Lee Sang-yi on 'Bloodhounds 2': The Adlib Scene That Made the Director Cry

Actor Lee Sang-yi has a precise analogy for his role in Netflix's Bloodhounds Season 2, and it comes straight from the director. "Director Kim Joo-hwan told me that Woo-jin is like a libero in volleyball," Lee said during a sit-down interview in Seoul's Samcheong-dong neighborhood on April 8. "A libero can't attack directly, but every offensive play starts from them."

The comparison fits. Lee plays Choi Woo-jin, a former boxing competitor turned coach who gave up the spotlight to become the man behind the champion. His character guides Kim Gun-woo (played by Woo Do-hwan) toward a world title while also helping him survive life-threatening dangers posed by a global illegal boxing league, the central conflict of Season 2.

Bloodhounds follows two young boxers fighting back against criminal organizations. Season 1, released in 2023, pitted them against illegal loan sharks. Three years later, Season 2 raises the stakes considerably. The new season debuted on April 3 and landed at No. 2 on Netflix's official non-English show chart within just three days, a strong signal that the series has kept its international fanbase.

Lee admitted he wasn't without doubts going in. "It would be a lie to say I had no worries about Season 2," he said with a laugh. "But people around me kept saying it was better than Season 1, more fun. It's not easy for a sequel to beat the original, so I'm satisfied, the action felt sharper and the pacing was stronger."

One scene, in particular, deepened the bonds between Lee, co-star Woo Do-hwan, and Director Kim. In a key emotional moment, Lee's character delivers a line about family, "Once family, always family. Family protects each other until death", that was entirely improvised on set.

"That scene wasn't easy to shoot," Lee recalled. "We took a 30-to-40 minute break and the director and I talked in the hallway. Those lines were adlibs. But Do-hwan received them so perfectly. The director told me later that he cried while filming that scene. It brought the three of us closer."

The on-screen chemistry between Lee and Woo Do-hwan has drawn considerable attention, so much so that Lee coined a term for it: "bro-melo," a mashup of bromance and melodrama. The word captures something genuine about the show's emotional core, where the two leads' loyalty to each other carries as much weight as any of the action sequences.

Director Kim's insight went even further. He told Lee that Woo-jin functions as the social glue of the story. "He said, 'Gun-woo has no social skills, he can't do anything without you. You're the meeting point for everyone,'" Lee shared. "In real life, I'm pretty open with people and get along with almost everyone. I think the director projected my real personality into the script."

A similar dynamic shows up in his other recent project, tvN's Bo-geom Magical, where Lee plays a close, witty aide to the main character. He sees the two roles as cut from the same cloth, and from the same real person.

Season 2 also brings a new villain: Jung Ji-hoon, better known as the singer and entertainer Rain (Bi). For Lee, the casting carried personal weight. As a high schooler, he entered a UCC video contest dancing to Rain's hit "Rainism", and won first place.

"I never imagined I'd actually work with him," Lee said. "The idea that you could collaborate professionally with the very artist from that video, it really made me feel like you never know where life takes you." Seeing Rain up close only deepened his admiration. "He's still such a star to me. He debuted when I was in elementary school and has kept going ever since, there's a reason for that. His passion is incredible. Watching him, I thought, 'That passion is exactly why I became a fan.'"

Off camera, Lee has taken his boxing prep well beyond what the role required. After wrapping production last summer, he quietly entered a recreational boxing competition, and didn't lose. He currently trains four to five times a week. "When filming ended, my shoulders felt light and my body was in the best shape of my life," he said. "My gym instructor asked if I wanted to try a match, so I went in quietly, without telling anyone. Thankfully, I didn't lose. I'll keep boxing going forward."

As for what comes next, Bloodhounds 2 closes with a clear nod toward a third season, including a key character deciding to become an operative for a shadowy NIS agent played by Park Seo-jun. Lee is hopeful. "I don't know what the future holds, but anyone who watches the ending can see it's setting up Season 3," he said. "American shows run for seven or eight seasons all the time. I have a wish, and a greed, to see this continue as a franchise."