how many instalments is ideal? (laughs)

full instalments! i spread it out as much as possible to avoid damage. the pre-production phase is everything. i truly believe it's everything. usually, before going on set, there's one full script reading and one meeting with the director, but i do it a dozen times or more. that way, i don't experience major stress on set.

the current system, which has more pre-production compared to the past, must suit you well. what did you focus on during the pre-production phase for <climax>?

is this story engaging? not just engaging, but does it hold plausibility? also, where can dramatic licence be applied, or where might it appear 'fake'? there's no single right answer, but we all gather for meetings to discuss this. it's a process of reaching consensus on whether something 'feels convincing or not'. ultimately, it's about whether the drama is moving in the desired direction.

given this work is described as having a 'climax' in every episode, that plausibility seems even more crucial.

absolutely. just as you need coffee beans to brew a double shot or a quad shot, you simply must have the beans (core/raw materials). if you were to steep barley tea to make it strong, that would be cheating. you mustn't deceive with your work. this is, quite literally, drama. a drama! crimes do occur daily in this world where people kill each other and wars break out, yet i still constantly agonise over whether this is going too far or if this much should be allowed.

the coffee analogy is rather amusing. what sort of coffee did you come out with this time?

if we're to continue the coffee metaphor, this work seems more about caffeine and its consumption. everyone knows while watching, 'that's not how it should be done, is it?' since we were told not to eat it, the forbidden fruit simply mustn't be eaten. yet, desiring it is human nature. that seems to be the essence of such desire. when ordering a chicken, there are only two drumsticks, yet some people want to eat both. ultimately, dramas inevitably tackle the universal story of 'how do we, living in society, resolve such desires?' i think this work delves more explicitly into that desire, focusing directly on its raw, unadulterated form.

what desire drives prosecutor taeseop's relentless pursuit?

it's the desire to climb higher. that's why it was fascinating both reading the script and performing it. but after racing towards that desire for so long, i too find myself asking, 'why am i pursuing this desire?' i don't know the answer either. regardless, i'm on the tracks now, and the train is already moving.

you have to deal with numerous characters. who is the most challenging opponent?

ultimately, it seems to be oneself. this holds true within the work, and i share a similar perspective: despite all the talk of this or that, it boils down to my own desire.

director lee jiwon described ju jihoon as having 'a face that already embodies desire'.

it's unfair. i didn't choose to be born with this face. (laughs)

haha, it's the kind of face every male actor would want. directors all harbour their own dreams of working with ju jihoon. are you still discovering new facets of your face?

i wouldn't know. i’ve been working for so long since my model days. to me, i look completely different now, but if others say they see no change, i guess they’re right. other times, i think, ‘is that really how i speak?’ yet if people say it’s different, i suppose it must be. so at some point, i stopped overthinking the difference between my own view and others’.

so judgement is left to the viewer, then.

exactly. i still find myself pondering how elements rooted in who i am can manifest in a character like this. today's pictorial shoot is probably no different.

this story unfolds as the desires of various characters collide. what is the desire ju jihoon harbours at this moment?

to be at peace. perhaps, in a way, that’s where my heart is now too. thinking back to after so long, i find myself wondering what on earth is taeseop striving so desperately for? (laughs)

when i was young, on sundays, my friends and i would each get 2,000 won pocket money. we'd pay 1,000 won for the bathhouse, then pool the remaining 1,000 won to go to the market. whether we bought something to eat or went to the internet cafe, it was so much fun. sometimes, even without money, just wandering around the neighborhood, sitting and chatting, we were really happy. what is that state of peace? it’s not about having great ambitions for anything; it’s closer to being like when you were young; meeting friends without any special reason or purpose, just chatting, walking, things like that. i think that kind of tranquility is what i need.

what was young ju jihoon's dream back then?

i didn't have any dreams. (laughs) i was a really happy kid. after school, i'd play basketball, sleep well, and when i got home, i'd eat the meals mom had prepared. if i had any desire back then, it was something like wanting to eat two delivery burgers. the food i ate back then tasted the best.

it's been twenty years since your acting debut. do you plan to commemorate it in any way?

it seems the world has changed, much like how people rarely hold sixtieth birthday celebrations these days. before, it was difficult for actors to last twenty years, but now it's less about anniversaries and more about whether one can continue as long as their own desires allow. i think the senior actors today are, in a sense, pioneers. is it called their 'twilight years'? yet they still play leading roles, connecting and resonating with audiences. as a junior following in their footsteps, i don't feel i've been around that long. my seniors are still actively performing right before my eyes. i'm still fetching water, you see. (laughs) clint eastwood is still working at 97, so i'd like to just go with the flow like that.

you’ve built such a rich and impressive filmography so far. do you think this work will find its place among them?

i certainly hope so. the original script was rated 19, but it ended up being rated 15. i actually preferred the 19 version. there’s a bit of regret there, but i trust the director worked her magic to make it work. so i’m looking forward to it too.

you said you want to be at peace, but isn't desire necessary to keep moving forward?

these days, it seems everyone is taking longer and longer to find that answer. i'm working really hard, yet i still feel the same. i'm in my mid-forties, and if someone asks, 'what kind of person are you?', i'm not quite sure. i'm still in the process of figuring it out too.

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