During the press conference for the new SBS drama 'Spring of Youth' (written by Kim Min-chul, directed by Kim Sung-yong) held in the afternoon of April 28th at the SBS building in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, Ha Yoo-jun expressed, "It was an incredibly happy and exciting opportunity, and I thought to myself that I must seize it. Also, after finishing 'Spring of Youth', our band will make its debut, and I will do my best to excel in that as well."
'Spring of Youth' is a youth music romance drama where the star of the top K-pop band group, Sagye (played by Ha Yoo-jun), gets kicked out of the team and, through twists and turns, starts college life where he fatefully meets Kim Bom (played by Park Ji-hoo) and makes a splendid comeback. Notably, Ha Yoo-jun, who plays the male lead Sagye, is a member of the boy band AxMxP, set to debut later this year under FNC, meeting the public through 'Spring of Youth' before the band's official debut.
Ha Yoo-jun's debut process has been compared to that of CNBLUE member and actor Jung Yong-hwa, earning him the nickname "The Second Jung Yong-hwa". Jung Yong-hwa also met the audience as an actor before debuting with CNBLUE, through the drama 'You're Beautiful'.
Being juniors and seniors under the same agency, FNC, Ha Yoo-jun said, "I haven't had many chances to meet senior Jung Yong-hwa, but I admire him and gained energy by listening to his music during shoots," adding, "Being called 'The Second Jung Yong-hwa' is an honor. Since the senior excels in both music and acting, I hope to inherit that well."
'Spring of Youth' is directed by Kim Sung-yong, known for his stylish direction in 'The Veil' and 'My Dearest', and produced by 'band powerhouse' FNC, with 'drama kingdom' SBS handling the broadcast. It is anticipated to follow in the footsteps of the 2009 sensation 'You're Beautiful' as a youth music romance drama.
Director Kim Sung-yong, who cast Ha Yoo-jun as the lead, reminisced, "I remember the first time we met. The character Sagye is incredibly positive, bright, and energetic, and Yoo-jun gave off a lot of that energy when we first met. Thinking back, he showed boundless confidence. There was a special determination in his eyes, and he verbally expressed his determination to show what he's capable of, which really energized me. He already resembled Sagye in many ways."
Kim continued, "During the table read, the more we did it, the faster he grew. I was excited about his growth potential, and indeed, he absorbed everything like a sponge on set," praising Ha Yoo-jun's potential and noting, "His attitude and interactions on set were also outstanding. I believe this guy will receive a lot of love from viewers through 'Spring of Youth'."
Ha Yoo-jun credited senior Lee Seung-hyub for helping him adapt well to the set as everything was new to him. Lee Seung-hyub plays the role of Seo Tae-yang, a medical student at Hanju University and the strongest guitarist of the Hanju University band, who becomes the band leader based solely on his skills from his first year, forming a love triangle with Ha Yoo-jun and Park Ji-hoo.
Ha Yoo-jun said, "Senior Lee Seung-hyub was the senior I was closest to, felt most comfortable with, and could rely on at the shooting site. He approached me first, making it easier for me to focus on my role. I'm truly grateful." In response, Lee Seung-hyub said, "Since we needed to act comfortably with each other, I thought 'it'd be good if we could become more like friends', so we worked out together and had meals together. I'm really thankful for how well he followed along."
Meanwhile, 'Spring of Youth' will begin with special broadcasts of episodes 1 and 2 on May 6th (Tuesday) and 7th (Wednesday), airing every Wednesday night at 10:40 PM.
[Photo= Baik Seung-Chul]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)