OFF SCRIPT
Saturday, February 1, 2026
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Hi—
I'm writing this from a state of barely-contained chaos because three major things happened this week in the Weak Hero actor universe, and I need to scream about all of them immediately 😂
Let's go.
Table of Contents
🎬 I MADE A VIDEO (And You Need to Watch It)
Remember how I've been obsessed with the Weak Hero Class 1 script books? The ones I bought specifically to understand Beomseok better and then ended up reading on my entire commute?
Well, I finally made a video about it: "5 Deleted Dialogues You Never Saw | Weak Hero Class 1 Script Book"
What's in it:
The cafeteria scene where students talked about getting "excited" watching Suho fight (Korean slang analysis included)
Suho's deleted training advice to Si-eun that got cut to make the Han River scene hit harder
An ENTIRE SCENE with Beomseok joining their table that never aired (and why Hong Kyung's face acting made it unnecessary)
Pool hall playfulness between Suho and Si-eun that would've killed us
The Han River deleted scene you've seen on Netflix, but I really wish it had made it into the final cut
I also broke down the "sigma fellowship theory" from subscriber Asuka's comment—why Suho saw potential in Si-eun but was immediately put off by Beomseok's "I'll pay" energy.
✅ Watch here
These deleted dialogues aren't just fun trivia. They're proof that the production team understood these characters deeply enough to know what to sacrifice to make the story stronger.
(Also: if you've ever wondered why International fans miss so much cultural context in K-dramas, this video is basically a masterclass in what gets lost in translation.)
⚠️ Copyright Note: Short excerpts only, respecting script book copyright. For international fans who can't access the Korean script.
🚨 PARK JI-HOON FANS: GET READY TO BOOK YOUR TICKETS
Okay, I'm trying to stay calm, but this is HUGE 😂
"The King's Warden" has an official landing page on AMC Theaters.
February 13, 2026.
North America.
What This Means:
"The King's Warden" (왕과 사는 남자) is getting a U.S. theatrical release through AMC—which means international fans might actually get to see Park Ji-hoon's historical film debut on the BIG SCREEN instead of waiting months for streaming.
For context: Korean films rarely get theatrical releases outside Korea. When they do (like "12:12: The Day" a.k.a. Seoul Spring), it's usually limited to major cities with large Korean communities. The fact that AMC has a landing page up before the Korean release is... honestly kind of wild.
The Timeline:
Korea Release: February 4, 2026 (Coming Soon)
AMC Release: February 13, 2026 (9 days later)
What We Don't Know Yet:
Which cities/theaters will screen it
How many AMC locations
When tickets go on sale
If this is a limited-run (like 1-2 weeks) or longer
What You Should Do NOW:
Check AMC's website: https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/the-king-s-warden-82754
Click "Remind Me" to get notified when tickets go on sale
Find your nearest AMC that shows international films
Spread the word to Park Ji-hoon fan communities—the more demand, the more theaters
The king’s warden official poster in Eng.
Why This Film Matters:
"The King's Warden" is the first Korean film to center on King Danjong—the boy king who ascended the throne at 12, was dethroned at 14, and killed at 17. The film imagines his hidden exile story with village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin), blending historical tragedy with unexpected warmth and humor.
Director Jang Hang-jun cast Park Ji-hoon after watching "Weak Hero Class 1," saying his ability to portray "deep emotional vulnerability" was perfect for Danjong.
If you've been following Park Ji-hoon since Weak Hero, you know this performance is going to wreck us emotionally.
The Bottom Line:
This might be your only chance to see Park Ji-hoon on a theater screen in North America. Korean film theatrical releases are rare, unpredictable, and usually disappear fast.
Set that reminder. Rally your crew. And prepare to ugly-cry in a movie theater.
I'll update you as soon as I know which cities are getting it.
P.S. If this ends up being limited to like 3 cities and you have to road trip to see it, I will not judge you. We've all done crazier things for our favorite actors.
(12 minutes. Tissues recommended.)
Read more → Park Ji-hoon As Korea’s Saddest King
Want to go deeper?
🎭 WEAK HERO'S QUIET TAKEOVER: HONG KYUNG & PARK JI-HOON SHIFT THE INDUSTRY
Here's something I've been noticing.
Korean cinema has been obsessed with casting "대세" (daese)—the big-name stars who guarantee box office numbers. Think Ma Dong-seok, Song Kang-ho, the actors whose names are the marketing.
But lately? Two Weak Hero alums are quietly proving there's another way.
