Beef Season 2's Matthew Kim Unpacks That Exchange Between Woosh and Youn Yuh-Jung's Chairwoman Park

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for Beef Season 2. Read at your own risk!] 

Woosh has used this line before. When the tennis coach asks Lindsay Crane-Martín (Carey Mulligan) to apply sunscreen on his back in the second episode of Beef Season 2, it's a practiced move. "In Woosh's world, that wasn't the first time, definitely not going to be the last time," Matthew Kim, who plays the beefy, platinum blond instructor in Lee Sung Jin's anthology series, told TV Guide. "That lather of sunscreen on his back, that's probably the maybe 30th or 40th layer that he got from the beautiful women of the country club."

Woosh marks an acting debut for Kim, who's best known in the music industry as BM — or Big Matthew. After spending nearly a decade in the K-pop co-ed group KARD, he's now venturing into Hollywood with a role in Netflix's Emmy-winning dark comedy. In Beef Season 2, Monte Vista Point Country Club is turning over a new leaf with a change in ownership. Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh-Jung) has taken over, and Woosh's relationship with the billionaire becomes a major plot point.

Ahead of Beef's Season 2 premiere, TV Guide spoke to Kim about Woosh's key scenes, his final exchange with Youn's Chairwoman Park, and how his acting experience compares to his work as a K-pop idol. 

When you first read the script, what scene were you most nervous about tackling?
Matthew Kim: The absolute most nerve-racking scene was with the legendary Youn Yuh-Jung seonsaengnim [teacher]. And that's because she's been in the game and has been such a huge figure in the film industry, not only in America but in Korea for a long time. People are waiting in line to be able to have a scene with her. It was a really nerve-racking scene, but I learned so much. To be able to witness her acting in real time as her counterpart was probably one of the most magical moments and will be one of the most magical moments of my whole entire career.

I was struck by the two kisses she plants on him before he's murdered seconds later, presumedly at her request. What do you think was the significance of the kisses?
Kim: Those two kisses, if you paid attention — she tells me that I have my dad's eyes. And in the story, she loved my dad. They had a strong relationship, and she misses him. She even said it herself — she wonders what life would be like had they never broken up. And when she was looking at me, she looked at my eyes. And why she kissed my eyes was also kind of a kiss to her previous partner, my dad. But it was the last kiss goodbye to both.

ALSO READ: Beef Season 2 review: Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan are TV's next great hell marriage

Speaking of the goodbye, how did you react when you read that part of the script where he's killed?
Kim: I was like, "Noo! I want to stay a little longer!" But it was the perfect way to portray certain things. For one, people needed to know how serious it can get if you mess with her, Chairwoman Park. She's not one to play with, and Woosh had to be the sacrificial lamb to portray that. But you know what? That's such a legendary way to go, and I'm not mad at it at all. Hopefully, Woosh has a twin brother somewhere. Maybe if there's a Beef 3, he can come back and look for Woosh or something.

It definitely raised the stakes. How did this acting project challenge you as an artist compared to your work as a K-pop idol? 
Kim: While there's a lot of differences, I think there's an honesty and authenticity in your emotions when you convey something in both music and acting. Acting, you're just not doing it in a set time, in a set rhythm — you have your own rhythm. Having been able to for so long convey an emotion through music, definitely that energy was brought to acting and it was pretty helpful to have done that for such a long time.

ALSO READ: Beef Season 2's Youn Yuh-Jung says no director in Korea would have her play character with husband 20 years younger

Do you experience different kinds of pressures when you're performing on stage versus filming on set with someone like Youn Yuh-Jung?
Kim: Acting itself is a completely new thing for me, so that in of itself is huge pressure. But to be in the scene with YJ [Yuh-Jung] is insane. And indirectly, also in a scene with Song Kang-Ho. That is — I'm getting chills right now thinking about how legendary this moment is for me, and how big this is for me to enter this field. Wow, these questions are making me stumble.

Most of my friends are incredibly happy for me. My members definitely are. I'm incredibly thankful ultimately for Sonny [Lee Sung Jin] for bringing me on this show. The first is always the most memorable.

If you had to choose someone, who's a K-pop star you would envision being cast in Beef Season 3? 
Kim: This is someone that is already legendary in the film scene, but started off in the K-pop industry, Yim Si-Wan sunbaenim [senior] — he played a character in Squid Game 2. I think he would absolutely kill a character in Beef 3.

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Beef Season 2 is available to stream on Netflix.