Lee Je-hoon expresses his desire play Koo Kyo-hwan’s “Lover” at the Escape showcase

On June 4, 2024, the South Korean actor Lee Je-hoon expressed his desire to play Koo Kyo-hwan's lover for a new project. The response came to one of the questions asked by the interviewer at the film Escape's Showcases event and fan service held at Megabox COEX Lobby, Gangnam, Seoul, South Korea. The event was held at 7:30 pm KST, and it was broadcast live through the PRIZM application.

According to Asianwiki, the official synopsis for the action and thriller movie Escape is as follows:

"Im Kyu-nam (Lee Je-Hoon) is a North Korean soldier. He dreams of starting a new life in South Korea. To accomplish his dream, he must flee his home country and cross the DMZ. Meanwhile, Officer Ri Hyeon-sang (Koo Kyo-hwan) of the State Security Department of North Korea chases after Im Kyu-nam."

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Audience and interviewer in raptures over Lee Je-hoon's interesting response at the Escape showcase event

The interviewer asked Lee Jee-hoon if he had to work with Koo Kyo-hwan on another project again after Escape and what kind of relationship he would like to form with him. They gave him two options, including Friend or Enemy. The question was, as translated by X user @rusiefool:

"If you could work again with actor Koo Kyo-hwan on another project, the relationship you would prefer with him would be? friend, or enemy?'

In response, the Taxi Driver actor stated Lover and expressed that he was sorry as no correct answers were available in the options provided by the interviewer. He replied, as translated by X user @ rusiefool:

"LOVER! I'm sorry, but there was no correct answer in the options yes."

He further elaborated his response and stated that in the film Escape, the duo was chasing each other and commented if they could ever act as a lover, a third person should come between them to make the story more interesting. The Taxi Driver actor stated, as translated by Koreaboo:

"We were chasing and being chased by one another. Right! But I guess we could have someone come between us? I'm open to whatever."

In response, Koo Kyo-hwan agreed to Lee Je-hoon's response and stated that yes a third person could come in between their relationship, or maybe two or fifteen, if they ever act as lovers in any project in the future.

Soon, the interviewer and the audience in attendance went wild over Lee Je-hoon's response, and they screamed together. While the interviewer could not stop laughing, fans continued to cheer the idols's response. Additionally, the video from the event went viral on social media, and fans reacted positively to the actor's answer.

The K-drama Community expressed their desire to watch him doing a BL series or film again, as he first did a queer short film in 2009. He acted opposite Yeon Woo-jin for the gay-themed film titled Just Friends?, and impressed viewers with his onscreen chemistry with his co-star. Many fans also wished some acclaimed screenwriter and director would join hands to cast Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan as lovers in the future.

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More about Escape starring Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan

The action and military film Escape was helmed by director Lee Jong-pil, known for programs, including One Day Off, Oh My Captain, Ensemble, Born to Sing, Light My Fire, Pavane for the Dead Princess, and others. It is penned by the screenwriter Kwon Sung-hui, popular for films such as Rebound, The Spy, Narco-Saints, Elephant in the Room, As One, The Fortune Tellers, and others.

Lee Je-hoon is set to chronicle the character of Lim Kyu-nam in the upcoming film, while Koo Kyo-hwan will play the role of Ri Hyeon-sang. Both the soldiers Lim Kyu-nam and Ri Hyeon-sang were assigned to a military camp near DMZ of a divided land that showcases the two faces of mankind. While one side is the land of freedom, South Korea, the other side is the land of captivity, North Korea.

'Escape' poster (Image via Instagram/ @plusm_entertainment)

Sergeant Kyu-nam has been planning an escape to the land of freedom for a long time as he wanted to live according to his own will and not by the authoritarian government's commands. While he was escaping to South Korea, he caught a common soldier, Dong-hyuk (played by Hong Xa-bin), who was deserting the military. At the risk of the execution meeting, Kyu-nam's plan of execution was saved from revelation since the State Security Department Major Hyeon-sang sided with him, as he had known him from childhood.

Instead of sending Kyu-nam to captivity, Hyeong-sang honored him for catching a deserter. As Kyu-nam continued to try out different escape plans, Hyeong-sang consistently halted him from escaping North Korea to save his life.

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Escape will hit the theaters on July 3, 2024.