'Hear Me: Our Summer' to spotlight glorious youth

Actors Roh Yoon-seo, from left, Hong Kyung, Kim Min-ju and director Jo Seon-ho pose during a press conference for the upcoming film, “Hear Me: Our Summer,” at a theater in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The upcoming romance film, "Hear Me: Our Summer," follows two young lovers, played by Roh Yoon-seo and Hong Kyung, as their relationship begins to bloom. Alongside them is Kim Min-ju, portraying a sister who is deaf, as the film beautifully captures the radiant youth of all three characters, according to its director Jo Seon-ho, Friday.

"During the production process, I had many concerns. First, I wanted the characters' ages to match the actual ages of the actors. We cast Roh, Hong and Kim in that order. It was an honor and a pleasure to share this brilliant time with the three," Jo said during a press conference in Seoul.

"Hear Me: Our Summer" is a remake of the 2010 Taiwanese film "Hear Me," which was also very popular here. In this film, Yong-jun (Hong) and Yeo-reum (Roh) mistakenly believe each other to be deaf, growing closer as they communicate through sign language.

The director admitted that producing a remake of the popular romance film came with challenges, particularly in deciding how much to deviate from the original.

"I thought it would be good to basically maintain the purity of the original version, but also incorporate the stories I wanted to tell. That's how I started working on it,” the director said.

Actors Hong Kyung, right, and Roh Yoon-seo in a scene from the upcoming romance film, “Hear Me: Our Summer” / Courtesy of PLUSM Entertainment

Roh Yoon-seo plays Yeo-reum, a devoted older sister to swimmer Ga-eul (Kim Min-ju). Yeo-reum pours her energy into supporting her sister’s dream but has never considered her own aspirations. After meeting Yong-jun (Hong Kyung), she starts to reflect more deeply on her own life and desires.

"Yeo-reum is a friend who is busy supporting Ga-eul, a famous swimmer, managing her condition, working part-time jobs and learning international sign language. As she lives this busy life and meets Yong-jun, she realizes many things and finds her dream, gaining motivation together," Roh said.

Kim explained that her character, Ga-eul, is a deaf swimmer who works tirelessly to win an Olympic gold medal.

"I really liked the story about people in their 20s trying to find love in their own ways. So when the role of Ga-eul came to me, I was really happy," Kim said, adding that she learned to swim for the first time for this film.

The three actors revealed that they learned sign language for this film.

"(Regarding acting in sign language) I wasn't afraid at all. I always want to do new things and things I didn't know before, so I approached it fearlessly but with a sense of responsibility," Hong said.

He added that sign language taught him to open up and listen to the person he talks to.

“Sign language taught me that I have to keep my eyes open to see and hear what the other person is saying. It's about opening your ears and heart with all your nerves and looking into the other person. I learned a lot about that aspect," Hong said.

"Hear Me: Our Summer" will be released in theaters on Nov. 6.