Park Seo-joon, Kang Ha-neul play opposites in upcoming buddy movie ‘Midnight Runners’

A buddy flick brimming with youthful energy and the classic opposites-attract bromance chemistry starring Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul will hit theaters this summer.

“I play someone who acts before he speaks,” said Park, who is currently having a moment as the romantic lead in the KBS drama series “Fight My Way,” at a press conference for “Midnight Runners” in southeastern Seoul, Monday.

Contrasting Park’s character Ki-joon is Hee-yeol, played by Kang, who is more of a thinker than a doer, Kang said.

“He’s brainy,” said the actor, who is returning to the screen with a more light-hearted role since last year‘s legal drama “New Trial” and black-and-white historical period drama film “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet.”

“At first he only values rules and principles. But after meeting Ki-joon, he learns warmth and becomes more like him.”

The film’s director Kim Joo-hwan (“Retriever,” 2016) said he wanted to capture the “energy and strength that exude from young people hanging out together.”

“I don’t remember any recent Korean movie where youths are seen running,” he said.

Park and Kang, aged 28 and 27, respectively, star as two Police Academy cadets with drastically different personalities.

The eager Ki-joon and the theory-reciting Hee-yeol witness a kidnapping and, with absolutely no on-scene experience, the two aspiring cops chase the criminal through the city streets in often comical, often dramatic ways.

“I don’t think it will be a movie with many boring scenes,” Kim said.

The film was presold to six countries -- Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia -- at the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market in March.

“Midnight Runners” will hit local theaters on Aug. 9.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)