On March 29, the YouTube channel Garo Sero Institute (hereafter referred to as ‘Garo Sero’) highlights the background and past relationships of female celebrities who appeared in the 2017 film “Real” starring Kim Soo-hyun, through a live broadcast.
Previously, the family of the late Sulli already pointed out the issues involved in her appearance for “Real“, and the information mentioned by Garo Sero has further raised concern.
Various Top Star Cameos
One of the most unexpected cameos in “Real“ is by Suzy, who portrays a tattoo artist. According to reports, Suzy underwent a six-hour makeup session to apply extensive tattoo designs, yet her screen time amounts to merely 5 seconds.
At the time, Kim Soo Hyun said in a past interview, “She came in six hours before the shoot to get full-body tattoo makeup done.” However, it was reported that after filming, Suzy expressed surprise to the actor, saying that he never told her about the full details of her role and the time it took.
IU also makes a cameo in “Real“, appearing as an award ceremony assistant. Her role is entirely silent, with a screen presence of just 5 seconds.
It is known that Kim Soo Hyun personally invited IU (and Suzy) for the cameo, stating, “At first, I lightly asked if they had time to make cameos. They readily agreed, so I was really thankful.”
Additionally, Ahn So Hee, former member of Wonder Girls and once dubbed the “Nation’s Little Sister,” appears as a maid with a fleeting 3-second screen time and no dialogue. Meanwhile, 9MUSES’ Park Kyung Ri appeared for 4 seconds as a waitress, while fellow member Min Ha portrays a bar employee with approximately 2 seconds of screen time. Finally, Dasom from SISTAR plays a rehabilitation therapist, with an appearance is so brief and obscured that many viewers failed to recognize her.
Questionable Appearances?
In the broadcast, Garo Sero mentioned that all of the aforementioned female celebrities were enjoying great popularity, with many of them in the peak of their careers. The involvement of these prominent female celebrities in “Real“ are this questioned, with Garo Sero saying that all of them had been rumored to be dating (in the case of Ahn So Hee) or were close friends with Kim Soo Hyun in the past.
Garo Sero also highlighted that it is necessary to take interest in the background of their appearance, arguing, “Why did they appear in that work at that time? Shouldn’t we see it as more than just a cameo?” and adding, “there may be more to their relationship”.
He also questioned, “A person asked me why are all these actresses ‘captivated’ by Kim Soo Hyun? They say Kim Soo Hyun has a strange kind of charm. But I don’t understand. What exactly is this strange charm of Kim Soo Hyun?”
Regardless of the intentions behind Garo Sero’s claims, it is important to acknowledge that inviting colleagues to play cameo roles is actually a pretty standard industry practice in Korea, especially among actors and actresses. Therefore, all the cameos may just be how the celebrities maintain a professional relationships, and Garo Sero’s speculations may just be exaggerating.