Actor Kim Junghyun is currently in conflict with his management O& Entertainment because of his dating rumors with fellow actress and his Crush Landing On You's co-star Seo Jihye. This caused O& Entertainment to make a revealation about a past controversy of Kim. Back in 2018, Kim Jung Hyun had appeared at a press conference for the drama Time. He received backlash from the public after he was seen rebuffing his co-star, Girls’ Generation‘s Seohyun.
Back then both the management and the actor himself had issued an apology towards Seohyun saying:
“On or off the set, I’m trying to live as Cheon Soo Ho (the character). When I’m sleeping or commuting, I slip and let Kim Jung Hyun come out. I’m trying to control that. I’m just really devoted to the character. I’m really trying to become him.”
— Kim Jung Hyun
However in 2021, the agency actually revealed this:
"We announced that he left for health reasons at the time, but there were issues with Kim Jung Hyun’s attitude since the press conference for the drama due to personal issues involving a woman. That’s what led to him ultimately leaving the show."
— O& Entertainment
Following this, Dispatch later revealed that Kim Junghyun refused to film 13 skinship scenes with Seohyun in MBC K-Drama The Time due to another actress Seo Yeji‘s orders.
According to Dispatch they were able to obtain the original script for Time and text messages between Kim Junghyun and Seo Yeji who were possibly dating at the time. Kim Junghyun and Seo Yeji had also previously worked together in the movie Stay with Me in early 2018.
The drama was originally supposed to be a melodrama of a man spending his last moments alive trying to give everything to a woman he had hurt. However Kim Jonghyun didn't want to film a melodrama and was constantly demanding lots of rewriting in the script even ignoring the fact that the screenwriter was recovering from surgery.
Dispatch was able to secure some of his text conversations with his actual director Seo Yeji:
(1)
Seo Ye Ji: Stern Mr. Kim. Take out all of your skinship scenes.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course.
Seo Ye Ji: Why didn’t you tell me what you did today?
Kim Jung Hyun: I didn’t even greet the female staff today. I was so stern towards other people.
Kim Jung Hyun: I told Jang Joon Ho director once again that I wouldn’t do romance but I couldn’t drive [the idea] into him.
Seo Ye Ji: ㅋㅋ Alright. Do well being stern with your actions.
Kim Jung Hyun: The script for episode 9 came out, I think it needs to be completely revised.
Seo Ye Ji: Good luck with the editing.
(2)
Kim Jung Hyun: Only you can touch my hand.
Seo Ye Ji: Stay stern, whatever it is. Change things well. Shinship is a no-no.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course. Stern Mr. Kim!
Seo Ye Ji: Is your behavior okay?
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course. The assistant director working on it is a girl, but I’m being stern.
Kim Jung Hyun: I didn’t even make eye contact with the girls.
Seo Ye Ji: Change it well so there is no romance and no skinship.
Kim Jung Hyun: It’s time for Seohyun to film, so the guys are all talking.
Kim Jung Hyun: I just asked Jang Joon Ho director to remove all the melo-romance in a perfectly logical way.
(3)
Seo Ye Ji: How did you greet the staff?
Kim Jung Hyun: (Uploading the video of the filming site) I didn’t greet them at all.
Seo Ye Ji: You’re right, not to greet them.
Seo Ye Ji: If they greet you first, you just need to be stern with them.
Seo Ye Ji: I feel bad right now. Send me what the current situation is like.
Kim Jung Hyun: (Sends on-site video)
Seo Ye Ji: Did you not send me a video of the set?
Kim Jung Hyun: It’s inside the set. Inside the studio.
(4)
Kim Jung Hyun: I’ve been reading the script. I’m not doing anything else.
Seo Ye Ji: Edit it so there’s no romance.
Seo Ye Ji: You’re happy because of me. So make me happier too.
Kim Jung Hyun: I’m going to read the script.
Seo Ye Ji: Okay. Fix it well. No skinship, no romance.
Kim Jung Hyun: Sure thing.
One staff member even commented on how Kim Jung Hyun kept asking for script revisions.
"He kept asking me to revise the script. He said that mental life is important and asked me to remove skinship. If it didn’t go his way, he would run away and make dry heaves, retching."
