(Friendly Rivalry)
I'm Kim Tae-hee, the writer and director of Friendly Rivarly
Hello everyone
I'm Chung Su Bin, and I played Woo Seulgi
I\'m Hyeri, and I played Jeyi, hello everyone
I\'m Kang Hyewon, and I played Joo Yeri
I\'m Oh Woori, and I played Choi Kyung
Wow
Hasn\'t it been way too long?
How’s everyone been?
Feels like we’re on a talk show or something
Seriously, it’s just so…
Honestly, the moment I saw you, it's been forever
How were you?
We were all kinda awkward saying hi
How have you been, Director?
With the Blu-ray and the script book being released together,
I’ve been busy getting everything ready
Thanks to the autographs and messages you all sent,
it’s turning out great, getting it all prepped for publishing
I’m so curious
Have you all been doing well?
I think I first reached out about this back in May,
and now it’s been exactly a year since we last saw each other
Right
It feels so nice to be together again after a whole year
Wow
What about you, Woori?
I… I’ve been doing well
I’m back in school these days
Wait, you said earlier you were working on your graduation project?
Yeah, I’m filming my grad project
Come visit me on set!
I’m stepping into the role of director this time...
How about you Hyewon?
Me?
Yeah... I'm doing well too
I actually saw her not too long ago
We met up recently and had a meal together
Hyewon's kind of a flirting master
She kept asking
"When are you free?"
"Wanna grab a meal?"
And she even treated me that day
- Cool - Wow
- Great friend - Right
She always treats me
Not that mmuch
So I really wanted to return the favor
I went to the gym
Wait, when was that?
You say it like it’s some huge surprise
And honestly, I’ve never received
so many letters in my life
Oh, right
And whenever I had an offline event,
so many fans showed up
I feel like I gained a lot of fans from China too
I bet you've heard those things a lot too, director
They were saying it was good
Especially, there were praises for actors
As a director, hearing all that praise
made me genuinely happy
Specifically..?
"I never imagined they'd suit these roles"
Even though they're rookies,
their acting flowed so naturally
Not a single one felt out of place
Even the minor roles
What's your favorite scene?
Favorite scenes?
I feel like everyone’s favorite scene might be different
What do you think?
Raise your hand if you remember one
Ahh, there are just so many…
It’s hard to pick just one
Su Bin, what about you?
For me, maybe…
Still baby Kim JongKook
Even her mom.. She's ridiculously young
The closet… scene
Just incredible...
That baby Kim JongKook vibe..
I think it really comes alive when the audience sees it
Right, right
And then
with that extra layer added to the character…
For me, it was when Jeyi
goes to the bathroom with Nari
Oh right
Why'd you touch mine
without even thinking?
Huh?
You touched mine?
What's that
Why'd you
- touch mine - touch mine without thinking
Haha
I just loved that part
But honestly, when we were filming that
Was it hard?
Yeah
I was worried I'd mess it up
- Really? You did great though - I even messaged to the director
Right?
- Wasn’t that the first time I ever messaged you? - Yeah, it was
I texted the director,
I wanted to do well but I didn’t know how
Plus, it was a morning shoot
- Right - For real
There weren't others
Yeah
We were lonely
- How come nobody... - There was only Nari and Jeyi
Nari Nari
She's the best
- That was such a great scene - Thank you
- Yeah
Personally, I really liked the cafeteria scene
- Oh - Everyone was there
In that cafeteria scene,
These days, no matter how many supplements I take, I just can’t recover
Then quit smoking
Want to go get an IV drip?
I’ll call the clinic for you
Jeyi's dad’s IV drip really hits different
- The back-and-forth between Yeri and Kyung - Right
was so good
Thinking back now, if I had to choose one iconic scene,
it’d be the cafeteria scene
You picked the one with everyone in it
With Yeri, it's already a given, right?
That one?
- Yeri, yeah... - Yes, that one
It really left a strong impression
What part stood out the most to you?
I’m curious
It's the part...
Why is your face turning red?
Why are your ears turning red?
Wait a second...
It just looked so beautiful
I thought it looked really pretty
I mean, it could’ve been awkward
or uncomfortable
But honestly, there was none of that
It just felt so natural
So natural
I was surprised
Exactly, even viewers who got the script
I heard that specific part
was all worn out
There's a rumor like that
Director, what about you?
Oh, me?
Your favorite scene
My mind just went totally blank
Right?
Honestly, I have favorite scenes in every episode
But if I had to pick just one
- It's... - Hard
It's tough
Since Hyeri mentioned the “vitamin” scene
You're mine now
Do you want a secret?
The pills I gave you during midterms
Those were vitamins
I really liked the vitamin scene,
and even while editing it, I kept thinking
"Wow, they’re both acting so well"
There was a scene I thought like that
There was this scene where you’re doing CPR
During the dialogue there
You tanked your finals on purpose and asked your dad for those killer questions
That way you could get revenge
Huh, revenge?
Why would I do that?
You’ve really got it all twisted, don’t you?
Then why did you save me?
Your performances in that scene were
intense and the energy was amazing
It was freezing that day
Right
Seriously freezing
We were so cold
We were all soaking wet, wearing swimsuits and all
And it wasn’t even a real water set
- so the water was super murky too - Right, right
We both had to act while soaking wet
Constantly going in
and out of the water, trying to stay wet
enough for continuity
If we dried off, we jumped back in
So now, shall we watch the scenes together
and talk through them?
Yeah
The first scene
The first appearance scene
It's when Seulgi is out looking for meds
- Oh - Yeri
- Oh - The grand entrance
Looks like a montage of all the character introductions
The cinematographer said,
Yeri looks great here, but we should’ve zoomed in one more level
- Ahh - Yeah, right
Our cinematographer
who has to capture closely
- really know how to capture beauty - Yeah, right
I also loved the banter between those two in this scene
Totally
- Amitabha Budd.. - Amita..
Amitabha Budda
So cool
Those lines really captured each character well
How did you prepare for it?
- You two? - Yeah
- Honestly, we improvised a lot on set - We really did
Especially that cheek pinch
Right, Yeri
What part?
The cheek pinch
Oh really?
Oh, it's Jeyi
An epic entrance
This first appearance
For Jeyi's first appearance,
we went through so many music options
Oh wow
No wonder the music fit perfectly
At that time,
I was
super nervous
because of the English line
So
even though..
we shot this later,
- Yeah - It was
the most nerve-wracking day for me
- Right, it wasn’t even the first shoot - Exactly
I even asked to push that scene back
Right
In the schedule
When we were planning each character’s entrance,
Seulgi’s story starts with
medication shopping
What should I say
I wanted that scene to show her current reality,
the core theme of the story,
and the goal
she’s about to set through that medicine
I had to show this to audiences
So, actually, Seulgi appears
opening van doors both in kindergarten and middle school scenes
We aligned it
so her story starts
as she steps out of Byeongjin’s van
That's what we thought
For that first outfit,
I remember struggling with what to choose
The director said
we needed an outfit that showed Seulgi standing out
The first image...
