Namgoong Min cast as lead in new JTBC weekend drama
by girlfriday
It hasn’t even been more than a day since I Need Romance 3 ended, but Namgoong Min is already on his way to his next project. Sheesh, is there at least time for a shower and a catnap? He’ll be headlining another cable drama, this time JTBC’s new family weekend show called Jang Gook Becomes Dallae. The title is a bit of a mess to translate, in that it’s a four-way pun meaning Wild Chive Soybean Paste Soup, Soothed Clear Soup, and Soothed Jang Gook, all because the heroine’s name is Jang Gook (“clear soup”) and she later changes her name to Dallae (“wild chive”). Could we maybe stop naming our children after food? Just a thought.
The show will have a pretty hefty childhood portion set in high school in 2002, which is why the production is barely casting the adults now. The high school versions of the leads will be played by Lee Won-geun (Ghost, The Moon That Embraces the Sun), and Yoon So-hee, who’s currently in the tvN show Let’s Eat. She’s cute and bubbly there, and also such a dead ringer for Park Shi-yeon that I still do double takes while watching her. Namgoong Min will take over Lee Won-geun’s role, while the adult heroine has yet to be cast.
The story is about a pair of high school sweethearts who become pregnant and are forced to marry by their two families. They eventually split up and go their separate ways, and the heroine goes so far as to change her name and lives a completely different life. Then they reunite twelve years later (Is this Wonderful Season, the teen pregnancy version?) and get entangled in each other’s lives all over again.
Over the course of twelve years, Namgoong Min’s character goes from the son of a prominent wealthy household to struggling as the eldest provider for a family that scrapes by from paycheck to paycheck (this is totally Wonderful Season: Bizarroland). He’s prideful and temperamental to boot, which often leaves him on the losing end of things. He seems tough on the outside but is vulnerable underneath it all, and carries a scar from a traumatic incident, as all drama heroes do.
Jang Gook Becomes Dallae follows Firstborn and premieres March 22.
Via Joy News
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Tags: cable programs, Namgoong Min
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1 Langit13iru
March 5, 2014 at 9:13 AM
Oh, so he will play the older part. I thought why the cast is so young and then you got Danny Ahn as the hyung. So now all make sense now.
No just NGM that got new drama. Looks there is Dajung appa from Prime Minister and I too.
Looks interesting. I hope there will be sub.
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2 Chandler
March 5, 2014 at 9:24 AM
Huh. I'll probably tune in for this because the high school kids are cute and I've generally enjoyed this channel's offerings before. :)
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3 Xxvxx
March 5, 2014 at 9:25 AM
OMG I LOVE Yoon So Hee in let's eat but am I ready for a JTBC weekend drama?!?! How many episodes is this and will it be less melo than wonderful season (I've been trying to start but have no time...)
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4 minionsworld
March 5, 2014 at 9:27 AM
OMG. I thought I wasn't the only one that thought Yoon So Hee looked like Park Shi Yeon.
This drama looks cool! :)
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5 Tara
March 5, 2014 at 9:33 AM
GF, you're absolutely right...this sounds like Wonderful Seasons twisted in a different way! It's too bad that this is premiering later since it'll probably get the comparisons, but this looks like an interesting watch, despite it being a weekend drama.
I like the adult cast...Bae Jong-ok and Chun Ho-jin reuniting after Hooray From Love, Yang Madam! (oh I miss Miss Korea) and Nam Goong-min hopefully won't be the ass that he was in I Need Romance 3 :)
I've always wondered, why do people really name their kids wacky names, like after food? That's like scarring your kid at birth to get teased...
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6 rearwindow
March 5, 2014 at 9:33 AM
YAY!! I don't even care what it's about, I love him so I'll probably give this a go.
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7 snow
March 5, 2014 at 9:34 AM
yes....she looks exactly like Park Shi Yeon!
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8 fab
March 5, 2014 at 9:35 AM
Good for Namgoong , he deserves a lead role. Not sure I'll be watching, but I wish the drama succeeds anyway.
I think that girl looks much more like Kim Hyun-Joo than Park Shi-yeon. I even googled them for comparison lol.
