Seo in Guk challenges Death on “Death’s Game”

Till Death do us part. This simple sentence is one of the strongest testament of Love. The first time we sat down with Seo In Guk was to discuss the one considered the strongest feelings in the world. His album, Love&Love, was just released, and My Love - its title track - was a honey-dripping compelling song.

This time, we switched sides. We went darker and talked about Death. To be more accurate, about Death’s Game - aka the K-drama whose part one was just released on Amazon Prime Video.

Adapted from the widely embraced webtoon "Yi-Jae Will Die Soon," the captivating K-drama Death's Game unfolds with Seo In Guk in the lead role of Yi-Jae, a down-and-out jobseeker. His desperate attempt at suicide takes an unexpected turn when death doesn't offer the release he anticipated. Enter Park So Dam as a formidable Grim Reaper, who, instead of letting Yi-Jae off the hook, decides to teach him a lesson. Now, Yi-Jae must face death 12 more times, each instance occurring through different individuals on the brink of their demise. The catch? If he manages to prevent one of these deaths, he earns the right to continue living in that body.

Adding an extra layer of excitement to this enthralling narrative is the creative touch of the talented SLL, crafting the series with finesse. SLL's involvement promises an engaging and nuanced storyline that will likely captivate audiences. As the series unfolds, viewers can expect a rollercoaster of emotions, with each reincarnation presenting unique challenges. From a passenger in a doomed plane, portrayed by Choi Siwon, to a parachute-less skydiver, played by Sung Hoon, Death's Game explores the diversity of life-threatening situations.

Despite its lack of religious undertones, the series opens with the powerful statement, "You are guilty of coming to find me before I came to find you," echoing the fire and brimstone style of the Bible's Old Testament. Death's Game is more than a mere exploration of mortality; it's a fast-paced and enjoyable pulp that weaves twisted surprises into a novel body-swap fantasy concept.

The series is thoughtfully divided into two parts, with the first set of episodes launching on December 15, setting the stage for the unfolding drama. Fans eagerly anticipate the second part scheduled to drop on January 5, promising more suspense, intrigue, and unexpected twists in this compelling journey through life, death, and everything in between.

We walked through the K-drama in an interview with Seo In Guk.

Nice to meet you again. The last time we spoke, it was on the release of your music, My Love. How have you been since then?

I’ve been working on my music after “My Love”, and shooting for several titles to show to the audience. Now “Deaths Game” is set to be released, and the musical “Monte Cristo” is being staged.

We are now here to talk about your acting career: Deaths Game. How did you choose to be part of this project?

I’ve been a huge fan of the original webtoon. In the beginning, I was in a talk with the director about the cameo appearance, but after he found out that I really liked the original one, he offered to take the character “Yi-Jae”. I delightedly and gratefully became a part of this project.

I would like to know, from your point of view, what kind of character is Choi Yi-Jae?

It’s a multifaceted character that struggles between deaths and lives, expressing immediate emotions by instinct.

Did you read the webtoon? Did it help in some way to get into the character in more depth?

I knew the original story before the announcement of the dramatization. I received the script after that, and I reckoned that I needed a new approach to the character as another distinguishing atmosphere for drama was added to the original one, and the story was going to be adapted for the series. So, I shared a lot of conversations with the director on set and faithfully followed the script for shooting.

The Drama is really intense. You have to portray an infinite range of emotions. How did you prepare for the role?

Facing death and the circumstances after death is something that I haven’t gone through, so I imagined “How would Choi Yi-Jae do, how would I do”, and created emotions one by one with the atmosphere of the set and the director’s directing.

I think your role is really complex because you have to deal not only with Choi Yi Jae’s emotions but also with the aftermath coming from the twelve reincarnations. How did you snap out of every single reincarnation to get ready to film the next one?

I didn’t find it difficult since the next character’s story was well described. Above all, as the spirit was Yi-jae, even though he was reincarnated to other people, I portrayed the character by imagining the circumstance that Yi-jae confronts.

You worked with a vast cast: Choi Siwon, Kim Jae Wook, Sung Hoon, Lee Do Hyun, and Lee Jae Wook... These are just a few of your character’s reincarnations. Did you work closely with them to get into their characters' emotions?

I shared many talks with actors Park So-dam and Go Youn-Jung whom I worked closely, and the other actors had to depict another character of Yi-jae, so, from what I heard, the director shared the videos of me playing Yi-jae with them.

One of your reincarnations is a kid, played by Kim Kang Hoon, who is only 14, but he’s very active in the industry. How was it to work with him? Being his Hyung, did you share any advice with him?

Rather than advice, as Yi-Jae is older than actor Kang-hoon, while I had a read-through with him and the director, we studied together how to depict those mature sides of Yi-Jae.

And then there is Park So Dam, who plays Death. How was shooting with her on such challenging roles?

She and I had a lot of talks on the script. Since we got closer, it was comfortable to work with her, and I found many things to learn from her, watching her being perfectly prepared for the character Death.

Which was the most challenging part of filming this drama?

I reckon it was the scene where Yi-jae watching Hell. It was very fresh and fun to come up with Hell through my imagination and express the look on his face.

And do you have any fun behind the scenes to share with us?

Rather than fun, I didn’t realize that I was so afraid of heights. There were a lot of scenes in which Yi-Jae fell from the air, with wire actions, but I didn't know that I had acrophobia because I hadn't done scenes at such a high place before. This time, the scene needed to capture the falling process for a long time, so I did it at a very high place, and I found it difficult yet most memorable.

I have a question directly from your fans from Italy: they are curious to know if you have ever thought about coming to Italy to film some vlogs.

I really want to visit Italy. I want to try authentic Italian pizza and spaghetti (laugh).

As we said in the beginning, you are also a singer. Can we expect new music from you, or do you think it’s time to prioritize your acting career?

Both acting and music are precious to me. As I’m working on music now, you can expect it.

Back to Deaths Game, if you had to describe it with one word, which would it be and why?

The Life. There is a great message about life and death in the series that you might get to know by watching the one, and I reckon “Deaths Game” is about life itself.

And if you had to describe Seo In Guk in one word, which would it be?

Seo In Guk is the Life, too (laugh).

I have one last question: who is Seo In Guk now?

A person who is faithful to life and tries hard on it. Also, I came to stop and smell the roses more than in my 20s, and I think all those aspects reflected in the works are me.