So Ji-sub's 'Dad-like' Care: Rookie Actress Seo Su-min Reveals Heartwarming Gestures on 'The Spy Who Loved Me' Set

Rookie actress Seo Su-min (서수민), who rose to prominence in the popular SBS Friday-Saturday drama “The Spy Who Loved Me,” recently sat down for a media interview to discuss her experiences working with lead actor So Ji-sub (소지섭). She not only praised his “inherent star aura” but also revealed his warm and considerate nature off-screen. So Ji-sub reportedly gave her strawberry candies on their first day of filming to ease her nervousness and surprised her with an autographed gift from her favorite idol group, DAY6, on her birthday, moving her to tears on the spot.

“The Spy Who Loved Me” tells the story of an ordinary father who transforms into a dangerous man to seek revenge and save his only daughter. Seo Su-min plays Kim Min-ji, So Ji-sub’s daughter in the drama, a pivotal character driving the entire plot.

Since its premiere on June 26, the drama’s viewership ratings steadily climbed from 9.5% for its first episode to 23% for its finale, making it one of the most anticipated K-dramas of the year.

Recalling her first collaboration with So Ji-sub, Seo Su-min confessed, “I’ve always known So Ji-sub *sunbaenim* (senior) is an incredibly talented actor, so I was really surprised when I found out I’d be playing his daughter. I kept worrying if I would be a burden to him or affect his performance.”

However, once she joined the set, she discovered So Ji-sub was even warmer than she imagined. “He genuinely looked after me like a father, which made me feel very secure, so I was much more comfortable during filming,” she revealed. She also mentioned having watched So Ji-sub’s “Master’s Sun” and knowing the plot of “I’m Sorry, I Love You,” even if she hadn’t finished watching it.

Seo Su-min even joked that she was completely awestruck by So Ji-sub’s star presence the first time she met him. “He truly has an inherent star aura; his face is incredibly small, and his body proportions are unbelievably good. It was the first time in my life I’d seen such perfect proportions. At that moment, I really thought, ‘Celebrities are indeed different.’”

She recalled that her very first scene was with So Ji-sub, and she was so nervous that she froze, terrified of making a mistake. Unexpectedly, So Ji-sub quietly walked over to her, offered her a strawberry candy, and gently told her, “Let’s do our best together.” This small gesture instantly helped her relax, allowing her to successfully complete her first shoot.

During filming, Seo Su-min celebrated her birthday, and So Ji-sub specifically approached her, smiling, and said, “I heard it’s your birthday today. This is a gift for you.” When she opened it, she found autographed items from the members of DAY6, her favorite band. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “At the time, I wasn’t familiar with acting yet and constantly felt I wasn’t performing well, apologizing to everyone. So, the moment I received the gift, I couldn’t help but cry.” She laughed, adding that the makeup team even took photos while teasing her for crying so dramatically, making it one of the most unforgettable memories on set.

Seo Su-min also stated that So Ji-sub not only treated her as his on-screen daughter but also continued to care for her like a father even off-camera. “I believe it’s precisely because of this that we were able to portray the father-daughter relationship so naturally later on,” she said.

Beyond receiving care from her senior colleagues, she also quietly reciprocated to the crew. Due to numerous action scenes, the filming location was often dusty, and everyone worked hard. Therefore, she frequently woke up three or four hours early in the morning to personally bake financiers, cookies, and other desserts to bring to the set, hoping to cheer up all the actors and staff.

She also revealed that the “MZ generation photo” she took with So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon (최대훈), and Yoon Kyung-ho (윤경호) on set was actually her idea. She first mustered the courage to ask Yoon Kyung-ho if he would take a photo, then joined Yoon Kyung-ho to invite Choi Dae-hoon, and finally went to So Ji-sub, asking, “Dad, do you want to take a picture together?” She laughed, “At first, I called him ‘*sunbaenim*,’ but as filming progressed, it naturally became ‘Dad.’”

Seo Su-min also stated that “The Spy Who Loved Me” taught her many valuable lessons. She admitted that when she first started acting, she was very conscious of the camera, unsure where to look or if the camera was even on her. She revealed that So Ji-sub taught her how to develop a sense for the camera, Choi Dae-hoon taught her not to relax even when the camera wasn’t on her, and Yoon Kyung-ho shared how to manage emotions to avoid falling into a slump due to poor performance.

Furthermore, after every shot, director Lee Seung-young (이승영) would immediately ask her, “If you were Min-ji, what would you do?” and would help her think through the character’s emotions and acting methods. Seo Su-min expressed that each senior colleague taught her something different, and it was precisely because of this that she gained so much from her debut work.

In addition to caring for his on-screen daughter, So Ji-sub reportedly gifted gold to all the actors and 300 crew members of SBS’s “The Spy Who Loved Me,” according to Korean media. Sources revealed that each gift weighed 1 gram, totaling nearly 100 million Korean won. This “generous” gift was a token of appreciation for the staff who worked hard and poured their efforts into the production for several months. Last year, So Ji-sub also made headlines when he gifted half a *don* (1.875 grams) of gold to actors during the filming of Netflix’s “A Killer Paradox.”