How Red Velvet’s Bodyguard Ended Up Starring Alongside Irene In Box Office Topping Film

Shin Seung Ho once stood guard as a security detail for K-Pop senstation Red Velvet during a fan signing event. Fast forward a few years, and he found himself acting alongside the group’s star, Irene, in a hit film. But how did the story of their unlikely journey from a department store to the box office go?

Irene and Seung Ho | KT

Before he stepped into the glamour of the silver screen, Seung Ho was best known for his abilities on the soccer field, having dedicated 11 years to the sport. However, like many athletes after their time in professional sports, he yearned for a semblance of normalcy. Thus, after quitting soccer Shin swapped the thrilling cheers of the soccer arena for the mundane hum of department store aisles, taking up a part-time job as a security guard. Little did he know that this decision would chart a new course for his life.

| Starship

Soon after Shin started working at the store in 2016, Red Velvet would start promoting their mega-hit “Russian Roulette.” As part of their promotions, they scheduled a fan signing event at the very department store where Seung Ho worked. Destiny, it seemed, had plans, assigning Seung Ho as the security guard for Red Velvet on that significant day. While it might have been a fleeting encounter at that time, the universe had sown the seeds for surprising coincidence.

| @gojuhyun/Twitter | @gojuhyun/Twitter

Fast forward to 2021, and the unexpected occurred. Shin Seung Ho, after his successful acting debut in web drama A-Teen, was cast alongside Irene in heartwarming cozy film Double Patty. Though it was both Shin and Irene’s big screen debut, their performances resonated with audiences, soaring to great heights by ranking within the top five at the box office on its premiere day and amassing over 10,000 views in just its first week. Its success was great for an indie movie with up-and-coming actors.

Shin Seung Ho | OSEN

From bodyguard to actor pic.twitter.com/hMVo1wAcUQ

— RiS ???? (@renexquisites) October 9, 2023

The reunion of Seung Ho and Irene was not just professional. During the promotional interviews for Double Patty, Seung Ho unveiled the delightful backstory of their initial meeting. Remarkably, he hadn’t instantly recalled the chance meeting with Irene from the fan signing event. It was only a few days into their collaboration on the film set that memories from 2016 came flooding back. The actor revealed he had shared the anecdote with Irene, and they both had been surprised at the twist of fate.

| @dearenebeloved/Twitter

Here's the proof https://t.co/6EclCBhRMV pic.twitter.com/sGz6qDumk3

— Rene ???? (@BaeHooked) October 9, 2023

As Seung Ho reminisced about that day at the department store, he said he “couldn’t imagine being a celebrity.“And who can blame him? Today’s bodyguard can be tomorrow’s co-star — life can be crazy like that!