Jung Myeong-cheol

Lee Choi Hyun

Jung Jae-bin

Drama

boys' love (bl)

The One Who Left, the One Who Came

Wrong Number

YouTube

SUKFILM

South Korea

Dominic Kebre

Wrong Number – Sukfilm back on track

It’s been a year that Sukfilm took the world of BL by storm with the miniseries “ Blue Boys“. The good storytelling, focusing on a small number of protagonists, excellent acting, and high production quality despite limited budget attracted million of viewers. Then Sukfilm put out several miniseries, and to be honest, I lost interest at some point because they all felt like remakes of “Blue Boys“.

That was the reason why I didn’t even notice when “Wrong Number“ was released, which turned out to be a good thing because I could binge-watch all the four episodes in one sitting, and I was really happy because obviously Sukfilm are back on track.

I never really understood why production companies make viewers wait 7 days for episodes of just 10 minutes, because among all the ongoing BL series it’ll be hard to remember details of such short episodes. So watching the series like a short film makes a lot more sense.

Why am I saying that Sukfilm is back on track? Well, “Wrong Number“ has all the qualities of earlier Sukfilm miniseries - it tells a unique story, and, thanks to three good actors, in a way that makes viewers relate to the characters’ background. It creates the typical “Sukfilm-atmosphere“ of quiet intimacy, and its production standard is good thoughout.
 
In the middle of the night, Lee-seop (Jung Myeong-cheol, Tae-ha in “Sweetheart Service“), a professional photographer, is woken by a phone call from a stranger who has dialed the number of his ex-girlfriend who dumped him a month ago. Lee-seop was obviously given this number when he recently changed his number. As the stranger announces to kill himself unless his ex-girlfriend meets him in the bar where he has gotten drunk, Lee-seop goes to the bar, and as the young man named Woo-tae (Lee Choi-hyun) is not only totally drunk, but also desperate and helpless, he takes him home.

The next morning. Lee-seop refuses to give Woo-tae his number as he doesn’t want any more contact with him, but by mere coincidence the two young men meet again when Woo-tae replaces a model for one of Lee-seop’s photoshoots. That night, the same thing happens at the bar as the night before, but this time it’s Lee-seop who is as desperate as Woo-tae the night before because his long-time partner Lee Hyeon-uk (Jung Jae-bin, Han U-jin in “My Damn Business“) ditched him.

Not only does Woo-tae rescue Lee-seop this time, he also turns out to be the stronger of the two when they bump into Lee Hyeon-uk. Woo-tae takes the lead by pretending to be Lee-seop’s new boyfriend. This infuriates Hyeon-uk, who later that night meets Lee-seop in front of a bar where they used to go together, and where Lee-seop and Woo-tae are about to meet. He wants to have him back, but having met and obviously having developed feelings for Woo-tae, Lee-seop rejects him.

 Woo-tae eavesdrops on most of their discussion, but leaves quietly before Lee-seop rejects his ex. The next day, Lee-seop visits the café where Woo-tae works, and the two of them not only reconcile, but confess to each other and even kiss - although the extended version of the kiss is once again hidden behind Sukfilm's paywall.

The whole miniseries has about the length of one episode of a Thai BL drama, and yet it is able to display the leads’ characters and backstories more deeply than some of the longest Thai series do. This is what I call good writing. 

Let me give one example:
Lee-seop: “Just because you treat everyone nicely, not everyone is like you. You only get hurt.“
Woo-tae: “But it’s like a lottery. If you treat ten people well, one of them turns out to be good. One of them treats me sincerely.“

This short dialog tells the viewer more about the protagonists than lengthy flashbacks or inner monologs, which more often than not indicate lazy writing.

But a short film like this can only work with good actors. Jung Jae-bin has the easiest part as he’s the bad guy who only wants to have Lee-seop back when he falsely thinks that his ex has already found a new boyfriend, which of course hurts his pride. Jung Myeong-cheol plays the “stronger“ guy as convincingly as his despair after being ditched.

But it is  Lee Choi-hyun, who steals this show for me. There aren’t many BL actors who can display being drunk without overacting or seeming ridiculous – he can. He can also play the shy guy, the sad and desperate boy, but just as well the strong, self-confident, and even wise character. This young man is a huge talent.

Making actors perform at their very best, and creating a unique atmosphere as in this miniseries, requires a good director. Unfortunately Sukfilm don’t reveal the names of cast and crew, so it remains a secret who is responsible for writing and directing this wonderful little piece of art – because that’s exactly what it is, a wonderful piece of art you shouldn’t miss.

Country: South Korea

Episodes: 4 à 10 mins.

Director: ???

Cast:  Lee Choi-hyun.  Jung Myeong-cheol, Jung Jae-bin

Season 1

한국어/조선말

Wrong Number

Storyline

Cast

Reviews

Niso2020

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