— The Time staff member
Eventually, Kim Junghyun dropped out of The Time. Screenwriter Choi Hocheol had to continuously revise his work. Kim Junghyun’s character ended up drowning at the beach while trying to save Seohyun’s character.
News source: KoreabooBack then both the management and the actor himself had issued an apology towards Seohyun saying:
“On or off the set, I’m trying to live as Cheon Soo Ho (the character). When I’m sleeping or commuting, I slip and let Kim Jung Hyun come out. I’m trying to control that. I’m just really devoted to the character. I’m really trying to become him.”
— Kim Jung Hyun
However in 2021, the agency actually revealed this:
"We announced that he left for health reasons at the time, but there were issues with Kim Jung Hyun’s attitude since the press conference for the drama due to personal issues involving a woman. That’s what led to him ultimately leaving the show."
— O& Entertainment
Following this, Dispatch later revealed that Kim Junghyun refused to film 13 skinship scenes with Seohyun in MBC K-Drama The Time due to another actress Seo Yeji‘s orders.
According to Dispatch they were able to obtain the original script for Time and text messages between Kim Junghyun and Seo Yeji who were possibly dating at the time. Kim Junghyun and Seo Yeji had also previously worked together in the movie Stay with Me in early 2018.
The drama was originally supposed to be a melodrama of a man spending his last moments alive trying to give everything to a woman he had hurt. However Kim Jonghyun didn't want to film a melodrama and was constantly demanding lots of rewriting in the script even ignoring the fact that the screenwriter was recovering from surgery.
Dispatch was able to secure some of his text conversations with his actual director Seo Yeji:
(1)
Seo Ye Ji: Stern Mr. Kim. Take out all of your skinship scenes.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course.
Seo Ye Ji: Why didn’t you tell me what you did today?
Kim Jung Hyun: I didn’t even greet the female staff today. I was so stern towards other people.
Kim Jung Hyun: I told Jang Joon Ho director once again that I wouldn’t do romance but I couldn’t drive [the idea] into him.
Seo Ye Ji: ㅋㅋ Alright. Do well being stern with your actions.
Kim Jung Hyun: The script for episode 9 came out, I think it needs to be completely revised.
Seo Ye Ji: Good luck with the editing.
(2)
Kim Jung Hyun: Only you can touch my hand.
Seo Ye Ji: Stay stern, whatever it is. Change things well. Shinship is a no-no.
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course. Stern Mr. Kim!
Seo Ye Ji: Is your behavior okay?
Kim Jung Hyun: Of course. The assistant director working on it is a girl, but I’m being stern.
Kim Jung Hyun: I didn’t even make eye contact with the girls.
Seo Ye Ji: Change it well so there is no romance and no skinship.
Kim Jung Hyun: It’s time for Seohyun to film, so the guys are all talking.
Kim Jung Hyun: I just asked Jang Joon Ho director to remove all the melo-romance in a perfectly logical way.
(3)
Seo Ye Ji: How did you greet the staff?
Kim Jung Hyun: (Uploading the video of the filming site) I didn’t greet them at all.
Seo Ye Ji: You’re right, not to greet them.
Seo Ye Ji: If they greet you first, you just need to be stern with them.
Seo Ye Ji: I feel bad right now. Send me what the current situation is like.
Kim Jung Hyun: (Sends on-site video)
Seo Ye Ji: Did you not send me a video of the set?
Kim Jung Hyun: It’s inside the set. Inside the studio.
(4)
Kim Jung Hyun: I’ve been reading the script. I’m not doing anything else.
Seo Ye Ji: Edit it so there’s no romance.
Seo Ye Ji: You’re happy because of me. So make me happier too.
Kim Jung Hyun: I’m going to read the script.
Seo Ye Ji: Okay. Fix it well. No skinship, no romance.
Kim Jung Hyun: Sure thing.
One staff member even commented on how Kim Jung Hyun kept asking for script revisions.
"He kept asking me to revise the script. He said that mental life is important and asked me to remove skinship. If it didn’t go his way, he would run away and make dry heaves, retching."
— The Time staff member
Eventually, Kim Junghyun dropped out of The Time. Screenwriter Choi Hocheol had to continuously revise his work. Kim Junghyun’s character ended up drowning at the beach while trying to save Seohyun’s character.