Korean star Park Seo-joon.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: South Korean star Park Seo-joon, popular among K-drama fans through shows such as What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and She Was Pretty, says he loves Bollywood films and if invited, he would love to visit India.
The actor is currently looking forward to the premiere of his Netflix series Gyeongseong Creature Season 2, which will start streaming on the platform from Friday.
The show is directed by Chung Dong-yoon and also stars Han So-hee of My Name fame.
"If you invite me, anytime," Park told PTI in a roundtable interview when asked whether he would come to India to meet fans here.
Han and Chung agreed with him and said: "Same here".
"I love Bollywood... Yeah, please invite me. If I get the chance, I'd love to fly over," Park further said in his response.
Asked whether the two-part Gyeongseong Creature appealed to him because it doesn't follow the traditional K-drama arc, Park said even when the narrative is similar, the way the story is told makes a show unique.
"There are a lot of Korean dramas... We have this whole history... Because we have so many (dramas), there could be similar narratives and processes to making a show. But even if we have the same theme or narrative, like the way it unravels, is what makes a show unique or fun," the "Itaewon Class" star said.
The first part of Gyeongseong Creature, which premiered in December 22, 2023, revolved around Jang Tae-sang (Park), the owner of the House of Golden Treasure (Geumokdang), the best pawnshop in Gyeongseong, and Yoon Chae-ok (Han), a specialist in finding missing people who is searching for her mother.
Set in during the Japanese occupation of Korea, the series saw the destinies of Tae-sang and Chae-ok intertwine.
Working on the second season was a fun process since it jumps from the past to modern-day Seoul, added Park.
"As an actor, it's my job to provide different content, stories to the viewers. In that sense, Gyeongseong Creature makes (for) really good content and I'll be waiting for your invitation to India," he said.
Set in 2024 Seoul, the season two of Gyeongseong Creature uncovers the never-ending ties — the good and the bad — that fate weaves in Gyeongseong via Ho-jae, a man deceptively similar in looks and demeanor to Tae-sang (Park), and Chae-ok (Han), a survivor of the Gyeongseong spring.
Han, also known for her work in K-dramas such as Nevertheless and The World of the Married, said her character of Chae-ok was like "the pillar of the story" in the new chapter.
"... While 70 years have passed, she was the only one who didn't cease to exist with all the other memories intact. She was the centre of everything that happens in season two. She kind of propels the narrative to go forward. So when I was preparing for season two I thought of her as the strong pillar, anchor of the story," she said.
Since swallowing the Najin in 1945 Gyeongseong, Chae-ok lives out her days as neither human nor creature but as an immortal figure of perpetual youth in 2024 Seoul.
"Under the guise of the name Silverbill, she continues her job of tracking missing persons until one day, she encounters Ho-jae, a man strikingly similar to Tae-sang. Ho-jae and Chae-ok get respectively entangled in a mysterious series of murders and pursue the truth, which unravels past karma — both good and bad," read the official synopsis of the show.
Park said he had to be "mindful" about the passage of time as the upcoming season jumps from the 1940s to present day.
"Not everything that happened between the past and the present are in the script, so I had to fill in the void with my own imagination," he added.
Asked which items from Park would like to take away from the House of Golden Treasure in the show, he said it would be memories.
"I think the most expensive thing at the House of Golden Treasure would be memories. Very fond memories because we can share it with a lot of people but you can't put a price tag on it," said the actor.
For Han, it would be some pictures and accessories.
".... and if I were to gift something from the House of Golden Treasure to other people, there were some accessories made of jade and they were really pretty... I would like to give them to my friends and family," she said.