Photo Credits: Vogue Korea
Woodz and Justin H. Min breathe in sync for the first time in the mystery short film “Slide Strum Mute,” a 59‑minute cinematic experiment set to hit Korean theaters on February 26 and framed beautifully in their new Vogue Korea feature.
A new kind of duet: film, not a feature
“Slide Strum Mute” marks Woodz’ first official acting role, but it’s also a new chapter in how he tells stories beyond the standard 3‑minute music video. Inspired by his own autobiographical essay, the film follows Woo Jin, a young musician who keeps failing auditions until a stranger’s broken guitar drags him into a cursed timeline fueled by desire. That stranger is Nam Gi, played by Justin H. Min, whose presence turns a simple music narrative into a slow‑burn thriller.
Vogue Korea’s feature positions the film as an extension of Woodz’ inner world rather than a promotional extra, pairing cinematic stills with candid reflections on fear, ambition, and artistic risk. The result is a hybrid project that sits between album prologue, occult short, and visual essay.
“I kept asking, ‘Does a music video really have to be 3 minutes, locked to one song?’ – Woodz”
“Slide Strum Mute”: when a guitar rewrites time
At the heart of the film is Woo Jin, a struggling musician whose latest failed audition leaves him exhausted, vulnerable, and open to anything that might change his fate. One night, Nam Gi appears, leaves behind a guitar so damaged its original form is unrecognizable, and disappears, asking Woo Jin to repair it. When Woo Jin strums the strings, time fractures; he is thrown into a cursed timeline where every choice feels like a trade between talent, success, and his own life.
The movie is a 59‑minute mystery short film, designed to stretch beyond the usual “visualizer” or concept film that K‑pop fans are used to seeing. Director Park Se Young, known for the horror film “The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra,” leans into eerie pacing, surreal imagery, and occult tension rather than flashy performance cuts. For Woodz, this isn’t just a cameo in his own project; it’s a full‑on acting debut built on the pains and obsessions he’s already written about in his music.
“It’s a cursed guitar story, but really it’s about what you’re willing to sacrifice for your art.”
Woodz: from “Drowning” to visual risk‑taker
Woodz has spent the last few years building a reputation as one of K‑pop’s most versatile soloists, equally at home in dark R&B, alt‑rock, and intricate, self‑produced albums. After his track “Drowning” found renewed chart life and late viral momentum, expectations around his next music era only intensified. Rather than retreat into a safe formula, he doubled down on experimentation, asking whether music visuals could be bigger, stranger, and more narrative‑driven than a standard MV.
In Vogue Korea, Woodz admits he has long wondered if there was “anything visually new besides music,” questioning whether a music video must always be compressed into three minutes of perfectly synced storytelling. A fan of occult and horror works, he was drawn to the genre’s fresh visual language and wondered what would happen if he grafted that onto his own sound. “Slide Strum Mute” becomes his answer: a film that uses fear, tension, and supernatural metaphor to talk about ambition, failure, and the temptation to trade everything for genius.
“If I borrow occult language and drop it into my music world, the synergy gets bigger.” – Woodz
Justin H. Min: a happy artist in cursed time
For Justin H. Min, “Slide Strum Mute” extends an already rich relationship with Korean cinema and audiences. He broke through in Korea with “After Yang,” then returned to the Busan International Film Festival with Kim Jin‑yoo’s film “Flowing Journey,” steadily building connections to Korean projects and creators. In Vogue Korea, he describes himself as a “happy artist” exploring different mediums—from acting to photography—and refusing to be boxed into one lane.
As Nam Gi, Min is the film’s wild card: the mysterious customer who walks into Woo Jin’s guitar repair shop “Happy Guitar,” drops off a shattered instrument, and quietly binds Woo Jin to the cursed timeline. His performance can’t lean on lengthy character exposition because of the short film format, so he threads personality into subtle gestures and quiet menace instead. Off‑screen, Min and Woodz share a comfortable rapport; Min even shot Woodz’ photos during the Vogue editorial, blurring the line between subject and collaborator.
“I love the joy of trying new mediums. This film was another way to test how far art can stretch.” – Justin H. Min
Holding their breath together: friendship and future
What makes the Woodz x Justin H. Min pairing special is the way it frames collaboration as long‑term, not a one‑off stunt. Before casting news became official, Min had already been quietly using Woodz’ songs as background music in his social posts, hinting at a growing admiration for his sound. The short film, and the Vogue Korea feature that spotlights both of them, feel like the first visible chapter of that relationship rather than the last.
As they “hold their breath” together for the February 26 premiere, both artists are testing the limits of their own creative identities—Woodz by stepping fully into an actor’s body, Min by deepening his ties to Korean stories and music‑driven projects. For K‑pop fans, “Slide Strum Mute” is a rare chance to watch a beloved soloist risk everything in a new medium while being anchored by an actor who understands how to make genre storytelling emotionally grounded. It’s also a signal: as music, film, and fashion continue to collide, collaborations like this—amplified by platforms like Vogue Korea—are going to shape how the next era of K‑pop narratives look and feel.
“Music, film, and fashion aren’t separate lanes anymore—they’re one long stage.”
Key details at a glance
The Production Team
Fashion editor SOHN KIHOH
Features editor RYU GAYEONG
Photographer PARK JONGHA
Stylist KIM HYUP(WOODZ), HWANG SUNYOUNG(JUSTIN H. MIN)
Makeup HWANGBO NAYOUNG(WOODZ), YOO HYESOO(JUSTIN H. MIN)
Set CHOI SEOYUN(Da;rak)
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