Director Lee Chung-hyun's short film, 'Bargain,' to be remade into TV series

Actors Jin Sun-kyu, left, and Jun Jong-seo / Courtesy of Tving

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Director Lee Chung-hyun's award-winning short film, "Bargain," will be remade into a television series. Produced by Climax Studio, which saw a surge of success with "Hellbound" and "D.P.," the long-gestating TV adaptation will star Jin Sun-kyu and Jun Jong-seo.

Lee's 2015 short film, "Bargain," won several accolades, including the Jury Prize at the 33rd Busan International Short Film Festival, the Best Film Award at the 15th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival in 2016 and the Best Short Film at the 11th Korean Film Festival in Paris (2017).

"Bargain" is a disaster thriller that unfolds when a massive earthquake hits a town. The last surviving members, who are trapped in a building, where they negotiate for black market items such as human organs, struggle to survive. Although it takes references from the original film, the series will differentiate itself by devising fresh characters and plotlines.

Jin will play the role of Hyung-su, who is on the verge of death after getting caught up in a crisis, which he luckily survives thanks to the earthquake. The "Through the Darkness" actor expressed excitement about the new project.

"I really have this feeling that it's going to be a great project. When I heard that it will be filmed in a single take, I wanted the role so badly," he said in a statement released by Tving. "I also look forward to working with director Jeon Woo-sung, who participated in the making of the original film, and actress Jeon, who has explosive energy."

Jin has appeared in more than 30 films, including "The Outlaws" (2017), "Extreme Job" (2019) and "Space Sweepers" (2021).

Jun, who has taken on a diverse range of roles ― from a psychopathic serial killer to a mysterious missing woman ― will play the role of Joo-young. She is a mercenary broker who unexpectedly sets foot in a shady underworld, and tries to benefit from the natural disaster.

Saying the series has an excellent plot that is both entertaining and thought-provoking, Jun said, "It's an honor to be part of the feature-length project of 'Bargain,' which has received considerable attention. It means a lot to me to take on a role as one of the pillars of the project."

Jun, who made her acting debut with 2018 thriller "Burning," has appeared in a slew of films, including "The Call" (2020) "Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon" (2020) and "Nothing Serious" (2021). The actress is dating director Lee, the original creator of "Bargain." The two met while working together on mystery thriller "The Call."

"Bargain" will be released on Tving in the second half of 2022.

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