“I haven’t even heard the story…”
Yoo Jae-suk is making his debut as a short-form drama director on ‘How Do You Play?’, successfully recruiting “trustworthy” actors Kim Seok-hoon and Kim Sung-kyun.
In the May 2nd episode of MBC’s ‘How Do You Play?’, Yoo Jae-suk, Haha, Heo Kyung-hwan, and Joo Woo-jae kicked off their “Short-form Drama Project.” Even without a script, they pushed forward with a bold casting spree, quickly recruiting actors Kim Seok-hoon and Kim Sung-kyun, as well as the “Queen of OSTs,” Baek Z-Young. The episode topped the Saturday variety charts, recording a 4.8% rating for metropolitan households and a 2.9% rating for the 2054 demographic, with a peak of 6.3% (Nielsen Korea metropolitan area).
Turning into a director, Yoo Jae-suk held a meeting immediately after staff interviews. He suggested they pretend to have a script to lure in the cast. Actor Kim Seok-hoon, who has a history with ‘How Do You Play?’, was the first target. Yoo Jae-suk quickly set up a meeting, leaving Haha behind in the restroom. He piqued Kim Seok-hoon’s interest by mentioning his 15-year hiatus from melodrama, while Haha added that Baek Z-Young would handle the OST to seal the deal.
Haha then called Baek Z-Young, introducing himself as the music director and playing an AI-composed OST. Despite the improvised lyrics “You’re not a honey, you’re an assassin” and a melody that seemed destined for failure, Baek Z-Young was impressed, saying, “It’s so minor! I love minor vibes!” and sang a line. Yoo Jae-suk and Joo Woo-jae were amazed by the “OST Queen’s” ability to save the song, and she coolly accepted the offer.
Luck struck during their next meeting when a powerhouse actor appeared. The four spotted Hwang Jung-min on the street and rushed toward him, shouting, “Let’s cast him!” A bewildered Hwang Jung-min replied, “I’m going to eat,” and tried to leave. The commotion drew out their next target, actor Kim Sung-kyun, and the scene ended in laughter as Hwang Jung-min quickly escaped after a brief encounter with Kim Sung-kyun.
Yoo Jae-suk pushed his “no-script casting” strategy, convincing Kim Sung-kyun that he would play a crucial role. Together with Haha, Heo Kyung-hwan, and Joo Woo-jae, they began “fishing” for Kim Sung-kyun. When asked about investors, they naturally tried to induce him to invest. They even confused him with a “cost-effective” filming plan that avoids meal times to save money, and they even tried to use his house as a location and get his permission to take his shirt off.
When Kim Sung-kyun asked about the co-stars, Yoo Jae-suk shamelessly bragged, “You saw our drive, right? You saw us cast Hwang Jung-min earlier.” Haha and Heo Kyung-hwan added, “Hwang Jung-min could appear in a passing role!”
With their perfect teamwork, the four left Kim Sung-kyun completely dazed, finally demanding secrecy about the project. Though bewildered, saying, “I haven’t even heard the story…”, Kim Sung-kyun found himself swept up in Director Yoo’s unique casting style.
Viewers reacted with comments like, “I wonder if they knew the title when they were cast lol,” “Who is the actress!!”, “This is already funny,” and “Why is the character’s name a real name? lol.”
Meanwhile, the preview for the next episode revealed the script reading for Director Yoo’s debut short-form drama, featuring Kim Seok-hoon, Kim Sung-kyun, and a mysterious female lead. The drama, titled ‘I Decided to Take Back the Woman My Brother Stole’, promises an extraordinary story spanning romance, revenge, action, medical, and affair melodrama.
MBC’s ‘How Do You Play?’ airs every Saturday at 6:30 PM.
