Actor Lee Jin-wook recently spoke with iMBC Entertainment at BH Entertainment’s building in Gangnam, Seoul, following the conclusion of JTBC’s weekend legal drama Beyond the Bar (Esquire).
The drama follows Kang Hyo Min (played by Jung Chae-yeon), a spunky but socially awkward rookie lawyer, and her partner Yun Seok Hun (Lee Jin-wook), a cold but genius attorney. Despite a 16-year age difference, the pair built a strong mentor-mentee dynamic on-screen and drew attention with their subtle romantic tension.
Talking about his first collaboration with Jung Chae-yeon, Lee Jin-wook admitted he had concerns before filming. “I thought it wouldn’t work out if we didn’t get along. But with her amazing personality and passion for acting, how could it be anything but good?” he said, adding, “Before filming, I was a little worried if she could pull it off, but I was surprised at how well she did from the very beginning.”
Lee Jin-wook especially praised her courtroom acting. “The atmosphere is stiff and the lines are long. I wondered how we could deliver them convincingly to viewers and keep them from changing the channel, but she handled it with such strength. Just by the way she delivered her lines, you could tell she prepared a lot,” he explained.
Although the series had light romantic elements—such as Yun Seok Hun panicking after losing his dog or Hyo Min being comforted after setbacks—romance wasn’t the main focus. Lee Jin-wook revealed, “Originally, the romance between Yun Seok Hun and Kang Hyo Min was more prominent in the script. But we felt that adding a strong romance storyline would dilute the drama’s strengths. So after some discussion, we decided to shape the relationship this way.”
He further shared that the toned-down approach helped the story: “We tried to introduce the romantic tension one step behind the audience to create a bit of excitement. I think because the relationship was subtle, it was more comfortable to watch, and that’s probably why we were able to hold the viewers’ attention.”
On the possibility of a second season of Beyond the Bar, Lee Jin-wook hinted that discussions are ongoing. “If there is a Season 2, you might be able to see a deeper romantic storyline. I hear that positive discussions are happening, so please look forward to it.”
The JTBC drama gained steady popularity, with many fans now waiting to see if Season 2 will move forward with a stronger focus on romance between its leads.
Source (1)
