secret of birth."

This setup created a subtle tension between Cha Si-young and Kang Soon-young early in the series, confusing viewers. When asked about this, Lee Hee-jun revealed, "I also found out in the 9th episode that Soon-young was Si-young's half-sister. Until then, the director never told me anything."

He added, "I didn't know anything about Soon-young, so I thought, 'Is this a melodrama?' Because the script repeatedly mentioned 'he is concerned about Soon-young.' I even wondered if the story would turn into a romance." This confession drew laughter.

Lee Hee-jun then said, "I was surprised at first, but since there were many such half-sibling relationships in that era, I found it believable and accepted the 'secret of birth' setting."

Furthermore, Lee Hee-jun shared an anecdote: "Everyone knew from the beginning that Jeong Moon-sung (played by Lee Ki-hwan) was the culprit, but we didn't expect him to be revealed so suddenly. At that time, the cast was watching the episode together live. Even Jeong Moon-sung himself was so shocked that he jumped up."

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*This content was translated by AI.