Han Hyo Joo, Ju Ji Hoon Pair Up For Disney+'s 'Blood Free'

Editor’s note: This article contains minor spoilers.

Be prepared to cast your doubts and face another mind-boggling Korean drama from Disney+, because Blood Free is here. Add to the fact that Moving star Han Hyo Joo and Along With The Gods actor Ju Ji Hoon are top-billing the drama, and we’re *so* excited!

Blood Free is a huge addition to the rich roster of action-packed content from Disney+ this 2024. But what is Blood Free all about?

Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Disney+’s Blood Free:

1. It’s a conspiracy-filled series.

No one can be trusted in this K-drama. Blood Free depicts a series of mysterious and heinous events that transpired in the lives of Woo Chaewoon (Ju Ji Hoon) and Yun Jayu (Han Hyo Joo). The two will move in sync when it comes to protecting what they have to protect and being vigilant of each other.

Aside from its conspiratorial facet, Blood Free is a thought-provoking series that will surely make its viewers question one’s morals and views on our ever-changing society.

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2. Woo Chaewon is a former elite soldier haunted by his past.

Ju Ji Hoon plays the character of a former elite soldier named Woo Chaewoon. He can’t seem to move forward after experiencing a terrorist attack that took the lives of several of his colleagues. The attack also killed some of the wealthiest men in South Korea and paralyzed its president.

Still haunted by remnants of the attack, Chaewoon launches his own investigation and lets his life be entangled with Yun Jayu’s. Accordingly, he moves closer to uncovering the truth behind the attack. He aims to know the real perpetrators of the incident, seeking justice for himself and his dead comrades.

In preparing for Chaewoon’s character, Ji Hoon admitted that he was well-focused on absorbing Chaewoon’s backstory. There was also a lot of training to maintain his best physique for filming.

“Because of Chaewoon’s hidden past, I invested a lot of time into reflecting on his backstory. I also had a number of action scenes I had to shoot, so I worked hard to maintain my physical fitness before production began,” the actor shared.

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3. Yun Jayu is the most hated CEO in Korea.

There’s more to learn about Yun Jayu throughout the series. In Blood Free, Han Hyo Joo portrays the character of a reserved CEO with a stern look—something that’s a bit different from her past Disney+ series, Moving.

During Blood Free’s press conference last April 8, 2024, the South Korean actress described her character as a “crisp and dry leaf.” There were a lot of deviations that Hyo Joo did to be able to create the perfect image for Yun Jayu.

“The character, Yun Jayu, at first glimpse, you can’t tell if she’s a villain or a hero. That’s how reserved she is in terms of expressions. I tried to focus on her stern look, and her vocal tone I tried to switch it up compared to how I usually speak. The image I had in portraying this character is a crisp and dry leaf,” Hyo Joo noted.

Yun Jayu’s life and career as a CEO of a food tech laboratory approaches a more complicated turn as Woo Chaewoon sets eyes on her having a possible connection to the terrorist attack he’s investigating.

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Yun Jayu mysteriously hires Woo Chaewoon as her personal bodyguard after Jayu’s biotech company, BF, faced a series of mishaps, namely hacking and a seemingly perpetrated accident that injured Jayu.

Interestingly, Jayu catches the attention of viewers during Blood Free’s first episode, because her inner thoughts were somehow revealed through a voiceover. Upon finding out that Chaewoon was part of an intelligence unit, she was then heard thinking: “Should I keep you close to me? Or avoid you?”

4. Han Hyo Joo and Ju Ji Hoon had the best working chemistry.

This is the very first time that Han Hyo Joo and Ju Ji Hoon worked together on a Disney+ series. While Hyo Joo is fast becoming a Disney+ favorite, Blood Free is Ji Hoon’s first exclusive project with Disney+.

“I’ve enjoyed watching content on Disney+ since it first launched in Korea, so it’s been a very special experience getting to work with the Disney+ team on Blood Free!” he stated.

Ji Hoon also divulged how amazing it was to work with Hyo Joo. “She’s a solid person. I can rely on her while working with her. She’s that kind of colleague,” he conveyed.

Hyo Joo, humbled and appreciative of Ji Hoon, replied, “The truth is, I was the one who has been relying on him. He has a great focus on the set. He has the eyes of a producer.”

