Kim So-hyun and Choo Young-woo: The Passionate Love of Youth and Artistic Responsibility in the Drama 'Between Steps'

Actors Kim So-hyun and Choo Young-woo shared the narrative of the youth portrayed through the drama 'Between Steps' and behind-the-scenes stories from the filming site. Appearing on the YouTube channel 'Yoo Yeon-seok's Weekend Theater', the two provided specific details about the campus life that serves as the setting for the work and their experience working with director Ahn Pan-seok.

"Drama is Art and Literature" Sharing Director Ahn Pan-seok's Philosophy

Kim So-hyun and Choo Young-woo expressed deep trust in working with director Ahn Pan-seok. Kim So-hyun recalled that director Ahn Pan-seok gave directions that broke the mold so that they could fully embrace their characters on set. Regarding the philosophy emphasized by the director, Kim So-hyun shared, "He emphasized that although we are filming a commercial drama, drama is art and literature," adding, "He told us to go home the moment it doesn't feel like art and literature, or the moment it feels like just making money."

Choo Young-woo also reflected on the director's message. He mentioned that the director said, "Since people watch us for as long as they spend time healing after finishing their day and returning home, we must approach this with that sense of responsibility and know how to be grateful." The two actors added that the director has a directing style of reducing unnecessary cuts while focusing on detailed insert cuts.

Love Started from a Bucket List, Characters and Narrative of 'Between Steps'

The drama 'Between Steps' deals with the clumsy love of engineering students. According to the conversation in the video, the protagonist Min-jae is a character who has had a leg amputated due to an illness and uses a prosthetic leg, and the story begins as he carries out 'trying to date' from his bucket list of things he wants to do before he dies. Kim So-hyun played the character 'Seo-hyun', who transferred from medical studies to robot engineering, and Choo Young-woo played the character 'Yu-jin', who has a straightforward style. Kim So-hyun explained that the setting for the character Seo-hyun reflected the atmosphere of the college of engineering she wanted to attend during her high school years.

Through the cast, it was conveyed that director Ahn Pan-seok emphasized regarding the love in the work, "When you start dating, there is a passionate period for two months," and that the youth fighting passionately and loving passionately during that period is a privilege that only youth can have.

Daily Lives of Actors Born in '99 and Observing 'Dating Programs'

The two actors, who are the same age born in 1999, shared their respective daily lives through private conversation. Choo Young-woo revealed that during his recent break between drama filming, he visited Phuket, Thailand, to practice Muay Thai before returning. Kim So-hyun shared her current status, saying she likes dogs but has allergies, so she takes medicine while raising one.

The conversation continued regarding recently popular dating programs. The two actors mentioned various dating variety shows such as 'I Am Solo', 'EXchange', and 'Single's Inferno'. Kim So-hyun mentioned 'I Am Solo', saying, "It helped in understanding Min-jae (character)," and Choo Young-woo added that it is interesting to watch various dating programs and catch the emotions of the people in the observation cameras.

The two actors also talked about their usual lifestyles. Choo Young-woo stated that he tends to enjoy his time alone, such as eating conveyor belt sushi by himself, grilling meat, or cooking ramen alone. Kim So-hyun added that she mainly prefers to visit famous restaurants near her house or spend time at home.