[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] "I wanted to take on the challenge precisely because it was difficult."

Actress Lee Seon-bin shared her thoughts on the film *The Secret of the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT)* and the process of working on it during an interview held on the 21st at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

*The Secret of the College Entrance Exam* is a mission-based comedy about Maeng Bo-ram, a Korean language teacher from a small provincial town who unexpectedly joins the exam headquarters—sealed off for 40 days to create questions for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), a Level 2 state secret in South Korea—and goes through all sorts of mishaps trying to create “flawless questions” free of typos or controversy.

Lee Sun-bin plays the role of Maeng Bo-ram, a Gen Z Korean language teacher in the film. Maeng Bo-ram is a Korean language teacher who teaches students in a small provincial town and, due to an administrative error, unexpectedly finds herself inside the heavily guarded CSAT question-setting headquarters.

Lee Seon-bin cited three reasons for choosing *Export Fee*: the innovative premise, a script that delivered a refreshing shock, and the chemistry with her senior co-stars. She said, “The CSAT is a hot topic every year, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a story about the CSAT question writers before. It’s a subject I’m seeing for the first time, and I find it fascinating; I think viewers will also discover many new things.”

She continued, “It was a refreshing shock. As I continue acting, I wondered how many more roles I’d get to play that are this pure, driven by a single sincere passion—characters who might seem a bit corny but aren’t unlikable. I felt this could be a new side of me.”

In reality, she didn’t take the CSAT. Lee Seon-bin said, “I’ve been going to Daehangno to perform in musicals since my freshman year of high school, and by my senior year, I was training as an idol trainee,” adding with a smile, “It feels like the moment you become a senior, you’re fated to be swept up in that atmosphere,” and “I think I realized right away that it was a major event as soon as I became a senior.”

Lee Seon-bin said, “I looked up the news and the atmosphere from that time. It’s scary how algorithms work—even stories about the college entrance exam kept popping up.” She continued, “Since I wasn’t actually teaching, I thought there needed to be a difference in the premise—that I’d end up in a place I shouldn’t be—rather than focusing on the professionalism expected of a teacher.”

She added, “I still meet with high school teachers. I think I tried to recall the warmth of those teachers and how they taught—their mannerisms, tone of voice, and mindset—as if they were teaching my own daughter or son.”

While working on *Export Fee*, she focused on the character’s sincerity rather than her appearance. She said, “During fittings, when I wore clothes that fit my body type or had a loose fit, I felt like I was dressed up. I tried to portray a character who doesn’t try to dress up as much as possible.”

She continued, “I tied my hair back tightly and let it look messy—I just let it get as frizzy as it would during filming,” adding with a laugh, “I wanted to look like Maeng Bo-ram, not Lee Seon-bin, but when my friends said they grew fonder of the character the more they watched, I actually felt a sense of pride.”

How well does she match the character? Lee Seon-bin revealed her passion, saying, “The clumsy, scatterbrained side is similar to me. (Laughs) But when I thought about whether I’d have the courage to stand up to people like Teacher Maeng Bo-ram—who are so pure and have such depth of character based solely on sincerity—I realized it would be difficult. That’s why I wanted to take on the challenge even more.”

She explained, “I’m easily swayed and my heart wavers; since I’m a Triple A type, I’m also quite timid.” She continued, “There are many times when I want to assert my opinion but end up hiding instead, but Boram doesn’t do that. I think the source of her strength came from her immense sincerity toward her students.”

He continued with a laugh, “I try to think positively and bounce back like a spring. I think that’s where our similarities lie.”

“Export Fee” features a star-studded cast of “trusted actors”—led by Lee Seon-bin and including Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Young-min, Jeon Seok-ho, Kim Kyung-min, Lee Jin-hee, Hwang Bo-ra, Jung Soo-young, Lee Jung-ok, and Ryu Kyung-hwan.

She confessed, “Since there were so many seasoned senior actors, it was really difficult at first. I’ve played the youngest role many times before, but I felt like my lack of acting depth would be exposed.” She added, “Their depth and experience make a clear difference even in a single line they casually deliver. I worried a lot about how I could hide this and make it look natural.”

Lee Seon-bin said she honestly shared those concerns and worries with her senior actors. “I did feel anxious at times, but my seniors always gave me courage and encouraged me,” she said. She also shared an anecdote involving Yoo Jae-myung. “Senior Yoo Jae-myung told me he’d like to film the confrontation scene one more time, so we reshot it. I was so grateful, and it made me want to become like him. It was so much fun, and our chemistry was great,” she boasted.

She continued, “I was busy trying to keep up with my senior actors. They really brought the scenes to life so well. I think they naturally found the fun in it.”

She also shared the reaction of Lee Kwang-soo, her long-time partner and fellow actor. Lee Sun-bin said, “The feedback he gave me was, ‘I’ve been to some great premiere events, but the atmosphere here seemed even better than those. It looks like everyone had a great time watching it.’”

Regarding Lee Kwang-soo’s fan communication app “Bubble,” which has recently been the talk of the town, she smiled and said, “I haven’t subscribed yet,” but added, “I’m rooting for him so much and think he’s doing a great job.” She continued, “I don’t get to perform very often, and there aren’t as many opportunities to interact with fans as I’d like, so I think this is really great.”

Finally, what message does Lee Sun-bin want to convey? “I don’t think telling them to ‘hang in there’ would be comforting—it might just get on their nerves,” she said. “As long as they don’t regret the results of their efforts, they shouldn’t push themselves too hard. I want to offer encouragement once it’s all over. I want to tell them, ‘You’ve held up well amid this fierce competition—you’ve worked hard,’ and offer my support,” she said.

“Export Fee” opens on the 28th.