Where is the scent of the previous work?! 'The King’s Affection' - 'Humint' - 'Number One' and the directors' love for their previous works

It’s a well-rounded three-way battle after a long time. Three Korean films aimed at the Lunar New Year holiday, which marks the beginning of the year, are being loved by audiences. Released on February 4, 〈The King’s Affection〉, and released on February 11, 〈Humint〉 and 〈Number One〉 each present different genres, eras, and themes to secure their audience. Nevertheless, the three films share a strange commonality: the traces of the directors' previous works are embedded within each film. Therefore, I will briefly summarize the traces of each director's previous works contained in this new release.

〈The King’s Affection〉 - Actors who came to Joseon’s Yeongwol in Busan in 2012

〈The King’s Affection〉 depicts the story of the deposed young king Lee Hong-wi (Park Ji-hoon) and the village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) who serves him in exile. Director Jang Hang-jun's previous work 〈Rebound〉 dealt with the true story of a high school basketball team in South Korea, so there seems to be no connection between the two. However, audiences who have seen both films would quickly notice the familiar faces. Director Jang Hang-jun placed three leading actors from his previous work 〈Rebound〉 in quite important roles in 〈The King’s Affection〉. First, Ahn Jae-hong, who plays Coach Kang Yang-hyun of the Busan Central High School basketball team, appears as the neighboring village chief Norugol, who makes Eom Heung-do dream of 'exile = rise'. Like Ahn Jae-hong, Jung Jin-woon also came to Joseon in 2012. After playing the role of Bae Gyu-hyuk in 〈Rebound〉, he left a presence as the loyal minister Jo Yu-rye in 〈The King’s Affection〉.

However, the real protagonist here is Kim Min, who plays Eom Heung-do's son Eom Tae-san. In 〈Rebound〉, he was a benchwarmer Heo Jae-yoon, who was full of passion, but in 〈The King’s Affection〉, he is Eom Tae-san, who has abilities but is frustrated by his social status. In fact, Kim Min seems to be an actor that director Jang Hang-jun has a lot of affection for, as they also worked together in the omnibus film 〈The Killers〉 between the two feature films. Director Jang Hang-jun actually described Kim Min as “an actor with many possibilities and various faces every time I see him.”

〈Humint〉 - The backstory of Pyeong-seong's one-way ticket

〈Humint〉 has a detail that fans of director Ryu Seung-wan cannot miss. It’s a scene that mentions the 2015 film 〈The Berlin File〉. Due to the background of 'Vladivostok', 〈Humint〉 sparked curiosity about whether it would connect to 〈The Berlin File〉 even before its release. The last scene in 〈The Berlin File〉, where the protagonist Pyeong-seong (Ha Jung-woo) says, “Vladivostok, one way,” is an unforgettable ending if you have seen the movie, and this time 〈Humint〉 is a film where 'another' espionage war takes place in 'that' Vladivostok.

And in the released 〈Humint〉, as expected, traces of 〈The Berlin File〉 remained. In the conversation between North Korean security agent Park Geon (Park Jung-min) and Vladivostok Consul Hwang Chi-seong (Park Hae-joon), the whereabouts of Pyeong-seong are hinted at. It’s an unexpected development, but on the other hand, Park Geon says, “It’s different from what I know,” leaving no one to know whether Pyeong-seong's journey in 〈The Berlin File〉 has really ended. Perhaps the only ones who can determine Pyeong-seong's fate are not director Ryu Seung-wan or actor Ha Jung-woo, but the audiences who will make 〈Humint〉 a hit and prove that 'espionage action is still valid.'

〈Number One〉 - Introducing Busan's 'real taste house' + a spoonful of nostalgia

Compared to the connection of actors and characters, the connection in 〈Number One〉 is trivial. However, audiences who know the relationship between director Kim Tae-yong and Choi Woo-shik cannot help but smile the moment they hear that name. It’s the chicken restaurant 'Giant Chicken' that appears in the film. The name of this chicken restaurant, which the character Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik) loves dearly, naturally reminds one of 〈Set Me Free〉, where the two first connected over ten years ago. 〈Set Me Free〉 is director Kim Tae-yong's feature debut and Choi Woo-shik's first leading role, making it a precious work for both of them, hence the inclusion of this Easter egg...

One might think so, but here’s the twist. Giant Chicken is a real popular chicken restaurant. In fact, it is famous as a historic chicken restaurant in Busan, the background of 〈Number One〉, and director Kim Tae-yong even has memories of going there with his mother when he was young. In short, it’s a fun coincidence that evokes memories of favorite restaurants for the citizens of Busan and memories of the Kim Tae-yong-Choi Woo-shik duo for audiences from other regions. Perhaps this is what director Kim Tae-yong intended.