Because our outfits are so iconic
- Right - I remember we thought about it a lot
For Yeri’s first appearance,
we wanted it to feel like
she walked straight out of a classic
American teen movie
Flashy, glitzy,
dressed in designer labels,
being dropped off by a guy in a sports car
We used those visual cues
to show she’s a girl who really puts herself out there
Someone beautiful,
clearly a major character at this school
One tricky part was that
sports cars are so low
It’s hard to
get out of them gracefully
even in pants
So I focused
really hard to make it look smooth
Kyung was all about calculation
representing that logical, refined mind
She’s the one
most focused on her studies,
and we wanted her to feel a bit old-fashioned
That "Amitabha Buddha" line?
Kyung's whole character is kind of based on Buddhism?
If you look at her room, you’ll see
- little Buddha statues - Oh my
Even the music has that wooden percussion sound
We stuck to that concept
Like the director said earlier
- she’s a character with a totally different vibe - Right
To make that kind of look,
director once told me
to act like a detective
Like Conan the Detective
So I tried to channel that
a bit of an obsessive type
who dives deep into one thing
That’s what I aimed
- Honestly, I think we improvised even more on set - Yeah, totally
- Especially the cheek pinch was ad-libbed - Right
Which one?
That cheek-pinching scene
Oh really?
That first appearance
For Jeyi's first entrance
- we went through so many music chocies - Oh, I see
No wonder the music felt so perfect
Jeyi was actually the last character to appear
We really debated how to show the arrival
of this queen-like character
Throughout the show, we wanted people to keep wondering
Is Jeyi a good person
or a bad one
That tension had to exist
So in her first appearance, we tried to...
show her as someone kind,
like helping an elderly flower vendor
The feeling of a neat leader
who clears up all the problems
that were not resolved in the hall at once
when starting the ceremony
And in contrast,
Su Bin's Seulgi,
right before that, the same old lady tried to sell flowers to her
but she couldn’t buy them
because she had no money
Meanwhile, Jeyi pulls out cash
and buys the whole bunch
That contrast was meant to highlight their character gap
Everyone’s entrance was so cool
So impactful
Because of the English lines
I was super nervous
- So even though it had been a while since we filmed it - Yeah yeah
That was still the most nerve-wracking day
Right, it wasn’t even shot in the first episode
When I first read the script
and thought about Jeyi
I just felt like she had to feel perfect
So I also put a lot of effort into how she looked
As you probably noticed
- really tall... - I was wearing really high heels
I even thought about that
I’m already tall,
the tallest of the cast
But I wanted to
feel like she's looking down on everyone from above
That was intentional
Yeah and people kept asking
"Why does she carry so much cash?"
Right
Seriously, I got that question a lot
They asked about that a lot
Is it because she sells pills and always has cash on her?
There were lots of theories like that
Interpretation-wise
She just has a lot of everything
Whatever you can imagine, she has it
Also the challenges...
- were so many - Just overwhelming
I kept thinking
Why did I imagine all this and make the staff and cast go through so much?
I usually write at night
During the day I just can’t write at all
But at night when I’m alone
and the feeling I get is really similar
to being underwater
When I shot my first project
I had to do an underwater shoot then too
I once watched actors
practicing scuba diving at a deep pool
I was watching from below
And it was dark, completely silent
Even I'm at the dark floor
I felt so at peace
That feeling I had back then
is actually reflected in the lines you say
Like “doesn’t it feel like being in a womb”
Those lines
I thought when Seulgi reaches peak concentration
What kind of setting would best show that?
And I wanted to express it visually
That’s how I ended up thinking of water
And in the story, the place Seulgi got lost is the sea
"What's water to Seulgi?"
"Does Seulgi like water?"
"Is she afraid?"
I got so many questions like that
Actually, my answer is
she loves the water
but that also holds fear
I wanted it to be both
So this underwater scene was designed as a space of deep concentration
Like the only oxygen is inside
A place of comfort
But when it came to actually shooting it
the actor really had a tough time
Right
Like, how are we even going to shoot this?
It’s like a Hollywood blockbuster with water crashing down
Yeah yeah
- I heard we went through many revisions - That’s right
We tried to find a realistic approach
that still felt technically polished
When Seulgi is sitting at the desk
studying underwater
Everything floats when you go into the water
Right
So we had to tie everything down
Tie the chair and everything
And then remove all the wires later with CG
Seulgi floated too
So she had to wear weights to sink
When I first read the script...
I was like wow how am I going to film this?
But it also felt exciting
I can’t really swim
But like the director said
Being underwater really gave me this sense of calm focus
For a long time
Maybe it matched so well to you
That stillness felt surprisingly nice
I really enjoyed being alone there
Everything else can be fixed
- But the paper... - Yeah, the paper
- Once it gets wet... - It rips
It dissolves and tears apart
We did coat it for waterproofing but it still didn’t hold up well
Since we couldn’t let it tear
- we filmed it in slow motion - Handled it like a baby
We were in the water for so long
So when the paper got too soft, we had to go back up
and replace it
Because of the paper
we taped some pages of the workbook down
- We did everything we could - Even taped them but the loose sheets
Because Seulgi had to flip them
That’s right
Even the bark on the desk was coming off
You don’t see it in the final footage
But we fixed all of it with CG, repainted and patched up every detail
Oh
Such a memorable scene
- Right - I know
It’s the ending of episode 1
Right
Seulgi being dragged off
The “I picked you” scene
We actually shot that multiple times
Since it’s the ending
Yeah, from different angles, slow motion
Even shot from the corners...
We probably filmed that quite a bit
I feel like that was the beginning of the flirting
The director was like...
At first, look at me
and later
turn around
So I thought that was weird and asked
"Why?"
That was quite weird
So I asked why and she just wanted me to do that
I thought, isn't that strange?
Why not just say to Seulgi?
Your MBTI has S
I could say to Seulgi
I was like that
The director told me to do that
and I did
- Huh? - It clicked better than expected
You were great from the first take
That’s when I realized why you suggested it
When we shot the hand-holding scene
This is real behind-the-scenes
- When we held hands - Yeah
I wanted it to look cool
So I tried to
flex the veins
What? Seriously?
We filmed it
when we did insert shot
Really?
Like pumped-up veins?
So, in most hand insert scene
I kept doing this
When they said "action", I'd be like..
Oh my god...
That's how the sexy veins happened
But it works
For real
My hands are pretty small
So if I just held hands normally, it wouldn’t look impressive
You wanted to make it look like a powerful grab, right?
I couldn’t change the size
- So I emphasized the veins - Added detail
I wanted to capture the small details
And for me, since I was being grabbed
It gave that fluttery feeling
It caught me off guard
From that day on...
What?
Whenever Jeyi was around,
I felt like I turned into Seulgi
Nari is so young
- She was the youngest... - And the experience
This was actually her first project
- Right - Really?
