<The Unknown Seoul> How can one not become attached to the character Lee Ho-soo (Park Jin-young)? Like a lake that holds deep currents beneath a calm surface, Lee Ho-soo is a character who stands tall after overcoming inner growing pains. He shows maturity by understanding both Yu-mi-rae (Park Bo-young), who is worn down by reality, and Yu-mi-ji (Park Bo-young), who seems to live freely, without hastily intervening or advising in their lives, knowing when to take a step back.
Lee Ho-soo is a character who pursues what is ‘right’ to the extent that one might think, “Isn’t he a fool?” According to his beliefs, he quits a large law firm to defend the weak. Thus, Lee Ho-soo is also the most fantastical character in <The Unknown Seoul>, which closely portrays the most ordinary office workers. Every office worker struggles at every crossroads, wondering whether to follow their beliefs or to align with reality.
Lee Ho-soo’s ‘calmness’ in <The Unknown Seoul> is not innate but rather cultivated. For instance, his line, “Am I not just forcing myself to stay because I feel like I should? What time should I leave to catch the last bus? When should I lay out the bedding for you to feel comfortable? Should I sit on the sofa or on the floor? It would look bad if I only wear short sleeves, should I put something on? I’ve taken it off and put it on three times already,” (from <The Unknown Seoul> episode 9) is evidence that his ‘calmness’ was born after much contemplation. Like a swan that appears graceful but is paddling frantically beneath the surface, his calmness is the result of extensive deliberation and reflection.
The current Ho-soo pursues his beliefs without hesitation. However, he was not always this strong. Perhaps the current Ho-soo is merely ‘acting’ strong. After losing his father in a major car accident during his childhood, he suffered irreversible physical damage. In his teenage years, he was extremely sensitive, eager to hide this ‘flaw’. However, the experience of spending high school with Yu-mi-ji, who had a life attitude completely opposite to his own, played a significant role in his ability to mimic strength and become indifferent to his physical flaws.
Ho-soo suffered from a serious illness in his childhood and mirrors Mi-rae, who was ostracised at work for doing what is ‘right’. Having been both a sensitive person and a calm person, Lee Ho-soo creates a natural gradient between Mi-ji and Mi-rae. Lee Ho-soo is not a ‘boundary person’ belonging to either extreme of Mi-ji or Mi-rae, but rather a bridge connecting the two points. Having experienced both states of Mi-rae and Mi-ji, his mature attitude, which allows him to be indifferent, makes it impossible not to love Lee Ho-soo in <The Unknown Seoul>.
The depth of Lee Ho-soo, interpreted and expressed by actor Park Jin-young, originates from his restrained acting. Lee Ho-soo is a character who expresses emotions more through the depth of his gaze than through words. The Lee Ho-soo portrayed by Park Jin-young maintains an appropriate distance from others while holding deep emotional waves within. He has a long-standing love for Mi-ji but does not express it directly or burdensomely; instead, he conveys his feelings through small actions and considerations.
Park Jin-young naturally expressed Ho-soo’s heart through his gaze, slow gestures, and the rhythm of his lines. He intentionally adopted a low and slow voice tone and dialogue to capture Lee Ho-soo’s character. Park Jin-young, who always goes through the process of finding the voice tone of the character he plays first, portrays him with a voice that closely resembles the trajectory of Lee Ho-soo’s life. In fact, Park Jin-young stated, “I wanted Ho-soo to be remembered as a man of few words despite having many lines,” and “I tried to speak slowly and took the rhythm of the lines slowly to build the character,” sharing detailed acting points.
In <The Unknown Seoul>, Mi-ji also wanted to live like Mi-rae, and Mi-rae also admired Mi-ji’s life. Although they seem to be opposites, both characters share the same desire to live a ‘life without suffering’. Starting from the same root but living completely opposite lives, Park Jin-young’s life itself is a dual role. This refers to his ongoing journey between his activities as a singer (GOT7) and as an actor. He perfectly embodies the dual roles of twin brothers Il-woo and Wol-woo in the film <A Christmas Carol>, and the dual role with actor Shin-gu in the recently released film <Hi-Five>, showcasing his ability to express a variety of emotions and desires that branch out from a single root.
Like Lee Ho-soo, who appears graceful but is paddling frantically beneath the calm surface, Park Jin-young’s acting, which excels in detail, does not merely stem from his ‘instinct’ but arises from constant research and interpretation. In an interview, he mentioned, “When studying acting, I heard that the voice of a character contains the history of that character. I try to find the unique voice of that character in every work,” and this principle applies equally to Lee Ho-soo in <The Unknown Seoul> and to Young-chun in <Hi-Five>.
Just as the current Ho-soo pursues his own beliefs without hesitation due to past growing pains, the current Park Jin-young, shaped by intense contemplation, does not define his identity strictly as either a singer or an actor. Instead, he focuses on ‘authenticity’ and walks his own path in every work and every album based on his solid standards. In an interview with Cineplay during the release of <Hi-Five>, Park Jin-young mentioned that acting and singing seem to create synergy, stating, “The energy gained from one side refreshes me when I’m exhausted on the other side. This process keeps me feeling fresh. So I think these two balance me out.”
Park Jin-young, who balances between the two points and creates his own gradient, must have gone through numerous reflections and considerations to complete that gradient, just like Lee Ho-soo in <The Unknown Seoul>. Once known as ‘the male Suzy’ due to his strong ‘first love image’ from works like <Loving Eun-dong> and <Yumi’s Cells>, he now expands the spectrum of his entertainment activities by transitioning between everyday characters like Il-woo and Wol-woo in <A Christmas Carol> and the villain Young-chun in <Hi-Five>.
