If you are single and living in Seoul, actor Lim Soo-jung says she knows just the perfect film to watch this winter — and, of course, she’s playing the lead.

According to Lim, upcoming rom-com “Single in Seoul,” which opens on Nov. 29, will not have that cliché of a man and woman dramatically falling for each other after love at first sight.

“I was moved by this story and felt close to the characters because they take a lot of time to realize that the two of them have fallen for each other,” Lim said during an interview with reporters in Jung District, central Seoul, on Friday. “I think in real life, most of us tend to take slow steps when getting to know someone, and it is not love at first sight. Nor does a dramatic event take place when you meet someone.”


“Single in Seoul” tells the story of Hyeon-jin, played by Lim, and Yeong-ho, played by actor Lee Dong-wook: two people who are very different and quite unlikely to begin a romantic attachment. Yeong-ho is blatantly against dating anyone, claiming that “the single life is the answer,” and is a successful lecturer and influencer who is asked to write an essay about being single. Hyeon-jin is an employee of the publishing company that signs the contract with Yeong-ho, which is how they meet. Hyeon-jin lacks dating experience and is not very tactful when it comes to romance.

Lim found her character’s tactlessness to be appealing, and felt that the slow process in which Hyeon-jin and Yeong-ho become close has the potential to win audiences’ hearts.

“I think a story where two very different people come to understand and sympathize with each other is very needed,” Lim said. “And I found Hyeon-jin’s awkwardness in romance very cute, and the way that the two characters slowly but surely sneak into each other’s everyday life was like having butterflies in my stomach. I think this is just the kind of rom-com needed for the winter.”

Preparing for the role of Hyeon-jin, who is a very competent employee at the publishing company, was not too difficult for Lim because she is an avid fan of reading and books, the actor said.

“We filmed a large portion of ‘Single in Seoul’ at the publishing complex in Paju, and when I sat at the desk on set with hundreds of books surrounding me, I felt very much at home,” Lim said. “I already knew some of the publishing industry jargon, and it wasn't very hard.”

Filming with actor Lee again was something that Lim had been looking forward to ever since the two actors had worked together briefly when Lee made a special appearance in “Search WWW” (2019), a drama in which Lim had a leading role.

“I thought that he was a veteran actor from whom I could learn a lot during that brief encounter,” Lim said. “So I have always wanted to work longer with him since then. Our chemistry in ‘Single in Seoul’ is quite good, I have to say — and the back-and-forth banter between our two characters is also very entertaining.”

Lim debuted in 2001 through a role in the teen drama “School 4,” but her breakthrough role was in director Kim Jee-woon’s “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003), a horror film that shot Lim to fame and won her various newcomer awards that year. This year marks the film’s 20th anniversary, for which re-release screenings and talks were held with Lim in attendance. The 2004 drama series “I’m Sorry, I Love You,” in which she starred with actor So Ji-sub, shot her to international stardom.

“'A Tale of Two Sisters’ is the film that made me who I am today,” Lim said. “I don’t know when it would happen, but if there is a retrospective held for me much later in the future, that film would definitely be the first one on the roster. This year is very meaningful because it’s the 20th anniversary of ‘A Tale of Two Sisters,’ and I went to the Cannes International Film Festival with ‘Cobweb,’ and now ‘Single in Seoul’ is opening.”

While female actors often have a shorter career life span than their male counterparts, leading veteran actors such as Youn Yuh-jung have made it possible for younger female actors to dream of even bigger audiences and longer careers, Lim said. Youn, who is 76 this year, is continuing to lead a prolific career after winning the Academy Award and various other global film awards for her role in “Minari” (2020).

“I look up to Youn as a younger actor, and I think that veterans like her have allowed others like me to hope for more in our careers and in the film industry,” Lim said. “I would like to try more genres, participate in international works if the opportunity arises, perhaps produce and write my own films and much more in the future.”

To find out more about Lim Soo-jung, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]