The moment I saw her,
I felt like she was perfect for Nari
Her diction was so sharp
She really nailed that impactful pop-in pop-out role
Nari, hope you're doing well
Even the choreography
When we were writing the script, we did a ton of interviews
Not every area is like this
But Chaehwa Girls’ High School world
On places like Gangnam’s top school district
We met students from there
We researched a lot of current issues
and documentaries
We did a lot of interviews
At one point a huge scandal broke out
over this traditional medicine called Chongmyeong-tang
So, for Korean traditional medicine, Chongmyeong-tang
There were even moms in Gangnam
getting illegal prescriptions
for ADHD meds
So their kids
could study better and not sleep
There were real cases like these
One school nurse in Gangnam
inspected students’ bags
And found a bunch of those pills
When asked how they got them,
the kids said their moms gave them
There were so many cases like this
so that there was even a joke going around
that if your mom doesn’t give you those meds
she might not be your birth mother
Of course it’s not everyone
But these things were happening
So I tried to reflect that metaphorically in our story
That’s also why Seulgi takes those pills
And when Seulgi enters Chaehwa High
We wanted her to feel out of place
So we made that scene intentionally exaggerated
Kind of...
bizarre
Grotesque
Right
It felt like that
Like the setting the Buddhist charcter
she took Gongjindan
In the script, Yeri's a bit obsessed with dieting
So she takes certain meds
We set up details like that for each character
So, Jeyi doesn’t take any medication at all?
Jeyi... She had that scene
where she spits out the pills her dad gives her
But the one thing I do think
she might take is
something for insomnia
I guess she had meds
that can help with insomnia
She always seems to be in a heightened, alert state
That was the setup for her character
Every character had so much detail
Even the medications...
There are rumors the director
- is kind of a maniac - A lot of people have said that
Every scene is packed with hidden details
I think people enjoy discovering those things
I'm grateful for that
- That girl was terrifying - Yeah
But the stunt team really did such a great job
They were from an action school
Oh really?
- That's why... - No wonder they were so good
Two of them were from the action team,
the other two were regular actors
But I thought all of them were actors
Turns out
I’d actually worked with the stunt team before
Really?
In a previous project
one of them had taught me a lot back then
So I felt more at ease
- Oh, you knew them - Yeah, I...
I know you went to action school
I’d trained with them
for a long time while working on
another project
So it gave you some peace of mind
Oh, right
That's why
What I was worried about, honestly,
was the heat
- I thought I’d turn into dried squid - Because it was so hot?
It was on a rooftop
I wasn’t sure we’d be okay
But luckily there was some shade
That helped a lot
And the rain that came after really cooled things down
The team made everything feel safe
- But they really pulled it off well - Right
Better than what was
- written in the script - Yeah
It was the middle of summer
Honestly, you could’ve fried meat
or cracked an egg on that rooftop
That’s how hot it was
It was heating
But thankfully, we wrapped without any accidents
Su Bin really nailed the action scenes
Totally, she was so good
- Yeah - She knows how to use her body well
Her shoes though
Oh, right, they were heartbreaking
They were
and she wore the same pair
the whole time with Jeyi
Was that a detail?
Was that intentional?
Yeah, we decided to stick with just that one pair
A lot of people wanted to buy that cap
Right
That was actually our stylist’s personal item
So many people said they wanted to buy it
Honestly, more than baby Kim JongKook,
this scene hit me even harder
I was really grateful
moved even
Water as a theme
shows up throughout the whole drama
from start to finish
For Seulgi,
the rain symbolized trauma
When I wrote that scene,
I imagined the rain as fantasy
Meaning, the rain was falling only in Seulgi’s heart
Whether it actually rained or not
was left ambiguous
Some people reading the script
thought it was real
or not
But to me, that rain
was only for Seulgi
Whe Jeyi appears,
the rain reverses
and clears up
That was meant to symbolize
someone pulling her out of danger
Yes, so that day,
I honestly didn’t think there’d be rain
I didn't think
- think there'd be rain - Oh, yeah
I couldn't think of it
But when we got to filming, it had to be raining
It's raining?
I think I skimmed that part
So
they handed me a raincoat
I’d done my hair nicely but they gave me that raincoat
I really had it pulled all the way over
walking like this
Inside, I was totally freaking
But when I approached Seulgi
that was the moment I had to look serene
Right, like a goddess
The script literally said, “with a serene smile”
Exactly, it was written just like that
A serene smile
I thought about that a lot
What kind of smile would that be
It came off a little cheesy
It didn’t really feel serene
I was trying really hard
You gave me so many
great tips on set
After you put the cap on me
if I looked you more,
it means I keep looking at you
Just a slight turn of the eyes
makes it look prettier
That was one of your amazing tips
After I put the cap on Seulgi
Su Bin was in full panic mode
She wanted to get out of there fast
Because she felt like she was about to break
She ran straight
for the emergency exit
when I told her to go
So, I remember saying,
“could you just look at me for one second before you go?”
A lot of people asked
why was Jeyi looking at her phone
Break starts at 50 after
- It was 49 - Yep
- So I was checking that - Right
This is the setting to look at the phone
for that break time that is less than a minute away
So, if the students come pouring out,
it’ll be harder to find Seulgi
That was the logic
So calculated, so precise
That scene with the skateboard
- I heard the actor did it herself - She did
When she auditioned, we asked if she could skate and she said yes
Even in Jeyii’s prologue,
when she goes downhill, she did that herself too
That’s not easy
The prologue scene for Jeyi
was the scene where I put the most thought into
I spent two weeks just on that prologue
- Wow - 2 weeks for just that part
and the rest of the script took another two weeks
I wanted each prologue to be special
I wanted it to feel kitschy
Like it had some animated,
imaginative elements
Each scene
had to change a lot
With child actors
and all kinds of playful setups
So even while translating it into the final footage,
it felt like it could be animated
I hoped it would have that kind of
whimsical look
Those scenes reflect
Jeyi’s inner mind
Like, all the kids who smile at her while wearing masks
can shoot her once she turns her back
She even gets shot with arrows in her dreams
Like this
Psychologically scared
A kid who seems perfect
But because of her father’s Cain and Abel complex
she can’t trust anyone, and it was meant to show that kind of Jeyi's thought
Even that Amen scene you all love
Originally, I wore a cardigan
But I felt like
it didn’t express the vibe well
It made me look less crazy
And I’d never
actually prayed before
I remember saying that to the director
But still, I went full in
on that religious-fanatic big sister role
And in the club scene, there was no music
Right
No music but I had to dance
What was hard for me was
the script described Jeyi
as smiling while her eyes filled with tears
But it’s really hard to do both at the same time
Surprisingly hard
It sounds easy but it’s not
It's easy to write
Yes, because
when you cry first, then smile, the tears fall
Right
So holding the tears without letting them fall was really tricky
I worried whether it would come across well
We did a lot of takes
Even when I thought it was okay
Hyeri wanted to go again
But thanks to that, we got a really good final shot
Thank God
That scene in the sports car where I drink beer was hilarious
I kept trying to make the other actor drink it too
Right
That full cut is seriously funny
So funny
The director couldn’t even be in the car
He was following in another vehicle
I was keep saying
"Just go free"
"Hey, go free"
So I was pouring, feeding
and the actor was like
"Why aren't you drinking?"
If you see the full footage,
it's so fun
I want to see it again
There was so much to do in that scene
You were...
Clap
Can’t believe you trashed me like that
That was harsh
Done
That study room was way bigger
- than I imagined - It was huge
It was so big that it was like
the art director poured the whole budget into it
It seems like a space that well represents
the J Medical Center, which is much wealthier that we thought
And yeah,
the space itself was already massive
When I first wrote the script
I pictured a much darker atmosphere
But it turned out bright and airy
So, it was almost like...
Should I say that it feels like a plant
that grows without turning off the light?