Obviously, Blood Free isn’t about romance or fluff. But Hyo Joo and Ji Hoon sure know how to exude the perfect chemistry onscreen, even if they’re starring in a sci-fi thriller.

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5. BF is a company that grows “lab-grown meat.”

Yup, you read that right. Blood Free introduces the idea of growing or “culturing” meat inside a laboratory. In its pilot episode, Yun Jayu is seen as someone with a goal to *protect the Earth* by producing lab-grown meat—and it’s not just pork or beef that they’re creating but also seafood like tuna, salmon, mackerel, and even shrimp.

It appears to be a solution to the impending total destruction of the Earth due to humans overextracting resources from it. However, not everyone is happy about the project. Some authentic meat producers face bankruptcy due to BF and are already calling for their shutdown.

BF then faces a big hurdle after a hacking incident took place at their laboratory and sent emails to several media outlets framing BF for producing meat infested by germs or bacteria. This is just one of the many difficulties that Yun Jayu will try to solve in the series. Also, several anti-BF individuals are out there plotting to harm not just her company, but the CEO herself as well.

Han Hyo Joo also elaborated on how Blood Free’s story would progress, putting a clear division between people who wish to “dominate and monopolize” and people who are walking toward humanity and its interests, not only of the few elites but of the majority.

“The initial part of the story raises questions about which group Yun Jayu sides with, and whichever it is, I relate to her stance,” Hyo Joo expressed.

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6. Blood Free opens doors to a futuristic world.

It may not be obvious at first glance, but Blood Free offers a vast perspective on how future technology can be helpful or disruptive to humans’ lives. Despite this, Director Park Cheol Hwan made sure to note that Blood Free’s narrative is based on reality.

“All these technologies exist in real life. We did a lot of research on how those technologies were used. Obviously, lab-grown meat is not an industry that will grow big in the near future. A larger portion of the narrative is really based on reality,” the director declared during the press conference.

Some of the actors like Ju Ji Hoon and Lee Mu Saeng shared their experiences on how tech played a part for their respective characters. Mu Saeng, who plays a close confidante of Yun Jayu, sees the technologies used for Blood Free as interesting.

“I think it’s very difficult to act in sci-fi. In Blood Free, it’s interesting. There are technologies that are not yet in reality,” he shared. Hyo Joo revealed that Mu Saeng’s characters work closely with some “hologram-like” features that can be controlled through touch.

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Ju Ji Hoon also unveiled that he found the concept of the full-body suit of his character to be astonishing. He had a combat evaluation through virtual reality and yet, his character could feel physical pain through the suit.

“I wear a full-body suit. I’m getting tested on my physical abilities. My combat abilities and whatnot. It’s done in VR (virtual reality). The thing is, I can feel physical pain through it… I have to act while wearing a full-body suit so that I can feel pain through it,” Ji Hoon explained.

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7. Blood Free brings to life unforgettable characters with captivating stories.

If there’s one exceptional thing that Blood Free offers its audience—aside from the lab-grown meat creation—it’s actually the backstories of every character in the series. We’re not the only ones telling you this: Han Hyo Joo and Ju Ji Hoon have something to say, as well.

Ju Ji Hoon leaves a piece of advice for viewers of Blood Free. According to him, the story would be more enjoyable if we would watch closely and discover the hidden stories of every character in the drama.

He noted, “Every character has a hidden story. If you watch closely and take note of why a particular character does something or why an event happens at a certain time you’ll enjoy the story even more.”

Hyo Joo thinks the same. She even named one of the characters as a highlight for her throughout the show, and it’s not even her role as Yun Jayu or Ji Hoon’s Chaewoon. It was Lee Hee Joon as the Prime Minister of Korea.

“Actor Lee Hee Joon plays the prime minister, Seonu Jae. I think the character is incredibly realistic and fascinating to watch. The conflict between him and Yun Jayu is a real highlight for me,” Hyo Joo proclaimed.

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When and where can we watch Blood Free in the Philippines?

Blood Free is a 10-episode drama that’s full of exciting twists. It is available for streaming in the Philippines starting April 10, 2024, at 4PM KST (that’s 5PM Philippine time). Weekly episodes will be released every Wednesday and Thursday.

Make sure to catch Blood Free, exclusively on Disney+!

Here’s Blood Free’s official trailer: