"Pure Romance" Hyeri Opens Up About Same-Sex Kiss vs. Kissing Male Co-Stars

Singer and actress Hyeri recently opened up about the buzzworthy same-sex kiss scene in the drama 'Friendly Rivalry'.

On March 27, she appeared on the YouTube channel 'Baek Eun-ha' and sat down with Baek Eun-ha, head of the Actor Research Institute, to share behind-the-scenes stories from STUDIO X+U’s 'Friendly Rivalry'. Naturally, their conversation turned to the bathtub kiss scene between Hyeri and her co-star Chung Su-bin, which had sparked a lot of attention.

Describing the drama as "pure romance," Hyeri said she wanted the kiss to be portrayed in a beautiful, rather than provocative, way. She admitted she was a bit worried the scene might come across as sensational, so she discussed it thoroughly with both the director and actress Chung Su-bin.

When asked whether the scene felt different compared to previous kiss scenes with male actors, Hyeri replied, “Honestly, not really. People keep asking me how I prepared or how it felt, but it was just another scene for me. I didn’t feel like I needed to brace myself in any special way.”

She even revealed that she was surprised by how natural it felt. “At first, I wondered if it would feel different. But I actually felt more at ease. It was kind of amazing. It really didn’t feel that different.”

In a video uploaded on March 14 to Hyeri’s own YouTube channel Hyell’s Club, Chung Su-bin joined her as a guest to reflect on their experience filming 'Friendly Rivalry'. Naturally, the iconic bathtub scene came up again.

Chung Su-bin joked, “I should’ve just listened to you. I thought if I stayed still in the tub, we could wrap quickly… but my face ended up getting steamed like a dumpling.” Hyeri added with a laugh, “The water was way too hot! And Su-bin was just sweating in there without saying a word.”

Hyeri also shared a funny behind-the-scenes detail: “The tub was so slippery because we poured body wash in to create the bubbles. It was honestly dangerous. Su-bin kept slipping underwater, and I had to keep pulling her back up!”

'Friendly Rivalry', produced by STUDIO X+U, is a teen thriller set in Chae-hwa Girls’ High School, an elite institution attended by the top 1% of Korean students. The drama explores the raw desires of teenage girls and has been rated 19+ for mature audiences. Structured as a mid-form series, each of the 16 episodes runs for about 30 minutes.