Director Min Yong-geun, Yoo Da-in is expected to give birth, and the release is double news.

"I said that 'Soulmate' is a movie I really love, and I really can't help but do that. I met my wife while writing the script, and my father passed away. Also, my child is due to be born around the time it is released. There are joys and sorrows in the movie. Just like that, I “I also had my share of joys and sorrows. It’s such a special movie that I can’t help but love it.”

Director Min Yong-geun returned with the feature film ‘Soulmate’ after a long time since ‘Hyehwa, Dong’, which was released in 2011. It took a long time to see the light of day. That's how much 'soulmate' had a special meaning to director Min Yong-geun.

'Soul Mate' is the story of two friends, Miso (played by Da-mi Kim), Ha-eun (played by So-ni Jeon), and Jin-woo (played by Woo-seok Byeon), who recognized each other from their first meeting and shared everything together, including joy, sadness, excitement, and longing.

Director Min Yong-geun, who is about to release the movie, said, "It's a strange feeling. I'm happy that I can show the movie in theaters. I feel excited. If I think about the score in isolation, I feel excited and excited rather than nervous."

Director Min Yong-geun, who made an impressive debut with the movie 'Hyehwa, Dong', returns with 'Soulmate' 12 years after 'A Certain Perspective - Ice River'. It sheds light on not only friendship but also individual life, and by bringing in the subject matter of painting, it not only raises emotions more dramatically, but also differentiates itself from the original work to stimulate interest.

'Soulmate' is based on 'Hello, My Soulmate', which is a film adaptation of the Chinese novel 'Seven Moons and Ansheng'. Director Min Yong-geun said, "I brought the framework of the story. Because I brought the entire story, it may feel similar. The story is part of the movie. I think the rest has a lot of influence. I received a review that said the story is the same, but it feels like a movie of a different genre. “I saw it. The difference is that it has an important motif of hyper-realism,” he said.

He continued, "Although the film focuses on the two people, Miso and Ha-eun, the proportion of the love triangle was lowered compared to the original. The part centered on the two women and I tried to make a film with a more emotional and lyrical feel." Should we say that it is sensuous on screen? We put a lot of emphasis on emotion. When it comes to remakes, we want to give it a different outer layer. I think that is also an obsession. The direction of the remake was to freely express it in our own way. “It was,” he added.

Director Min Yong-geun initially declined the offer to direct ‘Soul Mate’. He said, "In some ways, I think that the original work itself may be an important work in women's narratives. Since my gender is male, I was very concerned about what would happen if the original work was misrepresented in a masculine perspective. The decision to make the movie was based on gender. “I wanted to go beyond and express that moment of ‘I turned around for a long time and it turned out to be that person,’” he said.

Also, “The next task was how to express the delicate layers of friendship between Miso and Ha-eun. That’s why I did a lot of reporting. Miso and Ha-eun are friends born in 1988. Among the juniors around me, I talked to a friend who was born in 1988 and grew up in a local city. “I did it a lot. There was a person across the street who I was friends with from childhood until my late 20s, and we exchanged letters. I heard stories about what it was like to have a friend like that.”

Director Min Yong-geun said, "One of the common episodes is the subtle feeling of alienation and jealousy that you feel when you are close but have a friend of the opposite sex. Of course, it is difficult to call it jealousy. People talk a lot about that feeling. When you look at it from an outside perspective that you have not experienced, you can feel the emotion. "I'm trying to define language. It's not jealousy, it's a subtle emotion," he said. "When drawing the relationship between Miso and Ha-eun, I thought I should not hastily define it through language. Rather than defining the subtle line of emotions heard and felt through language, I wanted to express that subtle emotion. “I thought it would be good to translate it into a movie as is,” he said.

Director Min Yong-geun completed the cast with Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-ni, and Byun Woo-seok. First, about Da-mi Kim, "It was the same in 'The Witch', and I had a strong feeling about the external appearance in 'Itaewon Class'. I wanted to discover the other side of it. Actress Da-mi Kim wanted to express the character called Miso. Actress Da-mi Kim said, 'Miso'. “It was a big part of wanting to express the feelings of freedom and lack that comes with it,” he said.

Regarding Jeon So-ni, "In 'Bad Cop', actress Jeon So-ni's eyes told a story. Although I didn't specifically have 'soul mate' in mind, it was the first time that I wanted to work in a movie with actress Jeon So-ni. “When I took on the character of Ha-eun, I thought it would fit well. I don’t know what the look in (actor Jeon So-ni’s) eyes is, but I wanted to bring out the story.”

Not only that, about Byeon Woo-seok, "My first impression was that he was 'tall.' He felt like a classically handsome man, like something out of Greek mythology. In our script and movie, there was a man that Ha-eun was attracted to, and what kind of man was he?" “It’s not because he likes the part, but his first words are, ‘I want to draw it.’ I think he needed that kind of external aura,” he said. “In that respect, I’m not sure if actor Byun Woo-seok is like a Greek statue, but he’s a classic handsome man. His eyes are also good. “It seemed like it wouldn’t change over time, and it made me want to draw it. That’s what appealed to me the most,” he said.

Director Min Yong-geun said of Kim Da-mi and Jeon So-ni, who became best friends through 'Soul Mate', "It's good that two people with stories in their eyes have become best friends, regardless of the movie. I don't think movies can lie. Relationships "It's inevitable that everything will be revealed. I feel like it's impossible to hide their relationship, whether they're just pretending to be close or whether they're sharing something deep. It's up to the audience to judge how it turns out in the end."

He said, "Actress Da-mi Kim and Actor So-ni Jeon have different personalities and different acting styles. I watched the process of fully communicating with each other even though they were different. Just seeing that that touching relationship can continue even after the movie ends is a reward for making the movie. “There is this,” he said, expressing satisfaction.

Da-mi Kim said, “I talked a lot with the actors that friendship is also love.” Director Min Yong-geun also agreed with Kim Da-mi’s opinion. He said, "I think the same thing. Friendship is also a form of love. I think the depth of friendship is the issue, not the form. The meaning of love is a little more expanded than the love aspect of what is commonly referred to as romantic emotion." .

Director Min Yong-geun married Yoo Da-in, whom he met through 'Hyehwa, Dong', in 2021. Yoo Da-in was congratulated after announcing her pregnancy last year. Currently, childbirth is imminent. Director Min Yong-geun said, "I met my wife while writing the scenario for 'Soulmate' and my father passed away. A baby is scheduled to be born at the time of release. I felt like I had lost the fun of creating while preparing for the work for a long time. With 'Soulmate', I felt differently than before. "I found the fun of making movies again. I met new family members and also let them go. Just as there are joys and sorrows of life in movies, they were there for me too," he said.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr