This year’s top sensation, ‘Lovely Runner,’ continues to be a hit on Netflix. Actor Song Geon-hee, who played the role of ‘Tae-seong,’ a character as captivating as the main lead with his unwavering romantic devotion, is gaining attention.

When we met Song Geon-hee after the cast of Lovely Runner returned from their vacation in Phuket, he smiled and remarked that he had gotten a bit tanned. Despite this, his youthful and ‘handsome’ appearance, reminiscent of the ‘milk-white Kim Tae-sung’ sign held by the girls in the show, remained unchanged. In Lovely Runner, Song Geon-hee portrayed a different kind of romantic lead from Sun-jae (played by Byeon Woo-seok). His character, Kim Tae-sung, hidden his feelings behind a chic smile, wishing happiness for the woman he loved, whether as the ace of the high school band in 2008 or as a detective in 2023. Viewers were captivated by the unique enjoyable romantic narrative which differed from the typical tension of a love triangle, while the rational secondary male lead, who did not interfere with the main couple’s love, gained significant attention. Describing himself as having a highly planned and perfectionistic nature, Song Geon-hee prepared for the role using his own character-building method. This method, developed during his early acting days, involves creating a personal narrative to justify the character to himself. “First, I organized Tae-sung's image using keywords such as 2008, smile, and vulnerability, which emerged as I grasped the overall flow of the script. Then, I compared Tae-sung's narrative with my own life, repeatedly reading the script to identify the similarities and differences between myself and Tae-sung. Finally, I filled in the gaps with references from other sources.”

“I referred to Darren Wang in Our Times for his non-annoying bravado, to Greg Hsu in Our Times for his playful innocence, and to Nick in Zootopia for his cunning." After a two-month preparation period, Song Geon-hee, who went on set, said, "Since Tae-sung is seen from Sol's perspective after time-slipping from present to the 2008, I focused on maintaining the feel of that era while ensuring there was no sense of dissonance". For example, he tried to deliver lines with a deliberately internet-novel style, like ‘You are my star!’ as “plainly as possible”. To maintain character consistency in a work with a complex timeline, he established subtle ‘Tae-sung-like’ traits, “such as a one-sided smile, a snide laugh, and a certain tone of voice”. Actor Song Geon-hee, who considers both the big picture and details to accurately convey the work and character's intentions, clearly explained the popularity factors of Lovely Runner. "I think people enjoyed it because it expressed a kind of pure love that's hard to find in today's reality and a fantasy that everyone dreams of, while also incorporating elements that allow viewers in their 20s and 30s to recall the past.”

Song Geon-hee had been preparing for a graceful farewell with Lovely Runner even before his reward leave. During the filming of SKY Castle, the project that brought him recognition, he realized that he needed to properly separate himself from his characters due to his “immensely immersive personality”. While portraying Young-jae, a Seoul National University Medical School student whose mind and body are shattered under the pressure of parents obsessed with their child's academic performance, Song made “the dangerous choice to live as the character”. "Except for workdays, I didn’t step outside for about two months. I locked myself in my room and wrote in my diary. I felt like I understood Young-jae’s suffocating frustration, and although it helped with my performance, I was terrified at the thought that this wasn’t the right approach.” After that experience, he changed his method. While preparing for his first leading role in Alice the Final Weapon, where he played Seo Yeo-reum, a high school student who tries to forget his trauma by enduring violence, he approached the role with a cool detachment, “by watching interviews with people who inflict pain on others and analyzing their mindset”. During the filming of his first feature film, Christmas Carol, which deals with the violent world of a juvenile detention center, he made it a point to “have fun on set and frequently meet with friends”, ensuring he had time to unwind. Now, Song Geon-hee prioritizes “not losing myself” in his acting.

As a child, Song Geon-hee was the kind of boy who sparked curiosity in adults, making them wonder, ‘What could he be so busy with?’ For him, acting was always “a field I had long dreamed of”. He diligently watched Monday-Tuesday series, Wednesday-Thursday series, Friday Specials, and weekend series dramas, and cherished the time spent watching movies alone in the cinema. Although he lacked the confidence to openly express his desire to become an actor, often stating that his future ambition was to be a film director, he took a bold step during high school by joining the theatre club. It was on stage that he realized, “This is what I truly want to do”, and he went on to major in acting at Sejong University’s Department of Film Arts. After debuting in the 2017 web drama Flat, Song, much like his character Tae-sung, pursued his passions without drawing distinctions. He seized opportunities in both theatre (R&J) and musical theatre (Midnight Sun), with his long-term goal being “to become an actor who naturally navigates between stage and screen”. One of his dreams is to appear in a project by Damien Chazelle, a director with whom he “personally sent numerous emails expressing the desire to collaborate”. Another aspect of Song Geon-hee’s identity is that of a chronicler. He writes in a diary, takes photos with a film camera, and occasionally posts writings and videos on his blog and YouTube channel. He shares glimpses of his daily life on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and recently on the fan platform Bubble. His desire to become an actor was partly driven by a "yearning to leave traces of my face and passion in the media at each moment in time”. For Song Geon-hee, “continuously adding pages to the book of memories” is of utmost importance, and he plans to spend the second half of this year engaging with his fans. "Thanks to Lovely Runner, I've been given the opportunity to repay the fans who have supported me for so long. Whether at fan meetings or on variety shows, I’ll be making frequent appearances. Above all, I’m eager to select a challenging new project and keep myself busy."

FILMOGRAPHY

Film

Christmas Carol (2022)

TV Series

Lovely Runner (2024), Joseon Attorney (2023), Alice the Final Weapon (2022), Mystic Pop-up Bar (2020) Missing: The Other Side (2020), Love Alarm - season 1(2019), The Tale of Nokdu (Web Drama) (2019), Not Alright, But IT’s Alright (Web drama) (2018), Sky Castle (2017), Flat (Web drama) (2017), Hello Stranger (Web Drama)  

Written by Lee Yoo-chae, Photographed by Baik Jong-heon Translated by Jang Yuri