Lead cast Lee Joon - hyuk ( left ) and Lee Joo - young attend " Baseball Girl " press conference held in Seoul on Monday . ( Sidus Picutres ) There are moments in life when we persevere , believing in our dreams and efforts , even as the rest of the world does not . Such trust in oneself makes the impossible possible . That is the message of upcoming indie film “ Baseball Girl , ” the story of 18 - year - old Joo Su - in , who strives to join a professional baseball team . Directed by Choi Yun - tae , the film features rising actress Lee Joo - young as Su - in and Lee Joon - hyuk as Su - in ’ s coach Choi Jin - tae . According to Lee Joo - young , making the film itself was a process of persuading herself of Su - in ’ s perseverance in pursing the seemingly impossible dream . “ Su - in is constantly discouraged by everyone around her . Although I had to forge ahead as Su - in , even I doubted Su - in ’ s path . I once told the director that I couldn ’ t really understand how she could manage to continuously push herself to the wall , ” Lee said during the film ’ s preview event held in Seoul on Monday . “ I think I depended a lot on Su - in ’ s words throughout the filming . There ’ s a scene where Su - in tells the coach ‘ I don ’ t give up without trying . ’ This is perhaps the hardest punch she could throw at the coach who tries to discourage her . That line played an essential part in building Su - in ’ s character , ” Lee added . Su - in does not stop with just pursuing her dream and fighting prejudices . She also persuades people wary of her actions and persistence . The coach , once sure that Su - in would fail , becomes her strongest supporter . “ I actually had a similar experience . A rookie actor once asked me for advice and I mostly talked about bleak aspects . Reading the film ’ s script , I felt sorry , realizing that the actor had come to me for encouragement . I called him back and gave him empowering words . I think this film is that empowering message , ” actor Lee Jun - hyuk said . “ Baseball Girl ” poster ( Sidus Pictures ) The two actors trained together for a month with professional baseball players ahead of filming . “ Training with male athletes , I thought that the emotions I felt then are not so different from what Su - in would have felt in her school team . I think I became much closer to Su - in then , ” the actress said . The 28 - year - old actress won the Independent Star Award at last year ’ s Seoul Independent Film Festival for her role as Su - in . While such a success story may strike some as cliche , the realistic portrayal from the two leading actors and veteran supporting actors -- Yeom Hye - ran and Song Young - kyu star as Su - in ’ s parents -- completes the full portrait of Su - in and her family ’ s long haul toward her goal .   Director Choi had originally planned a film about women ’ s rights in the sports scene . “ The film is based on an interview I read in 2017 about a girl playing baseball . Back then , my wife told me she did not know that women were eligible to become professional baseball players , and when I told her yes , she seemed really surprised . I thought it would be worth making a film related to the story , ” Choi said . In 1996 , the clause that prohibited women from playing was removed from the rule governing professional baseball here . Through discussions with actress Lee and changes to the script , the story that initially focused on women ’ s rights in the sports world was expanded to a message about achieving one ’ s dreams , Choi said . “ Baseball Girl ” is set to open in theaters on June 18 . By Choi Ji - won ( jwc @ heraldcorp . com ) [ 네이버 에서 코리아 헤럴드 구독 ] ▶ KH Podcast    ▶ KH Video <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >