If he had a Golden Spoon, who would BtoB’s Yook Sung-jae swap lives with in real life?

In Disney+’s fantasy K-drama The Golden Spoon, K-pop boyband BtoB’s Yook Sung-jae plays a poor student who stumbles upon a magical golden spoon that he uses to switch places with a rich friend several times, in the hopes of turning his life around.

It’s a premise reminiscent of Mark Twain’s classic The Prince And The Pauper, but also one meant to provoke a question about society and materialism: Does the wealth of your parents determine your ultimate destiny?

The director, Robin Song, knew the show, which is based on a webtoon of the same name, “might make some of the audience feel very uncomfortable”.

“But we now live in an era where rags-to-riches stories are a thing of the past with a pervasive sense of resignation and cynicism about the wealth of your parents determining your destiny,” he said during a recent press conference.

“I wanted to capture with honesty our individual desires towards that trend and the general social tendencies of our time through our show and most importantly, I made great efforts to point to these aspects of our society in a direct way.”

It's this very nuanced and layered storytelling that made lead actor Yook want to take up the challenge of portraying Lee Seung-cheon in his first-ever project after completing military service.

“The characters I played in my previous projects like Mystic Pop-up Bar and Goblin were a little mischievous, light-hearted and cheerful. I thought Lee Seung-cheon in The Golden Spoon would be an opportunity for me to portray someone who is slightly darker and more serious. I chose this series because I wanted to expand the spectrum of characters I play,” he shared. “Most importantly, I chose The Golden Spoon because of director Song.”

So what if the 27-year-old K-pop and K-drama star had the fantastical opportunity to switch lives with someone in real life, even for a day? CNA Lifestyle had to ask: Who would he choose?

“Tom Holland!” Yook replied with a big laugh and without hesitation. “Tom Holland! Tom Holland! I mean, who wouldn’t want to play Spider-Man?”

“After completing my military service, I lived in an illusion for a while,” Yook shared candidly. “I thought the military service transformed me into someone who likes cleaning and who is more mature, prudent, and serious. But after about two months, I realised that I was still the same mischievous, immature boy about to turn 30 soon. The only difference, according to people who know me, would be that I became a little relaxed. I don’t know how to describe it, but my attitude towards my friends became more genuine and authentic.”

The Golden Spoon is currently streaming on Disney +.