Lee Byung-hun Discusses International Fans' Reactions to His Bromance with Lee Jung-jae
On January 8, actor Lee Byung-hun shared his thoughts on the international fan reactions to his bromance with Lee Jung-jae during an interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He remarked, "The bromance with Lee Jung-jae has spread like a meme among foreign fans, and I neither find it unpleasant nor particularly enjoyable."
The Netflix original series Squid Game (오징어 게임), which premiered in September 2021, became a global phenomenon. The highly anticipated Season 2, returning after three years, features a fierce rivalry between Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who vows revenge and re-enters the deadly games, and the Front Man (played by Lee Byung-hun). Director Hwang Dong-hyuk returns to helm the sequel, where Lee Byung-hun's character disguises himself as Oh Young-il to participate in the games.
Lee Byung-hun and Lee Jung-jae reunited for the first time since the 1998 drama White Night 3.98 (백야 3.98). Reflecting on their time together, Lee Byung-hun noted, "Although we worked together on both White Night 3.98 and Season 1 of Squid Game, we never really acted together until Season 2. It was a great experience to finally understand each other's acting styles and patterns. Given that we debuted around the same time and have been friends for so long, it felt significant. During Season 2, I thought, 'Wow, we are finally sharing lines together.'"
Interestingly, some global viewers have speculated whether Squid Game 2 hints at a Boys' Love (BL) relationship between the two characters. Lee Byung-hun humorously responded, "I was just as surprised as the Korean fans! When I watch videos on foreign fans' YouTube channels, I see 'BL' written in capital letters, and I initially thought they had mistakenly written 'BH' for my name. I even wondered if it was an abbreviation for 'Byung-hun Lee.' It seems this has turned into a meme among foreign fans, and I neither find it unpleasant nor particularly delightful."
Squid Game 2 (오징어 게임2) was released on December 26, and Season 3 is expected to premiere later this year.