It makes the plant to think it's still daytime
and makes them grow rapidly
It felt like that kind of artificial greenhouse-like space
I think the script even used the term
“sterile room”
A space with not a speck of dust
But actually, this space didn’t belong to Jeyi,
it was closer to Taejun’s space
That’s why the contrast between the study room and the director’s office matters
Taejun watching over the kids from above through that glass wall
That was the key
And the closet scene where both characters hide inside
There was a similar hiding scene in the source material
so I pulled it from it
I liked the tension there
The way characters have a conversation,
and split into face-offs
It was interesting
That really played into the class president election later
In this project, you really
- paid attention to color too, right? - Right
Was the study room part of that too?
Yeah, for sure Yellow wardrobe was specially prepared
That yellow was meant to give
Seulgi a sense of comfort
Because she was a kid who got lost
wearing a blue princess dress instead of a yellow uniform
To Seulgi, yellow represents belonging
A desire to be part of something
She wants to be one of them
A certain desire to be an included member of someone
She’s a rootless kid,
drifting
So when she sees that yellow wardrobe,
there’s a moment of, “Is this a space I can trust?”
I wanted that place to give
that kind of psychological comfort
Also, there’s that scene where Jeyi gives her a school uniform
take her off
- and she put it on - That wasn't in the original story
Jeyi put the uniform to her
That whole part, the director gave a lot of direction
Oh, really?
She said
that she wants it to feel very sensual
Even referenced the movie
"Phantom Thread"
Yeah, I remember
That made me think, “Okay, we’ve got to push this tension up”
You’ve got a great memory
Of course
How was it for you, Su Bin?
It felt like someone else was trying to undress me
Don’t the stylists usually do that?
They don’t?
- Taking clothes off, we usually do ourselves - Oh really?
I get help when undressing
Oh, do you?
Yeah
Normally, unfastening is
So it felt like…
And someone touching my collarbone like that…
I was like, "What?"
But aside from that
I actually felt really comfortable inside that wardrobe
I did worry about getting caught
But Jeyi shielding me when others were talking badly about me
and the way she moved clothes around to cover me
That space, with Jeyi, was maybe where I felt most at ease
So I gave her that gift
Fool
Totally fell for it
Got played
That scene really showed the chemistry of all four of us
The way
Yeri and Kyung bounced off each other
It was so good
It was genuinely charming
They were a perfect match
For ad-libs, that kind of chemistry is everything
And they totally had it
Their sync was
incredible
Honestly, I was acting as Jeyi
But if I had to be Yeri or Kyung, I think it would've been tough
Those lines were long
Plus the news article lines
Yeah
Right
And that...
the alerts going off
Those alerts
The KakaoTalk alerts
They had to
notice it
Then pretend not to
There were a lot of things
But, for us
Was it hard?
Actually, not that much
But when the two of you were hiding in the wardrobe
- we went outside - Rehearsed a lot
While we were shooting?
We kept trying things out
Like, “What if I did this to you?”
So we figured a lot of it out beforehand
When it came time to film, it wasn’t that difficult
We finished pretty quickly, honestly
Yeah, all our scenes wrapped faster than expected
Inside the wardrobe actually took longer
Since there weren’t any lines, we went more by feeling
Both of them led the flow really well,
and followed naturally
I remember watching the monitor
thinking,
“Wow, they’re killing it”
As soon as I went in,
honestly, it was kind of funny
It was actually pretty hard
We had to squat down in there
- So.. - We were wearing a skirt
So I laid my hand on my chest
Oh right, that was your ad-lib
It felt so natural
That wasn’t even in the script
But it worked so well
There’s nothing in the fridge but water
Just looking at it makes me hungry
The angle matters
How did Kyung feel
when switching books?
Me?
I was trying to keep the angle meaningful
But in the end, I just gave up
I was angry, and also…
Yeah, sorry
Making stuff up on the spot is hard
But maybe
it led me to a career that suits me better
It was a good choice
You didn't know at the time
Yeah, I didn't
So, Kyung kind of came off snappy
Yeah
Want to get hurt?
Kyung, do you want to get hurt?
Huh?
If it’s not a prepared script, Kyung can’t do it
Oh, really?
Ad-libbing?
I was actually shocked during that scale scene
I looked lighter than expected
The clothes were thin and I was in shorts
So I was confused
It didn’t seem
realistic
So I asked the director if we could CG the number
And they did it so well
The number you saw was CG..
Right
If you step on it a little from behind, the number changes
When someone put foot from behind
Foot...
For the insert shot, they CG’d just the number
But if I put my foot behind...
If I was there
I'd say like "hold on"
and lightly placed my foot there
I'm not as thin as it was during the time of Friendly Rivarly
That was the skinniest I’ve ever been
I also
tried to show a lot physically
I didn’t sleep much
on set
Yeah, because your face swells if you sleep
Exactly
Right
I barely slept
What about Woori? Did you sleep well?
Me? I think I slept okay
Class president election
Ugh, so annoying
I really liked that scene
When Kyung
starts to lose it
The tension in the room...
And it sets her up against Jeyi
Right
So mean
It was tough for me
Reading the script,
I honestly thought Seulgi seemed like such a bumpkin
I thought I’d totally win
But when we actually acted it out, she was so strong
I felt totally intimidated
Even while shooting?
Yeah, so I had to keep
forcing myself to stay energized
And usually, I never say I’m nervous
- But before that scene, I said it a lot - Yeah
I kept saying, "I'm nervous"
That scene
kept getting pushed back
So I was stuck in this loop of anxiety
I kept doing that with the tension of really waiting for the class president election
- I don’t think we even shot it in order due to lighting - Right
That made it harder for the actors
to keep their emotional arc
But you did great
Really?
Whoa
Thank you
A lot of people really liked that storyline
It was popular
When I saw Jeyi in that scene,
just watching from behind, controlling everything
It really felt that way even on set
I was like,
“Let’s see how this goes”
I did like that
It actually made me feel kind of sad
Why? Why?
Your line was like that too
That was then
You talked behind my back
I didn't know you would find out
When we filmed karaoke, we couldn’t see the screen
Because the camera was here
and we film as if the camera is the screen
So we couldn't see the lyrics
So, guess what?
Even if you memorize the song, you always check the screen in karaoke
But wit no screen,
I was like, “Wait, what was the next line?”
So I messed up a few times
I'm not sure but
I think the director sang the song for us during that scene
- Oh, yeah - Really?
It was her favorite song, so she sang it better than we did
Since it was my favorite song,
so I sang it myself, instead of playing the track
You followed my lead
Yeah, right
She's actually a really good singer
Wish we could show you here
That wasn’t Su Bin’s first kiss scene, by the way
Really?
- It was shot elsewhere? - Yeah
I never had a kiss scene
That was a peck
So a kiss and a peck are different, I guess
Whoa
Ah
I mean, yeah
Yes
Right
It needs to be clearly explained
Yeah, it does
So I felt this
weird sense of superiority
Of course
I’d never done a scene like that before
So I was nervous about how to do it
But you handled it so well
Seriously
Actually, I think we spent most of that day just making foam
Right, that was the busiest part
And if the foam went down
Yeah
You could see our clothes underneath
So we were busy
Right
And when we actually filmed
I kept slipping
Yeah
You had to hold me tight
It seems like that
With her legs
She had to hold be with her legs
Like this?
Locking me in with her legs
The tub was big
So Su Bin’s body, I had to wrap her with my legs underwater
Really?
