A scene from the film “Wonderland” / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks By Lee Gyu-lee The sci-fi drama "Wonderland," having been highly anticipated, not only marks the long-awaited return of heartthrob Park Bo-gum to the big screen after his mandatory military service but also showcases the sizzling on-screen chemistry between him and co-star Bae Suzy, which fueled excitement among fans. Actor Park Bo-gum / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks Led by director Kim Tae-yong, the new drama film, which premiered on June 5, follows people using the AI platform service Wonderland to video chat with a virtually created version of a deceased person. A young flight attendant, Jeong-in (Bae), uses the service to reunite with her long-term boyfriend in a coma, Tae-joo (Park) whereas Chinese single mom Bai Li (Tang Wei) requests it to communicate with her young daughter and elderly mother. When the film’s promotion kicked off, showing a glimpse of Park and Bae’s onscreen chemistry as a couple created a buzz, even stirring a dating rumor when the two featured in the music show “The Seasons: Artist with ZICO” last month. “I’m so pleased to see such positive reactions to the chemistry between Suzy and I. I think it’s good because this will help many viewers to watch the film in a more immersive way,” Park said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday. "I hope things don't get awkward between us because of the dating rumor. I felt proud that people saw us so favorably. I kept watching our video from 'The Seasons' ... I thought we really looked good together." The actor said he was intrigued by the film's concept of recreating a loved one through AI. "I wish those times will come soon. If we can meet someone we can never meet again, what would it be like? I wondered, if there was such a service, would I use it? Could I use this technology in a healthy way, or would I get completely lost in it? That triggered so many thoughts," he said. Actor Park Bo-gum plays the role of Tae-joo in the new sci-fi film “Wonderland." Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks He added the two co-stars worked closely to figure out how Jeong-in and Tae-joo's love story could fit into the overall concept. "Since (the film's) mostly about family, there was nothing I couldn't relate to. Jeong-in and Tae-joo are boyfriend and girlfriend, so when I first read the script, I wondered what kind of relationship they would have to request from the 'Wonderland' service. I was worried if we could deliver the same depth of the relationship as that of a family. The director, Bae and I discussed that both characters lost their parents at an early age and have each other as family," he said, adding he enjoyed creating the couple's story with Bae. “As I worked with Bae, we had chances to talk to each other a lot, sharing serious and deep conversations. There were some scenes we shot without a script, and both of us had a lot of fun. We spent meaningful time discussing with the director, taking prop photos, and building characters. I strongly hope we can meet again for another great project.” The sci-fi film “Wonderland” hit the local theaters on June 5. Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks The actor plays a double role as an AI-created version and a real human. When Tae-joo wakes up from the coma, the couple’s relationship hits a rocky road, as Jeong-in struggles to leave behind the optimistic AI-version of her boyfriend and Tae-joo fights to get his life back to normal during the recovery. “With AI version Tae-joo, I tried to portray an energetic, positive character, created from happy memories from when he was healthy … On the other hand, I remember the director told me that he wants the real-life, sick Tae-joo to appear somewhat strange,” he said. “So I tried to express perplexing emotions like he’s confused and worried and doesn’t have any idea what’s right … I portrayed Tae-joo after gaining consciousness as confused about his existence although he still loves Jeong-in.”