What we know so far about sexy rom-com flick ‘Love and Leashes’ starring SNSD’s Seohyun and Lee Junyoung

The film is based on a webtoon

The rom-com flick is based on the webtoon The Sensual M by Gyeowool (Winter) which tells the story of Sam Choi and Samantha Choi who work in a PR firm. Samantha is great at her job but she’s often criticized for her cold personality, while Sam is a clean-cut employee who keeps his sexual fantasies to himself.

Samantha, who secretly harbors a crush on Sam, accidentally discovers Sam’s fetish when his online purchase was accidentally delivered to her. Determined to keep his love for BDSM a secret, they enter into a master/slave relationship. 

The film adaptation, which was confirmed by Netflix in March 2021, is directed by Park Hyunjin who is known for her work on Like for Likes and Lovers of Six Years.

Seohyun described the script as ‘fresh and shocking’

In a virtual press conference for the upcoming film, Seohyun admitted that she initially found the storyline as “fresh and shocking” which made her want to challenge herself as an actress.

“When I first read the script, it was fresh and shocking. It was a role that made me want to take up the challenge as an actor. Not only did it have a unique topic, but it also showed how a man and a woman come to understand their differences,” Seohyun said, per The Korea Herald. 

If ever Seohyun accidentally discovers her crush’s secret (like Jiwoo), she said that it should be “respected, as long as it’s not a crime.” “If the person does not want to talk about it, I would not force the conversation either. But I would tell my secret and try to show that it is okay to be different.”

Junyoung said he ‘enjoyed the script’

On the other hand, Junyoung said he “enjoyed” the script after reading it for the first time. 

“When I first read the script, I enjoyed it. I concentrated and read the script maybe four or five times. I looked at it for a long time, but among the scripts I’ve recently read, I think it was the shortest in a long time,” Junyoung said, as per a Soompi report.

Junyoung revealed that he gained nine kilograms to fit into the image of Jihoo. He also shared that he looked up “a lot of Golden Retriever videos” to fit into the wholesome vibes of a dog.

“The director said it would be good if I could be a man like a big dog, and golden retrievers smile comfortably and lovingly so I referred to these videos a lot. I gained nine kilograms by eating six times a day and eating snacks. I tried to bulk up by repeatedly eating and exercising,” he added.

Seohyun and Junyoung are also popular K-pop idols

Prior to making names for themselves as actors, Seohyun and Junyoung are known in the industry as popular K-pop idols.

Seohyun debuted as the lead vocalist and maknae (youngest member) of Girls’ Generation in 2007. She’s also a member of the subunit Girls’ Generation-TTS with members since 2012 and released the solo album Don’t Say No in January 2017. 

In October 2017, it was announced that Seohyun left the entertainment agency SM Entertainment to focus on acting while her activities as a Girls’ Generation member remain in discussion. The singer-actress has been signed with Namoo Actors since 2019.

Meanwhile, Junyoung (or Jun) made his debut as a new member of the boy group U-KISS in 2014. He also joined the survival program The Unit in October 2017, in which he finished in first place. Following his appearance on The Unit, Junyoung debuted in the nine-member project group UNB.

Since then, Seohyun and Junyoung have been gaining recognition for their acting. The Girls’ Generation member appeared in the K-dramas Bad Thief, Good Thief, Time, Hello Dracula, and Private Lives. On the other hand, Junyoung starred in Good Casting, Please Don’t Date Him, Imitation, D.P., and Let Me Be Your Knight, among others.