Actor Chu Young Woo has captured deep emotional resonance from viewers in the Disney+ romantic K-drama Between Steps by delicately portraying the wavering, imperfect side of someone facing love.
In the series, Park Min-jae (played by Chu Young Woo) worked tirelessly to maintain his relationship after overcoming strong opposition from Lim Yoo-jin’s (Kim So Hyun) older brother, Lim Yoo-sung (Kim Min Seok). However, after being diagnosed with a lung tumor, Min-jae finds himself confronted once more with the fear of death. Fearing that Yoo-jin would be hurt, he chooses to hide his illness and initiate a breakup. It is only when the two reunite later that he finally confesses his battle with the illness, hoping to convey his true feelings to her.
However, when provoked by the newly introduced character Lee Ji-hoon (Jang In Sub), Park Min-jae finally vents his long-suppressed sense of unfairness and despair: “If I die, what is she supposed to do? Rather than causing her immense pain later, it’s better to hurt her a little now and end things here. I feel so wronged myself.”
Following this, Park Min-jae no longer chooses to run away as he did in the past, standing before Yoo-jin once again. He tearfully shares his true heart: “I’ve always been a coward who overthinks things, so I naturally think of the worst-case scenario first.” This far-from-perfect yet deeply heartbreaking confession touched the hearts of viewers.
Through restrained tears and explosive emotional acting, Chu Young Woo skillfully mastered the intricate emotional threads of youth romance—interweaving fear, regret, reluctance, and deep affection—earning widespread acclaim from audiences as an “acting master.”
Female lead Kim So Hyun’s acting performance was similarly commended by Korean media, particularly in Episodes 9 and 10, where she delicately depicted her character’s emotional shifts following the breakup, displaying an even more mature performance. Facing the pain of heartbreak, Yoo-jin tries her best on the surface to maintain composure, even genuinely wishing for Min-jae to live a healthy and happy life, yet remains unable to truly let go of the relationship. When the two finally reunite, she unleashes her long-repressed emotions, crying out in tearful accusation: “You didn’t die… but the me back then already died!!!”—releasing all her feelings of unfairness, resentment, and lingering love at once.
Through expressive eyes, facial nuances, and compelling emotional breakdown scenes, Kim So Hyun realistically conveyed the character’s transition from silent endurance to emotional collapse, allowing viewers to feel the profound pain of losing a true love while further heightening the dramatic tension. Korean media praised her delicate grasp of the character’s emotional depth, noting that her acting performance grows increasingly mature and moving as the plot unfolds.
Between Steps airs every Monday and Tuesday evening on Disney+.