I was holding her with my legs
After shooting that scene, I kept wondering
"Were you okay after?”
Why?
I thought that later
Because I kept slipping
Makes sense
Didn’t dead skins come off?
Yeah, bubbles came off this much
I... just rinsed quick and went to bed
Classic you
You know what else
After the bathtub kiss scene
When I read the next script
I actually complained
why isn’t there another kiss scene
Fans argued that since the first kiss was in a dream
there should be another one in real life
Something to show Seulgi and Jeyi’s
feelings more clearly
So that suggestion kept coming up in the script feedback
But the story got so intense
There was no room for a kiss
Everyone was too busy investigating things
So the scene I squeezed in after wracking my brain
was the CPR scene
Right, right
That was a way to confirm their feelings
We received feedback asking for scenes with
some physical connection to be placed in the latter
So I seriously thought about it
and created that moment
If there was one more...
I liked that there wasn’t
Really?
Yeah, I did
That bittersweet,
one-and-done kind of feel
Yeah, that was nice too
There’s an interesting theory that the kiss was Seulgi’s dream
I actually thought maybe it wasn’t a dream
Our editor watched the scene and read the script
but still thought it was real
But I was like, no, it’s a dream
Why? It could totally be real
When watching the show, it felt like a dream
But reading the script,
you might think it really happened
I wanted that ambiguity
It was my intention
But then afterwards, I keep staring at Seulgi’s lips
At the ball pit scene
Yeah, like something might happen there too
In the script, it even says
things like “she wipes her lips”
I kept avoiding eye contact, only looking at her lips
And the fans totally caught on
They noticed the gaze
They knew the angle
- Scary - So sharp
They are so sharp
Sharp
That scene was tough to shoot
Right
Staying completely still
Custom-built
Yeah
That was a set, wasn’t it?
It was
She's such a great actor
So good
Direction was so...
I worked with her on other projects
Always impressive
- Played young Hyeri once, right? - Yep
Fans even remember that
So cute
And that striped t-shirt
Right, we matched everything to concept
Seulgi’s style was plaid
Kyung had a stripe obsession
That kind of thing
This scene was also...
Yeah
Seulgi was
just overwhelming
People were stunned
How did the Kyung's prologue come about?
Um...
So I heard this story from a parent at a prestigious girls' school in Gangnam
It’s a top academic school
But beyond grades,
she said her daughter felt anxious
because all her friends had sexual experiences and she didn’t
- Kids nowadays.. - Wow
I heard that story of her
through someone else
And I realized, "It’s not just academic competition"
There’s also pressure around experience
So I imagined Kyung would feel
insecure being behind Jeyi in that way
That’s how the boy who Kyung liked
turns out that he likes Jeyi
story came about
Honestly, a lot of that came from my own experiences
Like when a guy pretended to like me
just to get close
to my prettier friend
That kind of painful adolescence
A lot of that got projected onto Kyung
And then there’s the porn scene
where she ends up choking
Some people misinterpret that scene
They think Kyung is
having some erotic fantasy about Jeyi
But it's more about her inferiority complex
Even in those fantasies,
she can’t surpass Jeyi
So the choking is symbolic
almost like a twisted bed scene between them
- I directed like that a lot - Right
And it was my first time acting out a choking scene
It was scary
I didn’t know if I should actually apply pressure
But she really helped me
But your face turned bright red
You both acted your hearts out
I loved that scene so much
- Also, I naturally have some lip color - Oh right
So between takes
I’d pat foundation on my lips
- If you watch closely, they get paler and paler - Right
That washed-out look
I guess I felt guilty choking her
I gave her bellflower root as a gift
She had a cold too
Really?
She was like, "I'm sorry for chocking you today"
- Something good for the throat - I said, thanks
That was Yeri’s first filming day, right?
- Really? First shoot? - Yeah
Wow
- We filmed at the lake park first then came here - That's right
Yeri had a rough day
She did so well
She really did
Felt like a gift
It was in the script too
But the hair-down moment
That was the highlight
Whose idea was that?
Mine
As soon as I saw it
I was like, whoa
That’s so Yeri
I wanted her behavior to change depending on who she was with
Even when alone
So she’d tie her hair up for the teacher
Then let it down the moment the teacher left
to show the real Yeri
And that line is epic
“That’s why you need luxury brands”
Could’ve sounded cheesy
or awkward
You wanted to deliver it well for the weight
I was so curious how that scene would turn out
It came out scarier than
- I imagined - Right
I didn't know
I think I even
planned every single move at home
Like, I’ll do this, then this
It was very calculated
The lights cut out
It felt like a thriller
Su Bin shines in these kinds of genre scenes
She brings such energy
I think she planned everything alone at home
She calculated all the acts and done it
Also, the water coming in
- that was all done manually - We used our hands
Really?
I wondered how you did that
But if the shoes got wet, we had to change
And she only had one pair
Also had to mop up all the water after
Right
So we tried to get it in one take
Phew...
Yeah...
Actually, that was harder than the CG
Yeah
The physical part was tougher
The CG was more work in post
What about the mirror water shot? Was that real too?
- Nope - No, no
The mirror was just a trick
But I had fun
I was so curious how they’d shoot that
I wondered how it’d be done
So curious
They used buckets to make the water flow like waves
That helped me focus
The timing was perfect
Just the right beats
That rhythm is key
It helped me relax
Even the door was moved
by a person behind it
- The music was so electronic... - Yeah
It fit so well
That track was actually
a variation of the underwater theme
when Seulgi first took the pills
Really?
We wanted to keep the water imagery in the music
So we connected it to the OST, sung by our artist
For me, that was the most surprising scene I didn’t shoot
The festival scene had so much to show
Totally
It was so hot that day
More than anything else, right?
I wasn’t in the blind date booth scene
But they worked so hard
Who was in the blind date booth?
Seriously
we were dripping sweat
It felt like a teen movie from overseas
The festival was the last light moment, after that, things got serious
So we wanted it to feel like
a fun, playful amusement park
When we budgeted everything,
we decided to invest heavily in the festival scene
The ball pit came out so colorful and cute
- That ball pit was originally a water slide, right? - Yeah
- Remember that? - Yeah
- I remember as balls - The balls?
- Ball? - Oh, yeah
You and I were inside water
- riding on ball - Right
- Inside that, we were like this - Oh, right
The shape was like a pool
So it visually connected to the bathtub kiss
Even the lighting was similar
- It really sucked me in - Like a swamp
- I tried it - You did?
It was fun
But super hot inside
Of course
Always comes back to the heat
From my perspective, the festival
was the turning point when Jeyi’s feelings
for Seulgi became clear
It was right after the health check-up scene
Our emotions lined up
perfectly with the fireworks and ball pit
Then she meets her dad
After that, everything felt more certain
Oh, and this happened
During the fireworks,
people thought we were going to kiss again
And got mad when I interrupted
Got mad for
ruining the mood
I'm sorry
Total Z.E
What's Z.E?
- Zero Empathy - Oh
Jeyi’s probably never heard that before
You’re the first girl who ever called me pitiful
- Right - Exactly
Seulgi probably didn’t phrase that very gently
I’ve heard that a lot
She’s so nice to her, why is she always grumpy
Yeah, I’ve heard that too
When I said that line
I thought, “Why does this feel off?”
