Choo Young-woo Reminisces About His First Love and High School Days

Choo Young-woo recently shared memories of his first love.

In a recent interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, we met Choo Young-woo, the lead actor of the film 'Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight' (hereafter 'Oseisa').

'Oseisa' is a youth romance film about Seo-yoon (played by Shin Si-ah), who suffers from anterograde amnesia and loses her memory of the day after sleeping, and Jae-won (played by Choo Young-woo), who fills her memory every day. The film is an adaptation of Ichijo Misaki's bestselling novel, which has sold over 1.3 million copies worldwide. Choo Young-woo plays Jae-won, a high school student living a mundane life.

The movie portrays the fresh and exciting first love of young men and women. What was Choo Young-woo's first love like?

Choo Young-woo shyly began, "When I think of first love, there is someone who comes to mind." He recalled, "The high school I attended required an entrance exam. After taking the exam and the class placement test, we all gathered in the auditorium. All the students were seated in their uniforms, and among the 400 students, the friend who ranked first in the class placement test was called to the front by the principal. Watching them walk up to the stage felt like it was in slow motion. It was impressive. And we ended up in the same class." He continued, "That friend was really good at studying. Classes were divided by grades, so I couldn't take classes with them, but I studied hard because of that friend. I tried to close the academic gap."

Fortunately, "It didn't end as a one-sided love; we dated," he said. However, "I moved to Seoul to pursue acting, and I don't know how that friend is doing now. I only heard when I was 20 that they went to a prestigious university," he reminisced.

When asked if he ever received offers to become a celebrity during his school days, he replied, "I only studied. When I went downtown, I did receive business cards, but I thought of it as just a small bragging point, something from a completely different world."

When asked what kind of student he was in high school, he said, "I was similar to Jae-won. I was shy, awkward, and easily flustered. I was clumsy but sincere." When asked about the similarity with his character, he replied, "I'm quite different from who I am now, but I was similar to who I was back then. I think it's about 95%."

Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr