Con Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin play a married couple in Netflix's "Trunk," exploring a mysterious contract marriage and its secrets.

Con Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin played a married couple in the Netflix drama "Trunk." What kind of secrets do the two who start a one-year contract marriage have? Today (26th) morning, a production presentation for the Netflix original series "Trunk" was held at THE RAUM Art Center in Gangnam, Seoul, attended by Seo Hyun Jin, Con Yoo, Jung Yoon Ha, Cho I Gon, Kim Dong Won, and director Kim Gyu Tae. Based on a novel, "Trunk" depicts a mysterious marriage service revealed by a trunk floating in a lake and the strange marriage story of two people within it. Directed by Kim Gyu Tae, known for dramas like "Our Blues" and "It's Okay, That's Love," and written by Park Eun Young, who wrote "Hwarang," it presents a bold and sensory mystery romance drama. Director Kim Gyu Tae shared, "I didn't take charge from the beginning; I was proposed the project. When I first saw the script, I was puzzled. It was certainly interesting, but strange, fresh, and literary. I couldn't easily grasp the characters' psychology and relationships. I entered the work with the question, 'What is this?' and then empathized with it. It had such a unique charm that I decided to participate. When I was told that Seo Hyun Jin and Con Yoo were positively considering it, I thought, 'I have to do this.' I expected the synergy between the two actors." Seo Hyun Jin plays the role of No In Ji, who ends up alone for marriage, while Con Yoo plays Han Jung Won, who feels extremely lonely after getting married. They plan to delicately portray the process of filling their voids, each harboring secrets and feelings of loss. The drama is expected to deeply explore the various relationships and emotions surrounding the "one-year contract marriage." Seo Hyun Jin revealed her reason for choosing the project, saying, "The director said he couldn't grasp this emotion at once, but I liked that part. There are many places to read between the lines, and I thought the expression would change depending on who expresses it, so I wanted to try it." Con Yoo stated, "First of all, I liked the original project's intent, and it showed love and relationships in a slightly different way. Depending on the perspective of viewing, various interpretations seem likely, so I decided to participate. Above all, I thought it was an opportunity to meet the 'Oh Hae Young' I liked again." Seo Hyun Jin laughed, saying, "I was also glad to meet 'Goblin.'" Seo Hyun Jin was loved in the tvN drama "Oh Hae Young Again" aired in 2016, while Con Yoo caused a boom in the tvN drama "Goblin" (2017), which surpassed 20% in ratings. Seo Hyun Jin described her character as "a person like a hermit crab. I think she is a woman who hides her soft inner self with a hard exterior." She added, "To express well, I had to look at the script. However, this time, I was at the scene trusting my seniors and the director. I met actors and a director who are good at acting and directing, so I thought, 'Let's trust and do our best.'" Con Yoo mentioned, "When I choose a work, there seems to be a character I instinctively connect with based on how similar it is to me. I don't always choose this way, but this time, Han Jung Won was like that. When I first encountered Han Jung Won, I felt pity for him. It started with a feeling of compassion, and I have come this far. Jung Won has a significant trauma due to an incident he experienced in his childhood, unrelated to his will. He lives isolated from the world, locked in his own castle. He can't sleep without sleeping pills, suffers from nightmares, and lives a lonely and exhausted life. What's even more pitiful is that he doesn't seem to accurately recognize himself, which makes him even more miserable." According to director Kim Gyu Tae, Con Yoo and Seo Hyun Jin were the actors he most wanted to cast. "I was very happy and exceeded my expectations. I think I am a truly blessed director. Both are masters of acting. Their visuals and likability are also wonderful. When they acted, they didn't forget their original intentions and expressed real emotions while caring for and advising each other. There was harmony between the two. I thought they were a very lovely couple and actors," he expressed with satisfaction. The director added, "Seo Hyun Jin said 'Trunk' has a strange breath, and I was inspired as a director. Especially while watching their expressions and performances, I think they show the tone and manner of this work. The character In Ji was very difficult. Even I, as a director, had a dual heart, wondering, 'What is this action and behavior?' There were many scenes that reached extreme emotions. At that time, I was amazed at how they could exude such immersion and energy. In Ji had a simple part, but Seo Hyun Jin varied it into a three-dimensional and diverse pattern. It was interesting because unexpected parts came out. Regarding Con Yoo, I wondered if he would fit expressing a character with deficiencies, as he originally has an aura. I was curious about how he would express it. But I was surprised to see, 'This is how it becomes.' I realized that it changes so much and gets upgraded by the actor compared to what I saw in the script. I think Con Yoo has a pure side. He played well while enjoying himself on set and was 100% immersed in the character. That process was excellent. The tone of their performances was natural and fluid, not exaggerated, but real. This part felt natural, and I could see the veteran technique." When the people on set laughed, Con Yoo joked, "Why are you laughing? It seems like our production team is mocking us, but the director is saying this." The director laughed, saying, "I understand why Con Yoo is highly regarded. He is a master of romance dramas." When asked about bed scenes and exposure scenes, director Kim Gyu Tae replied, "In terms of love between men and women, bed scenes were necessary to express the characters' emotions realistically. They were not used as stimulating elements. We approached filming at an appropriate level because it was necessary for the work." Con Yoo stated about the intense bed scenes, "I didn't have any particular worries." Seo Hyun Jin also said, "If it's necessary to explain the character, I thought the director wouldn't make excessive demands, and he would adjust it. It wasn't a big issue." Con Yoo added, "Rather than bed scenes or love scenes, the scene of me showering alone appeared in the trailer, and I hurriedly adjusted because I hadn't built my body." Seo Hyun Jin revealed an episode, saying, "He said he wanted to shoot it again." Con Yoo shared, "I hurriedly ate only vegetables for two weeks, which was tough. I think when you watch the drama later, you'll feel that our filming method is very excellent. There are many fresh angles that I couldn't see either, but the director and the cinematographer were quite troubled. I think it was an angle that hasn't been used much in shower scenes. It's TMI (Too Much Information)," he confessed. He added, "One more TMI is that when we filmed the shower scene, it looked like I was completely naked, but that's not the case," he said with a bright smile. Seo Hyun Jin scolded him, saying, "Why are you trying to take away the viewers' imagination?" Con Yoo replied, "Then please pretend you didn't hear that," making everyone laugh. Regarding his co-starring with Seo Hyun Jin, Con Yoo said, "Maybe because I enjoyed watching 'Oh Hae Young' so much, I wanted to see Hyun Jin's acting in front of me. We are in the same agency, but we don't meet often. That wasn't important. I wanted to meet Seo Hyun Jin because I thought it would be nice to see her eyes and expressions while acting in front of me. When we were interviewed by overseas media, I was convinced that we had good chemistry while watching her answer the questions. I thought, 'She was really thinking the same thing as me.' We may have similar thoughts, but she was saying exactly what I was thinking in my heart. That's why I could do the drama 'Trunk' with Seo Hyun Jin," he smiled. Seo Hyun Jin said, "Rather than someone approaching first to get close, we understood each other immediately without saying much. When I did something, my brother and the director did something for me, which was nice. The set was fun. If I had a question thinking, 'Is this a bit ambiguous?' my brother explained it from Jung Won's perspective, so I understood it." Finally, director Kim Gyu Tae added, "While waiting for 'Squid Game 2,' please watch 'Trunk.'" "Trunk" will be available worldwide in 190 countries through Netflix on the 29th.