In Your 20s or 50s... First Love Is Only Complete in Retrospect

Interview with Director Oh Sehyuk and Actor Yoon Youngseok of Original Musical 'Cheotsarang'
Performances at Mapo Art Center Art Hall Mac from Next Month 2-4
"The Male Lead's First Love Through Time Slip, Expressed in a Short Song with Long Time"
"Recalling Memories That Became Life Turning Points, Emotions Are the Same in 20s and 50s"

Musical director Oh Se-hyeok and actor Yoon Young-seok are being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 23rd. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "How many challenges must the eyes have never stopped to bloom a flower on a trembling branch." From Ko Jaejong's 'First Love'

The trembling emotions of first love contained in the poem are always poignant. When in love, one does not realize it is first love. Only after a long time does it become complete and special. Director Oh Sehyuk and actor Yoon Youngseok, who collaborated on the original musical 'First Love,' are devoted to rehearsing to bloom a beautiful flower on stage. It is a challenge that goes back in time. Each reflects on their memories of first love.

A single piece of music that even stopped the air at that moment. A stepping stone that allowed one to take a bolder step toward their dream. After pouring out a heart as soft as cotton, the passion of youth can be felt. This is the purity and passion of first love they will show. Below is a Q&A with the two.

- How did you portray the first love of the male protagonist who time-slips?

Oh Sehyuk

I received a contact expressing the desire to produce a musical based on the art songs of Professor Kim Hyogeun, who is active as a composer. The next day, I went up from Gyeongju to Seoul for a meeting. I did not know many art songs. Each song is short. The lyrics are concise and metaphorical. I felt that they contained long periods of time and space, so I had wanted to create a musical based on our art songs for a long time. This is a project difficult for general production companies to attempt. I felt that if I missed the planning by Mapo Cultural Foundation, it would be delayed further, so I readily took on the challenge.

After receiving the proposal, I spent about a year listening to Kim Hyogeun's compositions whenever I had time. One day, passing by a photo studio near Mapo, I looked inside and saw photos densely hung on the walls. When I asked a local elder, I learned that the owner had passed away. They said the photos that customers did not pick up were hung on the wall so they could be taken someday. Inspired by that, I decided to tell a story about memory, love, and photographs.

Musical actor Yoon Young-seok is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 23rd. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

- Do you remember your first love?

Yoon Youngseok

Everyone probably carries their first love in their heart. A heartbreaking love like in our work. My first love was a friend I dated during university. It was a pure love, and we got along well, but we broke up due to opposition from that friend's family. The shock made me give up my original plan to enter graduate school and enlist in the military. I consider that moment a turning point in my life. I had only thought about vocal music and opera, but going to the military and meeting various people broadened my perspective. After discharge, I became a member of the Seoul City Choir and even entered musicals.

Oh Sehyuk

While preparing the work and recalling my first love, I could not remember the name of the person but only the scene. I confessed to a friend I had a crush on in middle school but was rejected. Shocked, I sat sadly in a study room when a friend handed me earphones to listen to a song. It was Yoon Jongshin's 'That Day Long Ago.' I listened to it about fifty times on the spot and cried. Even now, whenever I hear that song, the moment, the emotion, and the time and space of that time vividly come to mind. In this work, while a song plays, different times and spaces unfold before the eyes. I wanted to reflect that sadness.

Musical director Oh Se-hyeok is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 23rd. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

- How did you portray the protagonist's time-slip recalling his past first love?

Oh Sehyuk

Just as I recall all those moments when I listen to 'That Day Long Ago,' I expressed specific scenes where time and space unfold on one stage. For example, Tae-kyung in his 50s is on stage, and right behind him, Tae-kyung in his 20s is doing something else. Different times and spaces proceed on the same stage. At the end, when Tae-kyung sings his first love alone, even without explicitly presenting time and space, the audience naturally recalls all the moments.

Yoon Youngseok

There is wisdom I have learned from singing for over 30 years. It is no different in this work. Tae-kyung in his 20s is somewhat naive and worries about how to take photos. Tae-kyung in his 50s is a successful figure in photography. I believe the 50-year-old Tae-kyung also has the feelings I feel now. If he met his 20-year-old self, I think he would give advice or guide him somehow.

Musical director Oh Se-hyeok and actor Yoon Young-seok are being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 23rd. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

- If you could introduce the highlights of the work to the audience

Yoon Youngseok

This work targets a broad audience. As the lyrics of first love say, "When will I always convey my heart to you / Today too, I live thinking only of you." It is a story of a man in his 50s, but within it is the fresh love of his 20s and scenes that evoke the passing years. I hope people will focus on the comfortable story that men and women, young and old, can all relate to.

Oh Sehyuk

Recently, I had trouble breathing well. Strangely, when I listened to the songs from the work in the rehearsal room, I could breathe comfortably. I hope the audience will enjoy the performance comfortably, as if breathing easily, during the 100 minutes of the show.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.