Hong Kyung (홍경, b. 1996) and Park Ji-hoon (박지훈, b. 1999) are breaking through not by chasing virality, but by making work you can't look away from.
WHC1 Script Book Cover
Hong Kyung's Unpredictability:
Since Weak Hero, he's been everywhere—"Exhuma" (악귀), "Concrete Utopia" (콘크리트 유토피아), "Trolls" (댓글부대). He'll play the sweet kid in one project, then turn around and embody pure menace in the next.
What's wild is he doesn't need to be the lead. He can walk into a supporting role and suddenly the whole narrative bends toward him. Directors are noticing: Hong Kyung raises the stakes just by showing up.
Park Ji-hoon's Arc:
Child actor → Wanna One idol → serious actor is a path very few people pull off successfully in Korea. The industry loves to pigeonhole.
But Ji-hoon's Yeon Si-eun in Weak Hero made people stop. And now "The King's Warden" is betting its entire historical drama on his shoulders as the title role—King Danjong himself.
Watching our kanu trio (Ji-hoon, Kyung, and Hyun-wook) flip the korean film industry on its head is gonna be so fun to witness. Here for every step of their careers 🙏
Afterwards Weak Hero Effect:
🛶 Will we ever see our Kanu trio together again? Probably not. But watching them reshape Korean cinema one by one—separately flipping an entire industry? That's the real story.
💙 DIRECTOR JANG HANG-JUN ON PARK JI-HOON: "THIS ISN'T ACTING A 20-YEAR-OLD SHOULD BE CAPABLE OF"
I wasn't planning to get emotional today, but here we are.
The press tour for "The King's Warden" has been rolling out, and every single interview—whether it's director Jang Hang-jun, Yoo Hae-jin, or Jeon Mi-do—keeps circling back to the same thing:
Park Ji-hoon completely transformed the film.
What Director Jang Said (MBC FM4U, Feb 1):
I wanted to share what Jang Hang-jun said about Ji-hoon's performance in yesterday's radio interview:
"Park Ji-hoon's presence in this film was immense.
He has this ability to hold rage inside his body—on the surface, he looks helpless, almost powerless. But underneath, there's this hidden fury.
That duality, that control... it's not acting a 20-year-old should be capable of."
He continued:
"He was incredibly popular with the cast and crew. Why?
Because he's calm. He doesn't talk excessively, so there's no pressure around him. He has this grounded quality that doesn't feel like a twentysomething at all.
It's like he has a weight inside him—an anchor.
There's no lightness, no frivolity. Just... steadiness."
Why This Hits Different:
If you've been following Ji-hoon since Weak Hero, you know this is exactly who Yeon Si-eun was.
That "rage hidden under a calm surface." That "anchor inside the body." The way Si-eun could sit perfectly still while his mind calculated ten moves ahead, fury coiled tight beneath his skin.
Dir. Jang just described the exact quality that made us fall for Si-eun—and confirmed Ji-hoon didn't just act that. That's who he is as a performer.
The Cast & Crew Love Him:
What gets me even more than the acting praise is the character praise.
Yoo Hae-jin said working with Ji-hoon felt like acting with a son. The entire production team apparently adored him because he brought no ego, no stardom baggage—just showed up, did the work, and held space for everyone else to shine.
In an industry where young actors are constantly performing being a star, Ji-hoon seems uninterested in that game and appears to be focused purely on the craft.
The Through-Line:
There's a reason Ji-hoon keeps getting cast in roles that require emotional restraint masking deep pain.
Si-eun. Danjong. These aren't characters who get to scream their feelings. They're characters who have to survive by keeping everything locked down—until the moment it can't be contained anymore.
And apparently, Ji-hoon doesn't even have to try. He just is that.
Why I'm Telling You This:
Because when "The King's Warden" drops and you watch Ji-hoon carry a historical film as a dethroned boy king, you're going to see exactly what Jang Hang-jun is talking about.
That quiet, devastating power.
That rage under the stillness.
That anchor.
And you're going to understand why directors don't just want to work with him—they need him.
Yeah. We're watching something rare happen in real time.
📺 NEXT WEEK: CHOI HYUN-WOOK'S 2026 LINEUP
Speaking of our Weak Hero trio—next Saturday, I'm breaking down everything Choi Hyun-wook (우리의 막내! / our baby maknae!) has coming in 2026. Trust me, you're going to want to clear your watch schedule.
That's it for this week. If you made it this far, you're passionately following the career paths of our Kanu trio—Ji-hoon, Hyun-wook, and Hong Kyung—who started together in Weak Hero!
Welcome. We have excellent taste here.
— Jennie Lee
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