Korea’s love of Taiwanese cinema is hitting new heights with a wave of hit remakes. Following “Hear Me” (2009) and “Secret” (2007), the beloved romance “You Are the Apple of My Eye” (2011) is the latest to get a Korean twist. However, portraying iconic lead characters in remake films isn’t an easy task. For former boy band B1A4 member Jin-young, it took less than a second for him to want to say yes to playing the male lead in a remake of the hit Taiwanese romance of the same name, originally played by Kai Ko, but says he immediately felt a heavy burden on his shoulders, which made him hesitate before accepting.

“I’m actually a huge fan of the original film,” Jin-young said to reporters. “I think I saw it about five times. Right when I had just finished watching it for the fifth time, I got the offer. I really wanted to take the role and say yes right away, but as a fan myself, I couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.”


“I kept wondering if it was the right choice. You know how people say, ‘At best, you break even when taking on a project with an original.’ Those thoughts kept crossing my mind.”

In the end, the actor decided to go in with the mindset that he would bring his own style and a unique twist to the Korean remake rather than merely recreate the original.

The film, which premiered on Feb. 21, is directed by Cho Young-myoung, marking her directorial debut.

The coming-of-age film follows the innocent-yet-inexperienced love story between the protagonists, Jin-young's Jin-woo and Seon-ah, played by Twice’s Da-hyun.

As the two K-pop stars reunite in the nostalgic film, they separately sat down with local reporters at a cafe in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Thursday to talk about the latest romance film.

Starting in 2002 at a high school in Chuncheon, Gangwon, the film immediately evokes a sense of nostalgia in the audience. The same was true for Jin-young as he portrayed a teenage student struggling to express his feelings to the girl he likes.

Jin-young admitted that he initially had difficulty understanding Jin-woo’s actions. However, he was able to connect with the character by reflecting on his own past experiences with the girls he liked.

“I had my first love when I was in 6th grade,” he said. “I really liked a girl who transferred to my school, but we couldn’t say a single word [when we ran into each other].”

“I somehow was able to connect with her through Buddy Buddy [a Korean online messenger service from 2000 to 2012] and, interestingly, we communicated so well that it was almost like we were really close friends. But when we meet the next day [at school], we’d just pass by each other without even saying hello.”

He shared that he even asked her to date him through Buddy Buddy, but they only had one date arranged by a friend, and it was the first time he spoke with her in real life.

“Thinking back to that time, I could totally understand Jin-woo,” he added. “Moreover, the most absurd part is that we never asked each other to end things.”

Another similar experience of his was when he was in middle school. He gave strawberry milk and pine nuts to a girl he liked and ran away. “That was my way of expressing that I liked her, which I couldn’t bring myself to say," he said.

Jin-young and Da-hyun, both singers, collaborated on a song for the film. This wasn’t Jin-young's first time working on such a project, as he had previously written songs for works he appeared in, including the KBS series “Love in the Moonlight” (2016) and the film “The Dude in Me” (2019).

“I really enjoy working on writing songs for the projects I participate in,” he said. “Because I believe when the person who actually feels the emotions of the character puts it into a song, it truly captures the most of it.”

Although the actor first debuted as a singer in 2011, he has been active in the acting scene for over a decade since tvN’s series “She is Wow!" in 2013. Still, he is eager to explore and take on various roles and genres, including his upcoming project in which he plays a single parent.

“I want to be an actor capable of tackling any role and executing it successfully, which is also the most important thing in my opinion,” he said.

While Jin-young has been in the acting industry for over a decade, Da-hyun is just starting her career as an actor with the new film. Da-hyun’s group, Twice, is recognized for its group activities, and it wasn't until recent years that its members began solo endeavors, such as Nayeon, Jihyo and most recently, Tzuyu.

“While other members were pursuing their solo activities, I constantly reached out to my company [about acting],” she said, adding that acting had long been her dream. “I was studying acting on my own and preparing for it, so I told my agency that I wanted to try acting, which it accepted and suggested we look for a project together.”

The actor worked closely with director Cho to fully understand Seon-ah’s narrative, even exploring details beyond the script — such as Seon-ah being the eldest sibling, her mother's job at a vegetable store and her late father, a police officer who was brutally killed before her eyes.

These unscripted details helped her better understand and connect with her character, especially in scenes like when Seon-ah scolds Jin-woo for participating in a boxing match, according to Da-hyun.

“To resonate more with Seon-ah’s emotion, I exaggerated [her narratives] in my head, so for Seon-ah seeing her father, someone she loved, being beaten, bleeding, cut and dying in front of her eyes would have torn her heart apart. From that place, I understood that she wouldn’t want to see Jin-woo, the person she loves, get hurt or suffer.”

Though the actor is new to the scene, she is already slated for two more projects — the film “Run To You” and the drama “Love Me” — and she hopes to enjoy the entire process, along with a dream of her own.

“I truly enjoy watching movies and dramas, and through the performances of the actors, including their lines and facial expressions, I often find comfort, hope for tomorrow and laughter, while also gaining a lot of energy,” she said. “Just like those amazing actors, I dream of becoming a person who can give others that same positive energy, comfort and hope.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]