‘Heart Man’ leads (Park Ji-hwan, Kwon Sang-woo, Moon Chae-won, Pyo Ji-hoon). Yonhap News

“It’s much more fun than the ‘Hitman’ series.”

At a production briefing held at 11 a.m. on the 11th at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University Entrance in Seoul, actor Kwon Sang-woo expressed strong confidence in the film ‘Heart Man,’ which opens on the 14th. Previously, the pairing of Kwon and director Choi Won-sub proved its box-office power with ‘Hitman 1’ and ‘Hitman 2,’ which drew 2.4 million and 2.54 million moviegoers, respectively. Attention is focused on what kind of romantic comedy the reunited ‘Heart Man’ team will present.

At the production briefing attended by Kwon Sang-woo, Moon Chae-won, Pyo Ji-hoon, Park Ji-hwan, and director Choi Won-sub, Kwon laughed as he said, “To be bold, it’s much more fun than ‘Hitman.’ I even wondered whether we shot ‘Hitman’ in order to make ‘Heart Man.’”

‘Heart Man’ is a comedy that follows Seung-min (Kwon Sang-woo), a man who has returned, as he struggles not to lose his first love Bona (Moon Chae-won) when they meet again after 15 years, only for a secret to arise that he can never tell her. With this film, Kwon teams up with director Choi Won-sub for the third time. On this, Choi emphasized, “We have done three films together so far, and his sense of comedy is unparalleled. Because it was our third collaboration, our rhythm matched much better.”

The production briefing introduced the film’s tone by focusing on each character’s “heart tags.” Seung-min’s heart tags, as played by Kwon Sang-woo, were ‘#AFormerHitmanBecomesHeartMan’ ‘#KoreanHughGrant’ ‘#CollegeRockBand.’ Kwon said, “We initially considered casting another actor for the younger days, but I felt no one could capture this vibe, so I ended up doing it myself.” He added, “In the college rock-band scene, Park Ji-hwan and I appear with long hair, which will be an irony that overwhelms the audience early on,” and, “I am not an actor optimized for choreography, but I prepared to belt out to the band track ‘Lover.’”

Moon Chae-won plays Bona, Seung-min’s first love. Her heart tags are ‘#FirstLoveReturns’ ‘#Free-SpiritedRomance’ ‘#ProfessionalPhotographer.’ Moon said, “I did not realize it while shooting, but when I checked the monitor after we finished, my hair was the longest since my debut,” and, “Recently I had been keeping a bob, but in this film I appear with very long straight hair.” Regarding the photographer setup, she said, “I paid close attention to my posture so that holding the camera would not look awkward.”

Kwon also candidly shared his first impression of Moon. He recalled, “I first saw Moon Chae-won long ago at a hair salon. While I was sitting in the shop, the male customers getting their hair done all turned their faces in one direction. I thought, ‘She is truly a beautiful junior actor.’” He continued, “I think Ms. Moon Chae-won belongs on the lineage of first-love actresses. When ‘Heart Man’ opens, the biggest beneficiary will be Moon Chae-won,” adding, “I am confident this is the film in which she looks the most beautiful among her works. Viewers who watch with the flutter of first love in their hearts will naturally be drawn in,” offering a viewing tip for ‘Heart Man.’

Park Ji-hwan’s heart tags, as Won-dae, Seung-min’s soul friend, are ‘#Loyalty100’ ‘#FriendshipExplodes’ ‘#Seung-min’sSoulFriend.’ He introduced the character by saying, “Won-dae is a friend with tremendous loyalty who thinks of his friend as if he were his own body.” About working with Kwon Sang-woo for the first time, he said, “He is such a star that I was nervous, but I had never seen a man this lovable. He was sweeter than anyone and treated juniors without any distance.”

Pyo Ji-hoon joins as Seung-min’s younger brother, Seung-ho. His heart tags are ‘#BewareOfSpoilers’ ‘#ZeroSense’ ‘#BrotherChemistry.’ Pyo explained, “I read the script a lot and kept asking the director as I built Seung-ho. Seung-ho lacks sense, but he does not think he lacks sense; he is a lovable person.” On the brothers’ chemistry, he said, “He is a far senior, so I was very nervous, but on set he kept making me comfortable, and we had a fun shoot.”

Kwon said, “P.O was very shy at first,” adding, “There may be a scene known only to the two of us, but there is a part where I ad-lib how I deal with Seung-ho. We both felt embarrassed while shooting, but after seeing the finished cut I thought it was good that we did it.” He continued, “If I were a woman, he is such a lovable guy that I would want to date him as a boyfriend.” The trust among the actors naturally led to “brother chemistry.”

Kwon defined the completed film as “closer to a beautiful romance film than a comedy.” Regarding his action-actor image, he said, “I am still training without rest,” and, “I want to continue presenting works that can receive even more love from the public.”

With the return of the comic duo that continued the ‘Hitman’ series, a first-love romance, and the actors’ synergy, attention is on what response ‘Heart Man’ will receive at the winter box office. It opens on January 14 next year.