He caught many viewers’ attention as the likable rival Yul in Chief Kim, and now 2PM’s Junho (also Memory, Twenty) is moving on up to leading man status. He’s been offered the lead in an upcoming cable drama called Just Between Lovers and is in final negotiations to star.
Just Between Lovers is a tale about great people—people who don’t look all that remarkable at first glance, and who don’t appear as though they do anything of importance. However, these great people are able to withstand the coldest winds without flinching, and are able to carry on with their lives as if they aren’t in pain. It’s a story about pitiable people who comfort and embrace one another, and instead of becoming fearful of mistakes, they remain endlessly hopeful and constantly make opportunities for themselves.
Junho will play a character named Lee Kang-doo, the much-loved only child of a well-to-do family. He lacked nothing growing up, but he loses his father in an unexpected accident, and his mother to cancer. At age 20, he and the debt his mother left behind are all that’s left. Having become a delinquent borrower because of those debts, he’ll live out of cheap motels and will take odd jobs in an effort to pay the bills. However, a character will arrive who will turn his life around.
I thought Junho held his own versus Kim Woo-bin and Kang Haneul (no small feat!) in Twenty, and his performance in Chief Kim was a pleasant surprise. I miss the crackling bromantic chemistry he had with Namgoong Min, but I’m looking forward to finding out whether he can recreate a similar (or generate an even hotter) sizzle as a traditional romantic lead.
Just Between Lovers will be directed by Kim Jin-won (Wonderful Days) and is being planned for a release before the end of the year on JTBC.