[Dispatch=Reporter Jung Tae-yoon] A mole that ate a fingernail takes the place of that person. The story begins with a familiar folktale. Actor Ryu Jun-yeol shows the desperation of a person trying to find the life he has lost.

For the first time in his filmography, he took on a dual role. He said, "I thought about it a lot and tried everything I could. The best result of that is contained in the work."

Netflix's new series "Mole" (screenplay Lee Jae-gon, directed by Kim Hong-seon) held a production presentation on the 20th at Hotel Naru Seoul Aum Gallery in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Actors Ryu Jun-yeol, Seol Kyung-gu, Lee Gyu-hyung, and director Kim Hong-seon were present.

"Mole" is a pursuit thriller. It depicts the story that unfolds as novelist Moon Jae-wen, who has had his name, face, and entire life stolen by a mysterious being called the mole, loan shark Noja who seeks to recover his lost money, and detective Soon-yong chase the mole's identity.

Ryu Jun-yeol plays the role of Je Moon Jae-wen. Moon Jae-wen is a writer who has lived in hiding, disconnected from the world after a past incident. One day, everything from his name to his life is stolen by an unknown mole.

Ryu Jun-yeol said, "The setting was very interesting. It raised curiosity that couldn't be predicted one by one" and "I was so curious about the content that I voluntarily sought out the original work to resolve my curiosity."

Regarding his acting points, he said, "I tried to well express the philosophy contained in the original work. How can I prove and define myself as a person. I tried to express it in an easy-to-understand way—whether the person I see is me or them."

He simultaneously plays Je Moon Jae-wen, who had his name and everything stolen, and the mole who stole it all. About his dual role challenge, he revealed, "I thought a lot about how to convince [the audience] that one actor plays two characters."

He continued, "Even during the film 'Night Owl,' I worried about how to convince [them] without visual impairment. This time was similar" and explained, "I expressed it by touching on the subtle parts of the characters."

The biggest difference is the voice. He said, "Moon Jae-wen and the mole converse on the phone, and I tried to make a difference so the difference can be felt through voice alone. For other details, viewers will have fun discovering them themselves."

Director Kim Hong-seon said, "Moon Jae-wen is neither a good protagonist nor a character with a heroic narrative" and added, "Working intensely with actor Ryu Jun-yeol, sharing ideas and consulting, I received tremendous help from a directorial standpoint."

Seol Kyung-gu plays Noja. Noja is a loan shark who comes chasing after his lost money. He is a realistic character who doesn't care about means or methods to achieve his goals. He finds himself drawn into the strange incident that Moon Jae-wen is caught up in.

He said, "Noja wants to stop his wrongdoing and leave for a place where he can prove himself" and introduced, "To Noja, Moon Jae-wen is a guy he hates so much he'd kill, but an irony arises where he becomes hope."

He has previously shown characters with different textures each time in Netflix film "Good News," series "Typhoon," Disney+ "Hypernife," and film "An Ordinary Family." This time, he drives the chase thriller as its core.

He showcases intense action including car chases and axe brawls. Seol Kyung-gu said, "When Moon Jae-wen is knocked unconscious, I had to handle the rest" and "The martial arts director I've worked with since 'Gil-bok-soon' choreographed the action well for Noja."

He continued, "Noja's action uses a baseball bat, axe, drum barrel, karaoke microphone, and soju bottle" and "It showcases action that makes good use of the surrounding environment."

Seol Kyung-gu and Ryu Jun-yeol met for the first time on this project. Seol Kyung-gu said, "I received a lot of help from Ryu Jun-yeol on this work. While I tend to be thrown into a role and entrust it, Ryu Jun-yeol studies a lot."

He continued, "He even studies about me. There were takes where I borrowed Ryu Jun-yeol's ideas after hearing them" and recalled, "There are many scenes that move by car, so we shared a lot of anecdotes."

For Ryu Jun-yeol, this meeting was also special. He emphasized, "It was a time with a lot of concerns, but meeting the senior, I learned a lot about how to spend my acting life going forward. It was a truly precious time."

"Mole" is based on a popular webtoon. What differentiation did they try to give from the webtoon? Director Kim Hong-seon explained, "The method itself of unfolding is different. It has a different aspect in that it emphasized the form of pursuit."

He added, "Our work seems to have fun in the game of 'who is it really,' and when directing, I tried to express it while being conscious of such points."

About viewing points for the work, director Kim said, "There's a line from Soon-yong (played by Lee Gyu-hyung) that says 'life is like an island.' It seems to be a one-word expression of this drama. Characters are drifting like islands, so please look at their relationships."

Lee Gyu-hyung also expressed confidence, saying, "The relationships between the characters are all intertwined. As you go into the latter half, you'll slap your knee and tap your forehead."

Finally, Ryu Jun-yeol requested, "The relationships are entangled and the story unfolds interestingly. There is a lot of action and interesting things to see" and asked, "Please watch how it unfolds."

"Mole" will be released on Netflix on the 28th at 5 p.m. Total of 10 episodes.

<Photo=Seunghoon Lee, Reporter>