MANILA, Philippines — ‘Clueless’ high schoolers are sent to the war front to defend their homeland from an alien invasion in the survival K-drama Duty After School.
In the 10-episode sci-fi/thriller, Sung Jin High School seniors end up signing up for the military reserve force in exchange for college admission incentives from the South Korean goverment, which is desperate to augment its troops to fight off a relentless alien attack. So, aside from dealing with their studies, college preps and high school life in general, these students undergo after-school military training, which will be put to test sooner than expected.
To learn more about the show based on a webtoon by Ha Il-kwon (God of Bath, Annarasumanara) and directed by Sung Yong-il (Dr. Frost, Class of Lies), The Philippine STAR had an e-mail interview with stars Shin Hyun-soo (Bossam: Steal the Fate, Welcome to Waikiki 2), Lim Se-mi (True Beauty) and Kim Ki-hae (Dalgona). Shin is platoon leader Lee Chun-hoo tasked to train and make sure these teenagers are battle-ready, while Lim is the protective homeroom teacher Park Eun-young. Kim is Kim Chi-yeol, a timid high schooler who rises to the occasion when “duty” calls.
Said Kim, who trained for almost three months at an action school as preparation, “This drama is not like The Avengers or DC Marvel type of hero movie. It is the story of really ordinary Korean high school students who enlist in exchange for their university entrance exams.
“Instead of it being of their own will, they have ‘no choice’ but to fight with the extra-terrestrial forces because that is the social convention of Korea. That’s why, not just me, but all the students are forced into joining the war with their bare bodies, and without any special skills or techniques.”
Nevertheless, for Kim, Duty After School is more than an apocalyptic drama about students fighting for country and their survival. “I think it’ll be great if the focus was on the conflict, growth and developing love, friendship and closeness between these young students who’re still underaged and immature,” he said.
Below are more excerpts from the exclusive e-mail interview.
How did you approach your role and what did you focus on?
Shin: “In this universe, Lee Choon-ho is the first to realize the danger of the spheres, and after the attack by the spheres, he is appointed to Sungjin High School Class 3-2 as the platoon leader. He tries his best not to lose any of the children from the class.
“When acting as Choon-ho, I tried to maximize a particular side of myself to express the character. What I focused on was the warm and sad ‘gaze’ I had when looking at the children.”
Lim: “As the homeroom teacher for Sungjin High School class 3-2, Park Eun-young is one of the adults who is on the side of the children… I think of her as a character that feels sorry for the children who are left to fight with extra-terrestrial forces. With just a few scenes to portray this character, or to study her narrative, that’s a really short time. So, I went into filming with the idea to just portray one aspect clearly: ‘I’m here because of the children. It is enough with just my love for the children.’ That was what I felt was the most important.”
Kim: “Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Ki-hae and I play Kim Chi-yeol. Before I start, I’d like to thank you for the interview request. First of all, when I first received the character Chi-yeol, my first impressions of him were that he’s a really timid and shy person who doesn’t stand out among his friends — an outsider, so to speak. His personality is very different from mine and I felt it’ll be difficult to portray him so I really focused my energy on analyzing the character. I also worked on establishing the character together with the director.
“According to the director, he hoped that Chi-yeol can be a really ordinary guy, like a person we can see anywhere around us, such as our neighbor, or in the train after school, etc. But he also requested for me to focus on his emotions as this extremely ordinary student who grows into someone who is no longer ordinary when he experiences something unusual and leads an unusual life.
“So, in the earlier episodes of the drama, he is someone who doesn’t readily takes action and is really quiet but in the later episodes, as he experiences a lot of death and difficulties, he changes into someone who would take action first and takes charge. That’s how I acted. So, if the viewers can focus on that, I think they’ll be able to feel closer to Chi-yeol and enjoy the drama more (smiley).”
Hypothetically speaking, if 12th graders were called to protect the country, how do you think you would react in that situation?
Shin: “I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve acted as Choon-ho but I’ll place the safety of the children first, and just like Choon-ho, I’ll try my best to protect them till the end.”
Lim: “I could identify greatly with Choon-ho. I think he really helped the students make their own decisions by going against the adults making the decisions in a situation that couldn’t be avoided. Just thinking about it makes me feel really uncomfortable.”
Kim: “From the point of view of a 12th grader, a minor, I think I would go for it, either because of advice from the adults or because I’m caught up in the whole situation and also from my friends’ choices.
“I think our drama is able to show that our choices as adults can actually influence the lives of children. Because they’re at an age where it’s difficult to make their own decisions.”
Can you share your most memorable experience on set?
Shin: “In Episode 5, there’s a scene where I play happily with the children while sprinkling flour, and I remember going all out while filming that scene. I enjoyed feeling like a child again and just being immersed in the scene.
“After this was a scene where Choon-ho, for the first time, gives the children an order that’s emotional, instead of rational. I remember having to continuously hold my tears back as I spoke Choon-ho’s lines where he expressed his true feelings to the children for the first time. I think those were his most memorable lines.”
Lee: “(Spoiler alert!) Park Eun-young leaves after Episode 2 but I continued to go to the set occasionally, for the next seven months, even after I completed filming. The first time I entered the classroom set, when we heard the sounds of gunfire under the summer starry skies, and the day (my character) died, I remember all of those moments. It was great seeing everyone gradually becoming closer and tighter, unlike how it was initially.”
Kim: “It was great because I was filming with actors around the same age. When we had shoots in other locations, we would sleep together. When we had shoots at the beach, we would go out at night to play, etc. It felt very much like going on a school trip.
“To pick a hardest moment, I think I experienced burnout once during filming. I think multiple things overlapped and it hit me all at once. It was tough then and I couldn’t even act even though I tried my best. As an actor, and as a professional, I should have overcome it and focused more, but this experience has allowed me to grow even more.
“My most memorable scene was a scene where I lost everything and just break down while trying to suppress my emotions. I don’t mean to say my crying acting was the best… what happened before and after that scene was really terrible and difficult for the character, it was really unbelievable, and felt completely hopeless, as if everything has come to an end. I really liked that kind of dramatic feeling and I still remember it vividly now.”
K-dramas are big in the Philippines, have you been to the country before? If you have a chance to visit, where will you go?
Shin: “I’m really thankful for the love for Korean dramas. If I get the chance, I’d like to go to Bohol, and see the beautiful sunset while taking a break.”
Lim: “I’d love to go if I am invited. In my 20s, when I was part of the drama That Winter, The Wind Blows, we went to the Philippines as part of a reward trip. I had good memories then. I clearly remember the gaze and expressions of Filipinos being really warm.”
Kim: “I’ve actually been to the Philippines once in middle school. Despite being in middle school then, I remember I was popular with the older female students there. A lot of them were friendly with me so I have good memories of my time there. So, if I get a chance, I’d like to visit the Philippines again. I hope people will recognize me then.”
After the six-episode Part 1, Duty After School Part 2 premieres at 9:15 p.m. on April 22 (Episodes 7 and 8) and April 23 (Episodes 9 and 10) on tvN (via Cignal DTH Ch. 160 and Smart GigaPlay app for Filipino audiences).