Actor Lee Jeong-ha, who captured the hearts of global viewers as Bong-seok in 'Moving', is once again challenging the school genre with 'One'.
On the 28th, a production presentation for the Wavve original 'ONE: High School Heroes' (hereafter 'One') was held at Lotte Cinema in Gunja, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. Attendees included Lee Jeong-ha, Kim Do-wan, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Joo-ryeong, Yoo Hee-je, Yook Jun-seo, Lim Seong-kyun, and director Lee Seong-tae.
'One' is a high school action drama about Kim Ui-gyeom (played by Lee Jeong-ha), who suffers from his father's oppression, and Kang Yoon-ki (played by Kim Do-wan), who seeks to utilize his innate fighting talent, as they form the masked 'High School Heroes' to unleash their suppressed anger and overturn the hierarchy of school violence. It captures the class and hierarchy built on violence and the fearless counterattack of the High School Heroes through exhilarating action.
Based on the webtoon of the same name, 'ONE', which has accumulated 65 million views on Kakao Webtoon and won the '2020 Today's Our Cartoon Award'.
Director Lee Seong-tae introduced, "The original work is a truly great piece. The protagonists, Ui-gyeom and Yoon-ki, hide deep pain in their hearts. It is a school action piece that punishes bullies who engage in bad deeds like school violence."
He continued, "The original work is a remarkable piece," repeatedly praising the source material, "It cannot be expressed merely as a school action piece. It provides tremendous emotional impact. We tried our best to implement the original narrative. It has the same storytelling as the original."
What parts have been adapted? The director explained, "Ui-gyeom's mother is not well expressed in the original. We set up Ui-gyeom's mother and grandfather to enhance the protagonist's trauma stemming from the family traditions of violence and oppression passed down from his father."
He added, "Yoon-ki is cold and serious in the original. Many people like that aspect, but we changed it to lead the drama more flexibly. Both Ui-gyeom and Yoon-ki have hidden past narratives. When they are revealed, I felt it would be better to modify it to make Yoon-ki relatable and vivid. Other than that, we tried to implement the original as much as possible."
Lee Jeong-ha, who has established himself as a trend through the Disney+ drama 'Moving', is once again challenging the school genre with this work. He plays the role of Kim Ui-gyeom, who awakens his suppressed fighting instincts.
Lee Jeong-ha described, "Ui-gyeom is a character suffering from his father's oppression. While only aiming for medical school, he realizes his talent for fighting after transferring schools. He is a cool character who turns the school hierarchy upside down."
Lee Jeong-ha expressed his desire to challenge the school action genre, saying, "Since I did a lot of action in the sky in 'Moving', I wanted to try it on the ground as well. I was able to shoot in a new and exciting way. It feels like a new challenge, and I'm happy about it."
He added, "I’m worried about getting scolded by my mom (in 'Moving'). I can't talk to Han Hyo-joo's mom. I also can't talk about my new mom and dad," he joked.
Kim Do-wan plays Yoon-ki, who sees Ui-gyeom's fighting talent and leads the formation of the High School Heroes. He is the architect who leads Ui-gyeom into the world of fighting by recognizing his hidden fighting instincts. He embarks on a journey to educate the bad guys alongside Ui-gyeom.
Kim Do-wan filmed numerous action scenes for this work. He explained, "Since there was a lot of action during filming, I went to an action school beforehand and practiced a lot of choreography. We matched the choreography from rehearsal until a few hours before filming. I remember focusing on safety while filming."
Director Lee explained the reason for casting Kim Do-wan, saying, "I wanted to work with him after seeing his previous works. He is a great person and acts attractively. Due to the nature of the work, Yoon-ki has to lead Ui-gyeom and drive the drama. I noticed that the actors could create chemistry on their own, as Jeong-ha relied on Do-wan." He added, "Also, he's good-looking. I think being good-looking is the most important thing."
Lee Jeong-ha stated, "The chemistry between the two of us is among the best in Korea. We were able to create explosive synergy by talking a lot."
Recently, there have been many dramas about school violence, such as the 'Weak Hero' series. Regarding this, the director candidly said, "I think it's an important issue in Korean society," adding, "Since our work also deals with that aspect, I don't think we can avoid discussing what other works talk about."
He continued, "The discourse on violence presented in the original does not remain at a one-dimensional level. Not only the protagonists but also the villains appearing in each episode have wounds and pain in their hearts. We filmed large-scale action scenes in each episode, but I thought of them more as emotional scenes than action. It won't be an action that glorifies violence or is packaged in a violent aesthetic, but rather a more emotionally intense experience."
Finally, the director added, "In a so-called 'boss battle' concept, a new villain appears in each episode. There are various unique actions. Following the theme of the original, school violence does not stop at a one-dimensional level but also encompasses domestic violence and social violence pursuing sexual supremacy, thus presenting a heavy layer of violence."
'One' will premiere its first four episodes on Wavve on the 30th, with episodes 5 and 6 airing on June 6, and episodes 7 and 8 on June 13.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
