After stirring the hearts of many in "The Ultimate Oppa"  available on Prime Video, actress Bela Padilla is excited to introduce her next oppa through a movie that she also wrote, co-produced, and directed -  "Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko"  which is Viva Films' entry to the 1st Summer Metro Manila Film Festival slated to run from April 8 to 18.

Korean charmer Yoo Min Gon meets the press to promote his upcoming movie with Bela Padilla

The anointed oppa is none other than 34-year-old actor Yoo Min Gon (Min for short) who worked on a string of indie movies in Korea before being cast in the film. He plays the role of Kim Gun Hoo, a man who approaches Lisa (portrayed by Bela) at a book signing one day and travels with her to Korea. It turns out they were connected in the past, but she doesn't remember anything after suffering from post-traumatic disorder.

The soothing soundtrack "If" sung by mrld and the film's plot is something that K-drama fans are sure to follow. True enough, the release of the movie's trailer generated two million views in just a span of two days and is expected this early to be a box office hit in the coming Summer MMFF.

Bela only has good words to say about her leading man, who she describes as "very disciplined and a natural actor."  She further expressed hopes that Min's foreigner status "is not a deterrent to him winning an acting award in the filmfest because he deserves it."

The truth is, it's not easy finding a Korean actor who can speak English fluently. Bela was in a sort of panic because the movie was to begin shooting in three weeks, and she still had nobody to play the male lead.

Min narrated: "I have an actress friend in Korea, and she worked with Bela before the pandemic happened (for 'The Ultimate Oppa.) Bela was looking for a male leading Korean actor who can speak English, so she asked my actress friend in Korea if she knows any, and she introduced me to Bela. Because I'm in Korea, and she was in London, we had a Zoom meeting a couple of times. She told me there are two Korean roles: one was supporting and the other one's leading. She described both of the characters and when I heard it, I told her: I want to do the leading one, I think I can do it well if you give me the opportunity."

"Honestly, I didn't expect (this) because I'm not that famous in Korea. Personally, I'm not trying to have a lot of expectations or anything, but then the next meeting, Bela told me I got the role as a leading man, so I was super happy. On that day
I told my friends and family I'm shooting a movie in the Philippines, so that's how I came to be part of this film," he added.

Min revealed that he can speak English because he lived in Canada for a while, and he's actually a passport holder of Canada. "After elementary school, I went to Canada and I lived there for elementary, middle school, high school, and university. I worked there for three years. Then I came back to Korea and studied acting. I stopped using English for eight, nine years, so it's a bit rusty now."

Min considers Bela his "mommy, lucky charm, lifesaver, best friend" in the Philippines. The actress is introducing him to life in the Philippines. Together, they are seeing famous sights like Intramuros and he has also tasted local food like sisig, kare-kare kare, kwek-kwek, and pansit palabok. He is also slowly learning Tagalog.

Min confided that he has "no words to describe" his experience working on the set of his first Filipino movie. " After the shoot, I had big sepanx (separation anxiety). I cried a lot for two months. Seriously. No lying."
Thankfully, the public can expect to see more of the ever-smiling Min on a regular basis as he has signed to be the new contract star of the Viva Artists Agency. Bela's on-screen oppa is ready to spread his wings.