In the new film set in 1999, university student Yong (Yeo) has just returned to school after completing his mandatory military service. There, he meets his first love, freshman Han-sol (Kim Hye-yoon). Meanwhile, Mu-nee (Cho), who lives in the present day, has a secret crush on her best guy friend (Na In-woo).

One day, Yong somehow communicates with Mu-Nee through a walkie-talkie.

The film is a remake of the time-jump movie with the same title that stars actors Kim Ha-neul and Yoo Ji-tae. The original film is set in 1979 and 2000.

Director Seo Eun-young said one of the changes that she made was swapping the roles of the two protagonists -- Yong and Mu-nee.

“I thought it would also fit well if a man plays a character who is experiencing his first love,” the director said.

Actor Yeo, who debuted in 2005 as a child actor, said this kind of romance film about young people in their 20s in the 1990s was something that he has been longing for.

“As a big fan of the movies from the 1990s and 2000s, I had almost felt bad that I could not experience those roles. I was immediately attracted to this film when I found out that I could play a character who went to school in 1995,” Yeo said, adding that he had been a fan of the original before taking on the project.

Yeo, 25, in explaining his penchant for old films, said it may be because he is something of an old soul.

“I enjoy taking photos with film cameras in my free time and also listening to music on LP,” Yeo said.

For Yeo's co-star Cho, it was the romantic vibe of the movie that got her to sign up.

“I was looking for a movie or a drama with a warm and cozy vibe. Right on the day I read the script, I told my agency that I want to take the role,” Cho said.

Both Yeo and Cho said they did not feel any pressure playing the roles in the remake.

 

“The fact that there is a successful original work actually motivated me to work harder to show a different version of the story,” Yeo said. “Also I have been playing mature characters that overcome a lot of pain and suffering. But this role is different. I enjoyed playing (Yong) who is honest about his feelings and toward his love.”

The film “Ditto” will hit local theaters on Nov. 16.