Have I become Jeyi now?
I told the director like that
But really,
isn't it better than just being a good person?
- Yeah, kind of - Right
I didn't want Dohyuk to be purely good
I hoped he’d be someone open to interpretation
Like, does his death have to be only sad?
I wanted people to question that
That line gives Jeyi a wake-up call
So MBTI T...
Too much T
You meant that, right?
I really did
And from Jeyi’s perspective,
when she thinks about her dad
Sometimes,
having no dad is better
than a bad one
Bang bang bang
You and Jeyoon's facial expressions
is seriously cute
Right
Jeyoon too
The full shot of you just zoning out
Jeyoon tilted head a bit too
So cute
I’m a justice warrior
I really think Kyung’s such a multidimensional character
She keeps showing her righteous side
But she’s also kinda off
Like just 2% short
- Now that I think of it - Sure
I was so stressed about the knife
- I wrapped it in a towel - Right
and tucked it behind my back
I kept thinking, “What if I stab myself?” while acting
There was even a scene where we said, “Check the locker”
- We really debated where to hide that knife - Totally
Oh yeah, I kept standing super straight
Like, “I’ll protect this with my body”
What if I actually get stabbed?
And the knife had blood and fingerprints on it
If you wrap it in a towel
Exactly
All that gets ruined
That’s the 2% she’s missing
But still, she meant well
Of course
Her heart was in the right place
Right
- After things got all serious - Yeah
- There's sudden - So goofy moment
It's rare goofy moment
It was so funny
You crushed that scene
Her outfit really gave her power
Kind of scary, honestly
Was that line ad-libbed?
Yup
Oh yeah
I usually never ad-lib
But this time,
I drew strength from the outfit
That whole episode was for Kyung
She was always the model student in her uniform
But here, we got to show a different side of her
When we think why this happened...
the glasses...
Yeah
You have to take them off later
So I kept thinking, “How do I make that natural?”
And then I was like, “I’ll just take them off”
- I loved that ad-lib - Me too
The original line was something like, “I already ordered drinks”
Because of this, I said "yes"
and put them off
Even I got butterflies
Then why’d you wear the glasses in the first place?
I can’t see without them
I can’t go out like this
True
That 2% again
Ah, I see
She’s never been to a club before, right?
Yeah
I was kind of shy about those stockings
I’d never worn anything like that
But once I put them on, it felt
a little… wild
- I became so confident - Did you?
I wasn’t embarrassed by anything
Didn’t you say it was your first time
at a club?
Not really
I went once with a friend, ages ago
But surprisingly,
a woman offers me a beer at that scne
But one time,
a woman really
did that to me
at a club...
Had a similar episode?
- Yeah, I had - For real?
I wondered how did the writer got this?
Deja vu
- I know - You've got that popular-with-girls-vibe
- You looked cool today - Thanks
What did Seulgi think?
It was your first time really dressing up for the show
Yeah, I didn’t realize it at first
Delicately
my every dance lines
Right
That precisely
That’s why it was really hard to sync movements
Especially with the other team members
So sneaky
- You wore it on other days too - Yeah
With the injury makeup and everything
Plus more effects later
Was that intentional?
Uh… well…
No, actually
It just kind of happened that way
But fans kept saying
she must've picked that outfit on purpose
That's what they say
So let me clarify here, that was not intentional
While I was researching on social media and online
I came across something from 1950s Soviet Union
Back then, people illegally listened to music
and they used X-ray films,
scratched to make bootleg LPs
I saw the image first
Found it while googling
And thought, if we used this in the drama
it could really hit as Seulgi’s emotional trigger,
visually shocking too
Plus it shows Taejun’s madness
as a collector
So we used it
When I first read the script,
I honestly didn’t get it
I read it over and over
Then realized, oh, this could be an LP
If you search “X-ray LP” on Google
there are tons of images
Wow, I didn’t know
Also, when sending the anonymous letter,
wondered should we
print the document
or the famous one
- cutting out each letter - Right
From the magazine
Cut out from a magazine
and glue it on with tweezers
We debated a lot
One of Kyung’s keywords was hysteria
It really was
So we thought, even if you paint with many colors
If you cover it all in black,
you can’t tell what’s underneath
Just like people, what we show on the surface
might be hiding
all kinds of real colors underneath
And the content of the letter
was exposing secrets
about Dohyuk and Jena
So we wanted to reflect that
The act itself
scratching through black crayon
to reveal color
When doing that,
that scratchy, hysterical energy
the vibe peeling off with the sharp one
felt so in tune with Kyung
That’s why we used the grattage method
Even the title design came from that image
It really...
captures the whole tone of our drama
For the final episode, we wanted a brighter feeling
So we removed the black
and let full colors of our characters show
and used white text on a soft background
- Each prologue episode had its own color - Yes, exactly
Each character had their assigned color
So we matched the pencil colors
and changed the main title
details accordingly
What was your color?
Mine was yellow
What was mine?
Blue
I was pink
Mine was green
That’s right
Ding ding ding
Even the mechanical pencils
were all in blue for me
- Everything was blue - Please stop
Please stop
So obsessively detailed, right?
I remember that
But people really noticed the colors
They’d spot all the
little things on first look
In this scene too, the moment Jeyi saw Jena,
must've been such a shock
Even for Jeyi
I imagined
what Jeyi must’ve been feeling
This scene
had so much action
The part
where she pulls Jena out, physically chasing
And with the dad,
at first we wondered, "Should he grab her collar? Choke her?"
But those
didn't come across well visually
So we tried shoving her into the wall
Tried lots of things to get the right impact
That scene stuck with me too
When I was writing the script,
I cried a lot
I got really emotional writing that scene
It's one of my favorites
The actors did such a great job
Even during editing, I kept tearing up
Honestly, dad Tajun
is a terrible father in the drama
But in real life, he's super sweet
- He's kind of playful - He's so nice
He's so sweet
that even in the serious scene,
we were smiling when filming
When I film serious scenes
I try not to actually get too serious
I like to keep the mood light
And luckily that matched well with him
If you stay stuck in that emotion after “cut”
Sometimes it makes the acting less natural
I'm like that
So I try to pull out completely between takes
- More like "okay, let's go" - Right, and then go snap right into it
She's not the type to get super serious before “action”
she usually jokes around until the last second
then ump into the scene instantly
One time, the cinematographer told me
he loved that style
He said to me like that
You have a great focus in the moment
- Some actors don’t work well like that - Yeah, true
But Taejun was the same
So was I and the DP too
- So we didn't need many takes - Right
- We talked through the script a lot before shooting - Yes, yes
But once we started, the acting just clicked
When Jena shaved her head,
she looked too cute
Looked like a cute chestnut
She was supposed to look shocking, but was so pretty...
- So pretty - I know
I even said,
“She looks too pretty”
But we filmed it anyway
After the final scene, you teared up a little, right?
Me? No
Didn’t you cry that day?
Even though you said in the behind-the-scenes that you didn’t cry but you did
You always say no
A little?
Unlike my intention,
some viewers thought Jeyi looked
too happy that Jenna failed her exam
But honestly, Jena failing wasn’t the point
When we discussed the script,
the real point was, Jeyi is the daughter of a medical center director
His perfect trophy child
Jena, failed
This is his failure as well
I wanted Jeyi's joy come from that
- Seulgi sees this scene early on - Right
So we talked a lot about
how much to express
And wasn’t that you first scene with Taejun?
