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Shin stars as Kang Woo-ram, a gifted ssireum (Korean traditional wrestling) athlete who goes through a slump, while Irene plays the role of aspiring anchorwoman Lee Hyun-ji, juggling multiple part-time jobs to achieve her dream.

The two get along when Kang becomes a frequent customer of the burger restaurant where Lee works the night shift. The two share late-night snacks together and support each other in their dreams.

“When it came to conditioning my body for the role, I tried to train and eat, like professional ssireum athletes. As a result I was able to reduce my body fat and increase my muscle mass. It was an exhausting process, but I enjoyed making that transformation,” Shin said during an interview.

The ascending actor confessed that he was able to relate to Kang’s character because he was a former student-athlete himself.

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“I played football for 11 years before I quit and shifted my career to modelling and acting. So I know exactly how it feels to be on the verge of giving up on one’s dreams and switching gears. The film reminded me of my own growing pains,” he said.

Shin revealed he had started acting classes in 2017 and was initially embarrassed about watching himself act on screen. “It may sound contradictory, but acting was awkward and fun at the same time. I had cringe moments, but I realised eventually that this is what I want,” he said.

On acting opposite Bae, Shin said: “I was already cast when I heard that Irene had been cast as my partner. I thought it was a fresh mix because it was our first experience acting in a film.

“We would rehearse together and talk though the scenes in detail. We would keep working to create better scenes together. I think we seem to have good on screen chemistry.”

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The 25-year-old actor also shared his bucket list ideas for the rest of his twenties. “Two things that immediately came to mind are travelling to Europe and going to a film festival,” he said.

Shin went on to say that he wishes to star in films of diverse genres, including action and noir, and in roles such as playing a dark hero. So far he has been tipped to star in the Netflix original series D.P. (Deserter Pursuit).

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The series, adapted from the webtoon of the same title, will tell the story of Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in) and his encounters with deserting soldiers, along with his struggles to keep his moral compass as he decides the fate of the confused young men. While the specifics of his character are yet to be announced, we know Shin will reportedly play an AWOL soldier in the show helmed by director Han Jun-hee, who is best known for his 2015 action crime film Coin Locker Girl.

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