[Dispatch=Reporter Jung Tae-yun] Gong Eun-tae is this kind of supervisor. He looks to his colleagues' promotions before his own success. He sets the stage for team members to shine.

Actor Lee Jun-hyuk was the same. As the lead, he didn't try to fill every scene. He focused on matching the rhythm of his fellow actors' performances. He compared himself to the bass of a team.

"For Eun-tae, it was important to constantly maintain the middle line from the center. If I keep playing the bass, other actors can raise their pitch."

Lee Jun-hyuk held a post-production interview for Tving's "Even Lottery Winners Go to Work" (screenplay and direction by Yoon Young-bin) at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, recently.

Having worked as a supporting actor for a long time, he had a special affection for his colleagues. Even while speaking of the lead's responsibility, he ultimately gave credit to his fellow actors.

◆ Shining Together Rather Than Alone

"Even Lottery Winners Go to Work" depicts the story that unfolds when team leader Gong Eun-tae (played by Lee Jun-hyuk), caught between superiors and subordinates, wins the lottery. Instead of submitting a resignation letter, he comes to work with 1.3 billion won in winnings and a different mindset.

Lee Jun-hyuk learned a new sense of responsibility as a lead in this work. The protagonist faces both praise and criticism of the work most directly. But at the same time, he can increase the screen time of other actors and create opportunities for each to show their charm.

For him, the latter was a major driving force. Lee Jun-hyuk said, "From the beginning, it was a work where even small roles could shine. When I saw them acting with passion and energy, I actually felt what it means to be the lead."

In particular, when acting with Seo Hyun-woo, who played fellow team member deputy 'Yang Jun-ho', he felt a thrill. A colleague who has been active in the same industry for a long time. To that extent, they understood each other's rhythm without explanation.

Lee Jun-hyuk said, "If I suddenly move to the left, Hyun-woo hyung would subtly shift his body to fill the frame. That kind of sensor was open at every point. It was moving that such a great actor was adjusting to me and supporting me."

◆ Filling the Scene Instead

In previous works, Lee Jun-hyuk often pushed strong individuality or heightened energy in dramatic situations. In contrast, Gong Eun-tae is a character who moves together with team members.

He said, "In some works, you have to fill all the time within the frame. But this time, it felt like the camera, the director, and the actors' thoughts were clashing in detail. Because there were colleagues who accepted it brilliantly, I could do my best."

One characteristic of Gong Eun-tae is that emotional fluctuations are not large. Additionally, he had to deliver long lines related to work without being boring. Since the work deals with the daily life of an ordinary office worker, the speed and rhythm of exchanging dialogue were important.

He explained, "It was important to maintain the middle line continuously. While doing that, I concentrated enormously so as not to appear boring. When the tempo speeds up, I go in fully, and then I regain my center so other actors can elevate themselves."

In fact, Gong Eun-tae is too neat to be seen as an ordinary office worker. This wasn't simply a choice to make him appear cool. It was a consideration to create an image of an office worker that viewers would want to emulate.

"I wanted to project an image where people who have entered the workplace would feel, 'I also want to be a neat person like that.' There was originally a setting where he smoked a lot, but I removed it. The image of a boss that young people see and the image of a boss our generation thinks of might be different."

Rather than embellishing Gong Eun-tae, he chose to add his own voice and atmosphere. He said, "Previously, I played a lot of murderer roles, so there were parts that were hard to empathize with in the character, but this time I added more of my own vibe."

◆ Immersion Over Entertainment

The drama begins with the fantasy of winning first place in the lottery. But even after winning, he goes to work, clashes with colleagues, and does his job. It conveys a weighty message that the meaning of work doesn't disappear just because money has arrived.

Lee Jun-hyuk also didn't define the joy of work simply. He said, "When eating snacks while watching a movie, it's delicious and enjoyable. It's very clear. But I'm not sure what it means for work to be fun."

"For example, games are made to be fun, but when the difficulty goes up, you get frustrated. But you keep playing anyway. There's much more frustrated time than fun time. It seems the same with acting. It's painful... but I think I'm immersed."

While saying this, he was confident about the time he had built up for acting. He said, "I have filmed dozens of works, and seen thousands of movies. Anyone can see exactly where I've spent my time."

He continued, "I can say this confidently. Anyone can see my pure workload, can't they? In the long run, I hope it will be felt, directly or indirectly, that 'that person really loves the industry.'"

"Tom Cruise also has hundreds of billions, yet he acts with his life on the line and spends hours on special makeup. I think, 'Why doesn't that person rest? Does he like this game more than I do?' Someday, I'd like to be able to say that I'm more curious about and love this work than that person."

◆ Going to the Next Set

"Even Lottery Winners Go to Work" ranked first in Tving's weekend subscription contribution for four consecutive weeks. The final episode's viewership was an average of 6.2% of national households and a peak of 7.2%, marking its highest viewership.

The reason the story of hardworking office workers resonated with viewers is likely because Lee Jun-hyuk has also worked diligently in the workplace of works for 20 years. And there were always colleagues at those sets.

What touched his heart the most was a line directed at a colleague. In the final episode, words Gong Eun-tae delivers to Jung Sun-hyuk (played by Oh Dae-hwan) on the rooftop.

"We know, don't we? What we did, how we did it, how we came up with ideas and how much we agonized. How we fought and how we negotiated. How hard it was and how happy it was." (Episode 10)

Lee Jun-hyuk said, "I thought that line runs through everyone with a job. We can't say in words how much we suffered, but we can have those conversations with colleagues. That's why the people beside us are important."

His commute continues. SBS-TV's new drama "Awakening," director Jang Jae-hyun's film "Vampire," and the office romance "Serene Lie." He continues works without pause.

Lee Jun-hyuk said, "Even without a reference, I want to try new challenges. Whether it's failure or success, I hope you'll enjoy going the new path together."

"'Awakening,' which comes out first, is also fresh. There hasn't been a work that deals with occult fantasy and students' stories before. So it's a difficult challenge, but I worked hard to find the answer. Even if it's not a perfect score, I want to continue telling stories where we gain something, even a little."

<Photo courtesy of Tving, Ace Factory>