Oh, yeah, almost
At first, it looks like a happy moment between father and daughter
But by episode 14, she realizes
their relationship isn’t what it seemed
in a different angle
That made it a hard scene to act
Did they seem happy to you?
So happy
At the time, I had no shoes I liked
- Not even socks - My socks had holes
A hole
But it looked so cool
So powerful
Like Detective Conan
- That must’ve been a tough line to memorize - Totally
It really suited Kyung
She has those little moments of excitement
- So cute when that happens - Right, right
- She gets all giddy - Yeah
- And thinks she looks cool - I know
- She's hyped - Adorable
They’re total opposites
What should I say
From Kyung's view, someone like Yeri
could seem like a total airhead
Even hateable
- But they’re actually best friends - Yeah
Only people who really trust each other
can tease each other like that
I built their characters
around that tiki-taka vibe, which I thought it matters
When I first read the script,
I thought I’d be the one taking the lead
Got it wrong
Thought I’d have her following me around
But on set, she totally took over
So I just followed
And you know, ad-libs?
She had tons of improvs
- Right - So many
Right, really
Like that cheek pinch on the way to school
or
moving the spinach on the tray
Yeah, those things
Whatever I did,
she reacted so naturally
- Like it was in the script - Yeah
As if it was in the script already
That’s why it worked so well
While you two were filming,
we were hanging out in the back of the classroom
- Chatting - Chatting
- Snacking - Right
People brought so many snacks
We had them
and I gave those to
3rd grade class 2 friends
Watching you two really felt like a real high school classroom
So cute
Even though we’re not that young, right?
Why are you looking at me?
Aren’t you the second oldest here?
I am
Right
Why are to pretending to be young?
You’re about the same age as me
So mature
But these two
- and Su Bin - Right
and Chaewon
both look so young
Really
When I found out you were older than me, I was surprised
Really?
I was surprised a bit
Maybe it's the round cheeks
I thought we were the same age or so
- I'm older - Good
- Unnie - Woori
- Feels like Tom and Jerry even in real life - Totally
Adorable
I hope it lasts forever
Let’s stay close forever
I loved the hair-pulling scenes
Same
- I saw it in person - Yeah
You nailed it
It was great that day
So fun
But after “cut”
We filmed the insert shot
of the fallen medicine and there was so much hair everywhere
There shouldn't be
So we had to clean it all up
The director really likes symmetry
I'm obsessed with visual patterns
She'd always say, "Do this first,"
"wear this first"
Because we already filmed
from a certain angle
Right
This scene
You were worried about
views understanding this scene
That's right
Because so much was skipped...
It wasn’t shown directly
But the viewers amazed us
They caught everything
Even the Dive IDs
They found everything
- I was shocked - They found then all
- Didn't need to worry - I know
That's what I thought
As you said,
that scene was a visual metaphor for Jena’s prologue
The only person
Jeyi truly loved and felt loved
by was her sister
She was willing to sacrifice everything
to save her and give every love she got
It was that kind of scene
Some people asked why Jeyi wasn’t wearing a life vest
Of course, she’d want to live
But I think in her mind,
death was an option
But she wanted her sister to live no matter what
Even if Jena died too,
that’d be better than staying here
So they escaped together
Did you ever consider an ending where Jeyi dies?
I don’t think so
She started out wanting to die,
but in the end, she didn’t
That growth came from
meeting Seulgi
I thought of the ending as a character who originally had death as a goal,
not dying
When I think of Jeyi’s ending, it still breaks my heart
What was she thinking when she saved Jena?
What was behind that decision?
It really hit me
There are also things like
There are endings of four of us
and Jeyi's ending is clearly shown in the back
But some viewers turned off the drama before that
Really?
So, a lot of people asked, "Did Jeyi died?"
What happened?
You have to watch until the credits
Because Seulgi’s
voiceover ends
It seems like an end
but then the darkness fades and there she is
But some people missed it
Was it that boring?
Or did they cry so hard they stopped?
Jeyi is alive, everyone
All four endings
showed such distinct colors
Right
- For Yeri's ending, original webtoon writer - Yeah
made a cameo
So true
Would you like to order?
You’re even prettier in real life
You know who I am, right?
But I don’t think I’m meant to
live quietly in this life
Honestly,
I didn’t think she’d pick that path
I thought Yeri would..
What do you think Yeri would be like
in the future?
What kind of future?
Based on what Hyewon imagined
I think Kyung
would have a big influence... on me
I told Kyung
"My secretary"
It fits, right?
Yeah, not bad
Fine?
I thought that was nice
Like an office manager
I like that
Like a lawyer
or prosecutor's assistant or something like that?
Assistant...
That could work
But I think they’d stick together
What was Kyung’s ending?
I got into law school thanks to you
Too busy with law books to date
Let’s go
- Kyung's studying law - No interest in dating
Yeah, right
She's not into dating,
or guys
She found freedom her own way
and also her fun
You can’t deny your roots
How’d you cast Kyung's mom?
She looks so much like her
Looks like a real mother and daughter
I knew her from school
We worked together before
I thought she’d be a great match
When both of them appeared,
I wanted this kind of reactions
So I matched their hairstyles
and even gave them the same glasses
- Wow - Seriously
They're the similar height too
Right, on our first reading day, she asked for my number
wanted to know the brand of my glasses
Said she'd match her
look to mine
They look so alike
I know
It felt like I was there even when I wasn’t
You know
how friends who look like their moms
Even if they fight
- They end up just like their moms - Yeah
It’s like they follow
the same path
There must’ve been some admiration too
Of course
How about Jeyi?
What do you think Jeyi’s future looks like
I hope she lives a peaceful, free life
I really hope she lives like that
Nothing flashy
since she might be officially “dead”
Not doing anything public,
but just a quiet life
choosing what she wants
Hope she lives happily
even with the breathing
That’s why
in her last scene, we really thought about
what she would’ve loved
What she would’ve chosen?
We had a lot of
thoughts like that
"What did Jeyi wanted to do?"
"What does she likes originally?"
We prepared thinking like that
Even for me,
she needs nothing
but to choose
and to be free
I thought like that so much
And finally, Su Bin
Since I got Jeyi’s gift,
I think I’d team up
with this brilliant lawyer
and the secretary
to go find Jeyi
I don’t think she’ll be easy to find
But if I did,
I’d grab her hand and say, “Let’s go eat”
Just like she once did
If we met
Cynically
I’d act like it was yesterday
Or if she were in trouble,
I’d pull a cap over her head
Oh
Wow
If she was at risk of being recognized
I’d save up
Suddenly...
Why are we holding a meeting here?
We're having a meeting
I’d throw a coat over her
When she looks up, it's Seulgi
Watching Su Bin
Are you starting to write?
Passing it down
Carrying it on
I was curious too
If I had to play another role,
what would it be
Director, you first
Me?
I don’t really have the talent to act
But still, maybe...
like, this person
would be good in that role
Something that fits them naturally
So, like swapping roles
Like this?
Yes
The two of you switching roles
Okay, then I’ll take the scale
This is how we’re doing it now?
