Ahead of the first broadcast of ‘Face Me’, Lee Min-ki personally revealed the reason why he chose the project.

In KBS2‘s new Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘Face Me’ (directed by Jo Rok-hwan/written by Hwang Ye-jin), Lee Min-ki plays ‘Cha Jung-woo’, a top-notch plastic surgeon with outstanding anatomical knowledge, quick judgment, and boldness.

Jung-woo is a cold-hearted character who does not have any emotional connection with his patients, and focuses solely on what he has to do. He does not even hold the hand of a patient who is afraid, let alone the usual lip service. The reason Jung-woo chose plastic surgery and has this mindset is because of his painful past that left him with scars that cannot be easily healed. Expectations are high for Lee Min-ki’s performance, as he perfectly displays the character‘s external aspects as well as his internal emotions, giving the performance of his life.

First of all, Lee Min-ki said, “The character of a “‘plastic surgeon’ was new to me. Also, the fact that various episodes unfold through the reconstruction of crime victims’ plastic surgery was interesting,” he said, revealing the reason for choosing the work.

He continued to explain the character of ‘Cha Jung-woo’. He said that the character is a skilled plastic surgeon who has closed his heart due to a certain incident in the past. He then said, “There is a line from the other actor in the play, “It seemed like he had decided not to be happy,”, and I think that is the line that best expresses Jung-woo‘s inner self,” stimulating the imagination of potential viewers.

Lee Min-ki, who waited a long time since the planning and development stages of ‘Face Me’ and put in special effort for the role of a plastic surgeon, said, “Because it is the role of a plastic surgeon, I had to film the surgery scenes multiple times. Accordingly, I spent a lot of time watching and learning the necessary techniques, practicing, and putting in a lot of effort.”

In addition, Lee Min-ki talked about Cha Jung-woo’s synchronization. “I focused on Jung-woo‘s inner self. I also have moments where I find it difficult to emotionally connect with people, so I think the way I try to keep my distance from patients and other people is similar to me,” he said, raising expectations for how Lee Min-ki’s character of Cha Jung-woo will be portrayed.

As for a memorable moment while filming, he chose the scene in episode 1 where Jung-woo tells a victim of dating violence, “Change is something you do on your own in the end.” He explained, “It’s memorable because it’s a metaphor at the beginning and something that applies to Jung-woo himself,” raising expectations for the drama.

Lee Min-ki said, “I’ll be back soon with ‘Face Me’. I’m looking forward to seeing how the viewers will feel with my new role and fresh story. Please wait with interest,” he said, not forgetting to greet the viewers ahead of the first broadcast.

‘Face Me’, which raises curiosity about Lee Min-ki’s activities, is a medical drama about a cool-headed plastic surgeon and a passionate MZ detective from the violent crimes unit chasing the truth of a case through reconstructive plastic surgery for crime victims.

‘Face Me’ will premiere at 9:50 PM on Wednesday, November 6 as the follow-up to ‘Bullshit’.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com