Starring in JTBC’s “Rain or Shine,” Junho hopes that the drama will be of help to victims of disasters and accidents who suffer from survivor’s guilt.
In the show, which airs Mondays and Tuesdays, a newly built shopping mall collapses, leaving hundreds of casualties. The fictional incident is reminiscent of the collapse of Sampoong Department Store in 1995, which killed more than 500 people.
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Junho attends a press conference Tuesday at Digital Media City in northwestern Seoul. (JTBC) |
Junho, a member of K-pop act 2PM, plays Lee Kang-doo, a survivor of the incident. Traumatized by the loss of his father in the accident, he suffers from both psychological and physical scars.
“The role has not been easy for me. I have been going through psychological difficulties,” Junho said at a press conference Tuesday. “Lee hears things and hallucinates, unable to cope with the stress. Imagining that I was Lee, I actually began to feel pain myself.”
For the drama, the singer-actor shed 7 kilograms as part of efforts to depict the character’s psychological trauma. To immerse in the character, he tried to be alone whenever possible, refraining from speaking to others.
“As I am just playing the role, I do not fully understand how it feels to be a survivor,” he said. “I cannot imagine the pain, no matter how hard I try.”
Junho’s character begins to heal by taking on the job of erecting a monument for victims of the accident. Listening to stories of other victims, he faces and deals with his own scars. He also meets another survivor and falls in love with her.
The drama’s Korean title is “Just Between Lovers,” and Junho likes the word “just” in the title.
“My character often says the word ‘just’ and I understand him. It’s just life, we just live, there aren’t any other reasons,” he said.
“I hope that the drama can comfort the survivors of any accident by showing how the characters in the drama ‘just’ live their lives.”
By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@herladcorp.com)
