[E-Daily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Director Lee Jun-ik is returning to the big screen after a five-year hiatus. He’s doing so with the period drama “Fireflies,” starring Park Hae-il, Park Seo-joon, and Choi Dae-hoon.

“Fireflies” begins in 1974 when Detective Jun-kyung, seeking to break free from the shackles of collective punishment, hears from a mysterious figure named Man-seop that “there is a case that will yield significant results” and heads to Hwaryong-myeon. Jun-kyung’s investigation leads him to an incident that took place 24 years earlier, in 1950, immediately after the Korean War, in the village of Hwaryong.
Director Lee Jun-ik, returning to the director’s chair for the first time in five years since *The Book of Fish*, once again examines the era and the people living within it. Just as he focused on the lives of the people who endured their times rather than on historical events in films such as *The King and the Clown*, *Dongju*, *Park Yeol*, and *The Book of Fish*, this time he connects the two eras of 1950 and 1974 to uncover the truth behind a long-buried incident.
Park Hae-il plays Man-seop, the enigmatic figure who serves as the story’s starting point. In 1974, he lures Detective Jun-kyung to Hwaryong-myeon with a decoy, and his true identity and motives are expected to drive the film’s mystery. This marks Park Hae-il’s first appearance in a film directed by Lee Jun-ik.
Park Seo-joon plays Detective Jun-kyung, whose promotions and career advancement have been blocked due to the principle of collective punishment. In an effort to boost his track record, he follows Man-seop’s lead to Hwaryong-myeon, only to find himself drawing closer to the truth behind an incident that took place there in 1950. This marks his return to the big screen three years after *Concrete Utopia*, and there is keen interest in how he will portray his character in this period drama.
Choi Dae-hoon plays Tae-sik, the deputy director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). He is a key figure in a powerful agency that reigned above the law and the police, and a character who believes his actions are acts of “patriotism.” He is set to undergo a transformation different from the more human images he portrayed in *I Was Completely Duped* and *Director Kim*.
In particular, “Firefly” is expected to offer a different tone from director Lee Jun-ik’s previous works, as it connects two distinct time periods—the Korean War in 1950 and the authoritarian era of 1974—through a single incident. Rather than placing grand historical events at the forefront, the narrative structure focuses on individuals entangled in the systems and power structures of the time to uncover a truth hidden for 24 years.
The dynamic in which Park Hae-il opens the door to the mystery, Park Seo-joon tracks down the truth, and Choi Dae-hoon confronts them as a figure symbolizing the power of the era also draws attention. A key point of interest in the film is how Director Lee Jun-ik, who has demonstrated a strength in period dramas, will weave these three actors together.
Filming for “Firefly” begins on the 27th of next month.