Kim Mu-yeol revealed behind-the-scenes stories about the Netflix series Teach You a Lesson during an interview with Sportschosun on the afternoon of the 12th.
Teach You a Lesson is a drama about the School Rights Protection Bureau, an organization created to defend classrooms in South Korea from students, teachers, and parents who cross the line. Kim Mu-yeol played Na Hwa-jin, an inspector at the bureau who coolly resolves a range of school-related problems in his own way.
Kim Mu-yeol joked, "I keep checking my personal account to see the number of followers going up every day. First of all, I'm so happy and grateful." He added, "At the same time, I'm thinking about it in a serious and heavy way. I'm once again reflecting on the story we wanted to tell. A lot of comments are coming in from international fans. One memorable reaction came from a teacher in Malaysia, who said the message of Teach You a Lesson resonated with them and gave them comfort and encouragement. They also thanked us and said they hoped there would be a season 2. Of course, the response after the release was even better than expected, but it felt great to receive such reactions so early on. Before the release, we worked carefully and hard, hoping many people would enjoy it, but I never expected it to resonate across borders. That was surprising and comforting."
He also spoke about the moment he received a shoutout from John Cena. Kim Mu-yeol said, "I was a fan of the World Wrestling Federation. I even hung WWF posters in my room, subscribed to WWF magazines, and rented wrestling videos. I became a fan of John Cena after watching him transition into acting and seeing how active he was. There were many moments when I felt he was not just entertaining, but also a thoughtful and broad-minded person. I thought he was an actor I liked because he seemed open-minded and approachable, so I was really shocked when he suddenly posted my photo on his account. Honestly, after seeing John Cena's account, I thought about it a lot. I wondered if I should post his photo too, but after thinking it over, I left a comment. I would love for John Cena to make a special appearance in season 2 of Teach You a Lesson."
He also laughed and said, "Ever since John Cena debuted, my younger brother, who is an even bigger fan, has been telling me that I look like him. I can see why we look alike. There are a few people people agree I resemble. In Korea, some say I look like Ong Seong-wu or Sean. Overseas, I've heard Mark Wahlberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt too."
Based on the webtoon of the same name by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram, Teach You a Lesson stars Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo, and Pyo Ji-hoon. The script was written by Lee Nam-gyu, Kim Da-hee, and Moon Jong-ho, who also worked on Daily Dose of Sunshine, while Hong Jong-chan, who directed Juvenile Justice and Mr. Plankton, helmed the series. It was released on Netflix on the 5th.
Jo Ji-young, soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
