Lee Chung-hyun received attention for his
short film Bargain, which he filmed in a single day using 5 million won of his own money. The 14-minute short features Park Hyung-soo and Lee Joo-young, portraying underage prostitution, the encounter between a middle-aged man and a high school girl on a date in Gapyeong. The entire film was shot in a single take. The short film achieved success on the film festival circuit, receiving accolades such as the Best Short Film Award at the 11th Paris Korean Film Festival, the Special Jury Award for the Domestic Competition at the 14th Asiana International Short Film Festival, and the Best Film Award at the 15th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. It also received the 40,000 Blows Award for Best Action-Thriller Film, the Busan Cinephile Award, and a Special Mention from the Jury at the Busan International Short Film Festival. Bargain's achievement also caught the attention of Yong Film, a film studio that took Lee under its wing and provided training in feature filmmaking.
Syd Lim, Producer and CEO of Yong Film, recognized Lee's talent after watching his short film Bargain. Instead of immediately assigning Lee to direct his own film, Lim had him contribute to the scripts of
Heart Blackened, in consultation with the film's director Jeong Ji-woo. Lee then spent several years writing screenplays for films planned or developed by Yong Film, including "Star of Judas," gaining valuable experience in various genres. The Korean adaptation stars Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo in the lead roles. The story of revolves around two women, Seo-yeon (played by
Park Shin-hye) and Young-sook (played by
Jeon Jong-seo), who exist in different time periods. Through a mysterious phone call, their fates become entangled, leading to a series of unexpected events. The film explores themes of destiny, connection, and the consequences of altering the course of one's life. Originally, The Call was intended for a theatrical release. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the plans had to be changed, and the film's theatrical release was canceled. The film premiered on
Netflix in November 2020. Lee Chung-hyun's next project was the
short film Heart Attack! It was a romantic time travel story starring
Lee Sung-kyung and produced in collaboration between Samsung and Yong Film. Lee accepted Samsung's offer immediately after completing
The Call. The film reunited director of photography Kim Sang-il from
Bargain and the staff of
The Call. Kim Sang-il was able to film the extensive storyboard within a three-day timeframe using five Galaxy phones. The story followed a woman who fell in love at first sight with a man but tragically lost him. She then turned back time to save him. The
short film was exclusively released on October 6, 2020, through the OTT service Watcha. In 2022, Lee's 2015 short film
Bargain was adapted into an OTT series. Directed by Jeon Woo-sung and starring
Jin Seon-kyu,
Jeon Jong-seo and
Chang Ryul. The series was co-produced by
CJ ENM and
Paramount Global, with the latter handled the global distribution outside South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. The
principal photography of the series began in 2022, and it aired on
TVING from October 28 to November 4, 2022. Alongside
Jeon Jong-seo, the film features
Kim Ji-hoon and
Park Yu-rim in the lead roles. The film had its premier at the
28th Busan International Film Festival in the "Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere" section on October 5, 2023. Following its premiere, the film was made available for streaming worldwide on
Netflix from October 6, 2023. In 2024, Lee was confirmed to direct a promotional short film for the South Korean boy group
Enhypen for the group's upcoming album
Romance: Untold. The short film was released on June 22. == Personal life ==