In the first episode of Behind Your Touch, Bong Ye Boon (Han Ji Min), a small-town veterinarian gets struck by a meteor shower. The incident gives her psychic powers, and the ability to read the minds of animals and people. Adding to her unusual predicament is the arrival of a suspended detective Moon Jang Yeol (Lee Min Ki) who may need her help to investigate strange cases in the not-so-sleepy town. The presence of a mysterious convenience store worker Seon Woo who charms Ye Boon, could well complicate matters.
A drama that deliberately calls itself a “com-rom”, not to be mistaken with a rom-com, since it is the comedy that takes precedence over the fantasy, thriller, and the romance aspect of this latest K-drama. Directed by Kim Sok Yun (My Liberation Notes, Law School), the directorreveals he was aware of the difficulty marrying the two genres — comedy with thriller. “In the early parts of the story, there is more comedy, but later the drama and thriller aspects take priority. Unlike previous detective shows which use the supernatural aspect, so as to see the past, I wanted to bring in something that was more interesting, as well as a little difficult in terms of acting and gives one a challenge to depict”.
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For Han Ji Min, it is her third collaboration with director Kim Sok Yun after Director K: Secret Of The Virtuous Widow and Light in Your Eyes. The actor, last seen as the apprehensive yet fastidious Young Ok in Our Blues, confesses Behind Your Touch helped her shed the heaviness from her previous show.
She reveals, “Every time I take on a new project, I make sure I disassociate from my previous character and make a fresh new start. There is a fantasy element involved with Bong Ye Boon, having these supernatural powers, unlike Our Blues where my character was grounded and realistic. Though there is a cartoon-like element to the story and my character, I have tried to make her more pragmatic and convincing, so as not to caricature her.”
But would she like any psychometric powers as an actor? “The ability to read people’s minds and what they thought of you would be interesting. But, then you wish you didn’t know what they think. I, as a person, am not influenced by people’s opinion, but would not mind using this power when necessary,” she says with a laugh.
For Lee Min Ki who has also worked with director Kim Som Yun previously in Detective K: Secret of The Living Dead, as well as the slice-of-life drama My Liberation Notes, working on Behind Your Touch was a no-brainer. The actor who has to his credits dramas such as This Is My First Life, Beauty Inside has a knack for lending individuality to his characters. The 38-year-old actor’s turn as the aimless Chang Hee from My Liberation Notes, which struck a chord with men in his age group, shares that his method is to understand his character’s psyche.
A still from ‘Behind Your Touch’
“I am a fan of the thriller genre and this show has way more to it in terms of the genre. Since there are so many elements to it, I literally dissected each scene to understand what was needed of my character Jang Yeol at that moment. The moment unfolding on screen was at a top priority. Also, the comic book style narrative appealed to me.” Known for his lithe slim frame, he says though he bulked up and exercised hard to look the part, he is not too sure on that front if he is convincing enough.
Director Kim divulges that he didn’t have any candidates in mind to play the complex Seon Woo, and Suho fit the part. Suho, a member of the popular K-pop group EXO, makes his drama comeback after nearly five years; he admits playing a character so different from his personal self required a bit of work. “I tend to talk quickly and am very transparent in real life. So I intentionally started talking slowly, changed my gait and even went around observing convenience store workers. I was a bit nervous about facing the camera after a gap, but my co-stars were very encouraging”.
Suho who enlisted in the military in 2020, just around the time when the mega-popular Squid Game took the world by storm, acknowledges that the spotlight on Korea, its content, and actors has captured the world’s attention, bringing opportunities and an impetus for actors to evolve.
Behind Your Touch is currently streaming on Netflix
