Dopamine is about to burst. From Lee Sedol to Kang Ji-young, a fierce brain war begins once again.
On the morning of the 29th, a production presentation for Netflix's entertainment show ‘Devil's Plan: Death Room’ (hereafter ‘Devil's Plan 2’) was held at Hotel Naru in Seoul. PD Jung Jong-yeon and cast members Lee Sedol, Kyuhyun, Kang Ji-young, Yoon So-hee, Seven High, Lee Seung-hyun, Jung Hyun-kyu, Choi Hyun-jun, Chuu, Kim Ha-rin, Park Sang-yeon, Son Eun-yu, and Tino attended.
‘Devil's Plan’ is a brain survival game where players from various professions stay together for 7 days to determine the best brain. This season features 14 top players from various fields, an increase of 2 players from season 1.
The 14 players are ready to throw everything into the battle, engaging in an unyielding brain duel and intense psychological warfare.
The newly established prison block is given a class-based meaning against the living block, promising an intriguing brain game. While the prison block players cooperate to defeat the living block players, they also compete against each other for status elevation and survival, creating a cooperative competitive relationship that dances on the edge of a knife, which is expected to be a new viewing point.
PD Jung Jong-yeon stated, “The biggest difference from season 1 is that it is divided into living and prison blocks. Players in the prison block will participate in prison matches. The location is called ‘Death Room’. That is the biggest part. It may seem simple, but I expected it to significantly change the overall color of the season, and it seems to have done so.”
He continued, “We selected 14 players because when we simulated, one person would basically be eliminated every day, so we were short on players. So I thought it would be good to add about 2 more. In reality, survival, diverse characters are important. The more we prepared, the more fun it would be for the viewers. We wanted new characters that were different from the previous season, and I always struggled with the need for diversity.”
This season's players include Lee Sedol, the legendary Go player who gained worldwide attention for defeating AlphaGo, actor Justin H. Min from Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ and ‘Angry People’, Super Junior member Kyuhyun, announcer and certified public accountant (AICPA) Kang Ji-young, actress Yoon So-hee, who graduated early from a science high school and is a KAIST alum, professional poker player and music producer Seven High, college student and Miss Korea winner Lee Seung-hyun, influencer Jung Hyun-kyu, who scored the maximum IQ of 156 in Mensa Korea and is a Seoul National University graduate, model Choi Hyun-jun, and singer Chuu, who has been active for 8 years.
Players selected from over 1,000 competitors in an open recruitment also join. They include plastic surgeon Kim Ha-rin, 2021 International Physics Olympiad gold medalist Park Sang-yeon, corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) specialist lawyer Son Eun-yu, and board game master Tino.
Lee Sedol explained his reason for participating, saying, “I thought it would be a good experience, and it turned out to be a good experience as I expected.”
When asked if there was anything that surprised him, he confessed, “This is the first time I felt competitive outside of Go. It was difficult and hard to accept new things in a new environment, but as time went on, I found it fun and realized I was enjoying it.” Lee Sedol joked, “It was harder than Go.”
Kang Ji-young stated, “I will introduce myself as a free spirit. Watching season 1, I thought the game would be really difficult and hard, but I found a memorization game that I thought I could try. I thought I could show my strengths, and I really wanted to participate because PD Jung Jong-yeon was producing it,” and added, “Even if I die, I will fight gloriously. I participated with the mindset that I wouldn’t just be passive, and I think I have achieved something.”
Yoon So-hee said, “I’m not the type to enjoy survival. I don’t like competition, so I didn’t participate when I was approached for a similar program in the past, but I thought I could try it since PD Jung Jong-yeon was doing it and a player I knew from season 1 was participating. I thought I should work hard like my acquaintances from season 1.”
Chuu shared, “I enjoyed watching ‘Devil's Plan’ and wanted to experience a fierce survival. I gathered my courage to challenge myself as a new player to see a new side of me.”
Lee Seung-hyun expressed, “I watched all of PD Jung Jong-yeon’s previous works and wondered, ‘Why haven’t they called me?’” and added, “I am a goal-oriented person. I have earned a pretty title, so I want to earn a smart title as well,” showing his enthusiasm.
Jung Hyun-kyu said, “While watching season 1, I thought I could do well if I participated, and I was honored when I was approached. Filming ‘Devil's Plan’ was a time for me to see a side of myself that I didn’t know and to grow further.”
He continued, “While watching season 1, I didn’t understand the play of protecting the weak. I couldn’t comprehend that situation, but with the prison block in season 2 and the need for one person to be eliminated every day, I felt that this place is truly ruthless and that it’s hard for the weak to be protected.”
He also mentioned, “In my case, my friends like ‘Devil's Plan’, so when I said I would participate, they worried that I would be eliminated in just one day,” drawing attention.
Kyuhyun stated, “Having been active for a long time, I have appeared in many Netflix programs. Netflix is a platform I love, so I wanted to participate. I have supported others in becoming stars while working as a panelist or MC, but this time I was given the opportunity to act as a player after a long time.”
He added, “After much consideration, I thought, ‘Let’s go out whether it’s a success or a failure.’ I don’t know the result, but I worked hard and had fun. It will be a memory that lasts a long time.”
Kyuhyun also revealed, “A side of me that I didn’t know came out. I don’t think I can see it,” and shared, “In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I have created a mask of myself, but I threw that mask away and expressed anger, a sense of mission, and justice that I didn’t even know I had. I realized that I had this side of me.”
Kang Ji-young reiterated, “I will introduce myself as a free spirit. Watching season 1, I thought the game would be really difficult and hard, but I found a memorization game that I thought I could try. I thought I could show my strengths, and I really wanted to participate because PD Jung Jong-yeon was producing it.”
She added, “Even if I die, I will fight gloriously. I participated with the mindset that I wouldn’t just be passive, and I think I have achieved something.”
When asked if he felt any pressure, Lee Sedol replied, “I’m not someone who overestimates my abilities, so I didn’t feel pressure,” and added, “Once I entered the set, I could feel that the production team had put a lot of effort into it. The game was also very fresh. Thanks to that, we enjoyed the game while having fun. I hope the viewers enjoy it as well.”
Kang Ji-young confidently stated, “Dopamine will burst,” sparking curiosity.
‘Devil's Plan 2’ will release episodes 1-4 on May 6.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