I’ll take the scale, but reversed
I’ll CG it for you the other way
No problem
I think that’s what we need
But
Why?
You're tall
I'm short
What do you mean?
People are gonna think I’m like 185cm
Dream height
But I can totally picture Hyewon playing Jeyi
That would be fun
Jeyi has this vibe
and if Hyewon's energy gets added
What should I say
It'd bring this cold and feminine edge
Like, more impulsive
Reckless Jeyi
Totally impulsive
Impulsive Jeyi
Like the youngest daughter of some rich family...
Right
Thanks
And Seulgi of Woori
Why?
No but honestly, it suits you
You both study so hard
For real
Then Su Bin?
I think I’d be really good at fighting
Kyung
It would suit you
Protecting others?
And I think I’d do well
with the whole justice part
Police
Yeri would be such a fresh take too
Like, "You need luxury brands"
But there are too many
This is fun
Even switching roles would be fun like this
We can totally imagine it
Nothing feels out of place
Director, if you had to choose just one line
One line from the whole drama
Just one,
no matter who said it?
Yes, just one
That’s so hard
What would it be?
Whose line will she pick?
Drumroll
I should’ve known back then
what season your heart was in
I like that
I'll choose that one
Good pick
I wrote it, but
Is it good?
I love it
You know...
The voice of Su Bin,
the picture
are so sad, right?
It was heartbreaking
I don’t know if you saw
But for the dubbing,
I had a lot of narration to do, so I was there a while
For that scene, the dubbing was
tough, since I have to summon that emotion from nothing
Because I'm not on set
Right
But that scene just
came naturally to me
So, at the start,
the prologue narration,
we tried a bunch of versions
But later in the drama, the emotions were so clear
I remember it being smooth
Right, the earlier narration
- had a different tone - Right
A lot of people were curious about that direction
I actually got that question a lot
Even at the audition, I said
I didn’t want Seulgi to sound self-pitying
I wanted her to tell the story like a third person
Calm, detached, cool
We talked about that since the audition
And because of
that narration, some viewers were like,
“Wait, doesn’t Seulgi already know everything?”
they say like this
And think if the timeline
is when
Seulgi is recalling
They say that too
Because usually, narration like that
- comes from the character - Right
They think like that
because if feels like herself
But I actually found that kind of confusion really interesting
What's your best line, Su Bin?
Seulgi's best line
I actually agree with the director
But if I had to choose something that hit me personally, it's Vitamin
- Hmm - It felt big for me
That scene where she says “My feet are finally on the ground”
felt like a key moment for me
It was where Seulgi truly stood on her own
and grew well
Her trauma broke
That was good
Yeah, that’s one of my favorite scenes too
I love the Vitamin scene
Jeyi?
For me...
After all the scenes and lines we talked about today
there were so many
Too many
I don’t want to repeat one we already said
So maybe a small moment
Right before I inject Seulgi in thhe neck
I say, “I’m sorry, Seulgi”
I'll pick that
Even when I first read it
I kept thinking about what Jeyi must’ve been feeling
When she was standing in front of Seulgi
knowing it had to be done
It broke my heart
But she...
didn’t hesitate
She just did it
I could picture that version of Jeyi
I’m actually tearing up right now
That line...
So I remember that part
Also I looked pretty good in that scene
- You always do - Always
Turtleneck, hair tied back
Yeri?
Oh, Hyewon?
Honestly, the line I remember most
- is “Mirror mirror, who’s the prettiest?” - Oh
- That blew up in China - Oh
- On.. - On TikTok
- Yeah, TikTok - Everyone was doing it
You saw them, right?
Yes
One... or two
I heard a ton of people copied it
And for me, facing the camera
with so many staff watching
was so awkward
I felt embarrassed saying it
But I really wanted to make it work
And I’m glad people liked it
It ended up great
During promotions,
we kept asking Yeri to say that line
And she’d get so shy
Even on set, she was like that
- Oh, she did - She said she won't do it right..
- Right - Really?
- But she nailed it - Yeah
I couldn’t believe it
I was so nervous before filming
Before that,
even the luxury brand line was hard to pull off...
Right
Not easy lines at all
I know
I really thought about them
And it was the same line the younger actress said too
So that stuck with me
What about you?
Me? Hmm...
The lines I remember most are the ones I said to Seulgi
Like, “If you don’t know something, just ask me”
"Not Jeyi"
It’s that tsundere kind of affection
It's like her charm
That’s what I love about Kyung
And Jeyi’s always kind of in the background
Right
She’s always just… there
“Not Jeyi, me”
Presence
That was during the sauna scene
- You're too pretty to be sleeping here - Yeah, it is
Too cute to be lying in a sauna
Right, those things
“Why don’t you clean up after yourself?”
And Yeri actually loves it
- Right - I know
- That's their chemistry - Yeah
Talking like this during a screening is so fun
- Hyeri hosted everything so well - Totally
I was nervous at first
But thank you all for sharing so much
Not at all
It’s been so long since we met
watching the show together
We ended up talking way too much
We even...
got told to stop halfway
That’s how much fun we were having
How was it for you, Woori?
Me?
It was so fun
And honestly, I learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know
Hearing how hard the other actors worked...
Their thoughts on different scenes...
It was really interesting
- Su Bin, especially, you worked so hard - Really
Everyone gave it their all
What about you?
Seulgi's commentary
It's been so long we ment
and I feel it's great to have an opportunity to talk about it
- Right, just the fact that a Blu-ray is happening - Insane
- Thank you so much - Wow
Suddenly?
- We should've said that earlier - Oh right
To all our "Friendly Rivalry" viewrs,
and those getting the Blu ray, give final messages
Let's start with Woori
- And Hyewon - Okay
Let's go one by one
Yes, please do it one by one and then say hello together at the end
- Then let's start from Woori - Okay
Thanks to your love, we got to release a Blu-ray
We’re so grateful
As we said,
there are so many hidden stories and details
We hope you watch it and catch them all
Thank you
I’m so happy and thankful for this Blu-ray
And talking with the cast today,
I got to hear behind stories from scenes I wasn’t even in
I think watching it again will be even more meaningful
I hope you give it another go
It’s been forever
But it feels like yesterday
I was so happy to see everyone again
I missed you so much
It’s not easy getting us all together
But thanks to you, we’re here
I just want to say thank you
Thank you for loving "Friendly Rivalry"
Why? Is it done?
And I want to say thank you for loving "Friendly Rivalry"
so much
And I hope Seulgi, Jeyi, Yeri, and Kyung
stay in your hearts for a long time
Thank you
Truly, from the bottom of my heart
Thank you for giving this drama so much love
I was genuinely happy
meeting such incredible characters like Jeyi, Yeri, and Kyung
And after all the behind-the-scenes we shared today,
I hope you enjoy the Blu-ray even more
You can still watch "Friendly Rivalry"
So please keep loving it
And finally, Director
Thank you so much for creating "Friendly Rivalry"
Really, thank you
Thank you so much
Even if a drama does well,
a Blu-ray isn’t guaranteed
But because of the fans’ true love, this Blu-ray was made possible
Thanks to that
I got to reflect on this project all over again
And see our amazing cast after so long,
I was really happy
I hope you’re all happy too
Should we end by saying
- Thank you? - Sounds good
Thank you for loving "Friendly Rivalry"