The veteran actor Lee Soon Jae passed away in the early hours of the 25th at the age of 91.
As the news of the legendary actor’s final farewell spreads through the cultural community and the public, an unexpected film has quietly resurfaced online: the 2011 release 'Late Blossom.'
Scenes from the film—an elderly couple leaning on each other at a snow-dusted bus stop, walking together through a quiet old alley, sharing a gentle smile on a scooter against the winter wind—carry a warmth that feels particularly poignant today.
The film’s four lead actors—Lee Soon Jae, Yoon So Jung, Song Jae Ho, and Kim Soo Mi—have all since passed away, a fact that makes their on-screen presence feel all the more precious and irreplaceable.
Since dawn, online communities have been flooded with hundreds of tributes. Beyond simple nostalgia, these posts reflect a kind of collective mourning, honoring both the performances and the lives of these actors. Fans have shared photos of DVDs, listened to the soundtrack "Like Wildflowers," and comforted one another with messages like, “They live forever in their work.”
'Late Blossom,' starring the late Lee Soon Jae, Yoon So Jung, Song Jae Ho, and Kim Soo Mi, is based on the webtoon of the same name by Kang Full. The film quietly captures love in old age and the final stages of life. Lee Soon Jae and Yoon So Jung portray a couple slowly drawing closer to each other, while Song Jae Ho and Kim Soo Mi depict a bickering but deeply caring couple navigating daily life.
Even at the time of its release, the film was praised as the pinnacle of acting in later years. Today, with all four actors gone, their performances exist as a “completed moment in time,” touching audiences in a way that can never be replicated.
Fans remembering the film have expressed sentiments such as, “Every scene is vivid, it’s hard to believe none of them are still here,” and, “Just saying their names makes my heart ache.” These reactions reflect a collective desire to pause time even as life naturally moves forward.
Fourteen years after its release, 'Late Blossom' is being rediscovered in the public consciousness. Scenes that were once simply nostalgic are now seen as part of a social act of remembrance, with even the smallest moments interpreted as lasting traces left by the actors.
Like the final scene where the four actors hold hands on screen, the film will continue to remain in the hearts of audiences like a season of memory.
Lee Soon Jae’s passing naturally brings the names of all four actors back into focus. The warmth they left behind continues to be remembered today because the feelings captured on screen still live somewhere within our hearts.
SEE ALSO: KBS and MBC announce special memorial programming honoring late actor Lee Soon Jae
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