The highly anticipated Korean drama “Graduation,” which follows the popular drama “Queen of Tears,” is set to premiere on the 12th of May. Director An Ban-sik and lead actors Jung Lee-won and Wei Hua-jun attended a press conference yesterday (9th) to share their thoughts on the filming. Jung Lee-won revealed that starring in “Graduation” made her feel like it was meant to be, considering it as a defining work in her life.
“Graduation” depicts the secret romance between former student and teacher who reunite as colleagues at a cram school after 10 years. It is the latest work by director An Ban-sik, known for his previous show “Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food.”
During the press conference, the director expressed his deep affection for the project, saying, “I always feel that my new works are the best because they improve on the mistakes unknown to everyone in the previous work. By the end of filming this time, I couldn’t remember the real names of all the characters.” He humorously shared a list on his phone showing the character names matched with the actors’ real names, eliciting laughter from the audience.
In “Graduation,” Jung Lee-won plays the role of “Seo Hye-jin,” a famous teacher at the cram school, who finds herself teaching alongside a man who was once her student. In recent years, Jung Lee-won has gained recognition for her roles in “Witch’s Court,” “Prosecutor Civil War,” and “Debate of Flames,” earning her the title of the “legal drama pro” for her portrayal of elite legal professionals with complex dialogues.
Returning to romantic love dramas after a long break, Jung Lee-won considers “Graduation” as her personal representative work, citing her long-standing desire to work with director An Ban-sik. She mentioned deciding to take on the role even before reading the script and feeling increasingly convinced that it was the right decision. “Being able to act in such an interesting script feels like a dream come true, making me believe that everything is meant to be. I consider this as my defining work in life.”
Wei Hua-jun, known for his role as the handsome police officer in “Squid Game,” has established himself as an action star in the entertainment industry. “Graduation” marks his first lead role in a romantic love drama, finally moving away from playing roles of unrequited love.
In “Graduation,” Wei Hua-jun portrays “Lee Jun-ho,” a student 10 years younger than the female lead. He described the character as adventurous and limitless, with a mix of foolishness and love expertise, portraying a clumsy yet charming persona.
Regarding taking over from the popular drama “Queen of Tears,” Wei Hua-jun expressed no pressure, confident that the diverse acting styles and charms in their work will be appreciated by the audience. “I believe viewers will appreciate ‘Graduation’ because they will experience different emotions compared to our previous work.”
“Graduation” marks the second collaboration between director An Ban-sik and Wei Hua-jun after “Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food.” More than half of the cast members in “Graduation” have previously appeared in “Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food.” The director emphasized that besides acting skills, casting choices were made to portray characters that resemble real-life individuals.
“Graduation” tells the story of star teacher Seo Hye-jin (played by Jung Lee-won) from a cram school meeting her problematic student from ten years ago, Lee Jun-ho (played by Wei Hua-jun), who gave his all to send him to a prestigious university. When the man leaves a promising corporate job to teach at the cram school, a romantic relationship blossoms between the two colleagues-turned-lovers. The drama is set to premiere on May 12 on the Hami Video platform, with exclusive broadcasting every Sunday and Monday nationwide.