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9 Mandy
March 5, 2014 at 9:43 AM
Yoon So-hee has to be PSY's secret younger sister or something. The resemblance is uncanny. I recently finished Nice Guy and I still can't believe they aren't the same people except for PSY's much more convincing acting.
Not currently seeing Wonderful Season, even if JB did point out the tone being similar to WISFC (one of the better melodramas I've seen with Go Soo to boot!). Kinda allergic to KHS, so maybe I'll substitute this instead.
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10 Mrs.Jang Guem Suk
March 5, 2014 at 9:49 AM
I like YSH so I'm definitely watching this ? N question was YSH in the first INR who wouldn't leave motorcycle alone ???????( poor motorcycle?)
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11 Aly
March 5, 2014 at 9:50 AM
I have to admit: one of my pet peeves is when they make puns out of characters' names. It's so overdone!
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12 klir
March 5, 2014 at 9:52 AM
I was about to say is PSH doing yet another teen role but good to know it`s some other girl.
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13 Tee
March 5, 2014 at 9:58 AM
Oh nice I'm in. I hated his character in I need romance 3 so I need to watch him in a new project to wash that away. How long is "hefty" for the child part anyone know if we are talking 5 episodes or 10 or 20?
Hope viki or dramafever get this
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14 August
March 5, 2014 at 10:02 AM
I will probably check out Jang Gook Becomes Dallae. Especially after watching and eagerly following Namgoong Min from Cheongdamdong Alice to Unemployed Romance to I Need Romance 3.
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August
March 5, 2014 at 10:12 AM
It's nice to see Yoon So-Hee in a new project. Let's Eat is a delightful, funny, and underrated drama. Let's Eat will be ending soon. Hopefully Dramabeans will include it in the next Podcast or do a Let's Eat: Wrap-Up recap.
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Chandler
March 5, 2014 at 12:01 PM
Yeah I hope so too :) Let's Eat has become a favorite of mine and I wish they'd discuss it a bit!
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15 risa
March 5, 2014 at 10:25 AM
Happy Namgoong Min, with his smiley eyes and joyful presence, is like the best thing ever. Add in his sexy voice, and he's mighty attractive. But cold Namgoong Min chills me to the bone. And sad/vulnerable Namgoong Min is so pitiful, I can't "see him as a man"~ I just want to mother him or find a good therapist for him. I'd love to see him land a role where he gets to play a bubbly character.
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16 John
March 5, 2014 at 1:12 PM
Yoon So-hee ! ♥ her in Let's Eat.
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17 canxi
March 5, 2014 at 1:20 PM
Good for him! I like that he is on the rise. I no longer have to do casting rain dances to see him pop up in dramas anymore, lol.
Drama sounds interesting and that girl really does look like Park Shi Yeon. Who I am still sad about. I hope she will be able to revive her career because I was really starting to like her.
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ryoko
March 5, 2014 at 3:35 PM
+1 for doing "casting rain dances." I guess I can take a break as well? :P
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18 Mrs.Jang Guem Suk
March 5, 2014 at 4:22 PM
Is she or she not Motorcycle wanna be gf in INR ???????
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19 LOVE HS&SH
March 5, 2014 at 6:09 PM
I think they should cast Park Si Yeon for lead. Then this young and old version will be awesome :)
I will watch young version coz of Lee Won Geun :D
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20 su choo
March 5, 2014 at 8:41 PM
Bawhahaha. ...the way u explained that title was hilarious!! What a mess in english....but hey!! I got a good laugh and it was worth that mess!! Will be watching! !
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21 byuldreamer
March 5, 2014 at 8:47 PM
i wanna watch...kinda...but how many episodes?
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22 korfan
March 6, 2014 at 7:43 AM
Finally! A lead role for Namgoong Min!
He can really do the wounded inner child/cold guy thing (Can You Hear My Heart).
He's always interesting to watch.
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23 mono
March 6, 2014 at 9:36 AM
His smile almost made me forgive Tae Yoon even in his arsiest(?) moment.
This doesn't quite sound entirely like a leading lead, but hey it's nice to see him in projects (and hopefully as a character that is nuanced but nice enough to root for!)
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24 bd
March 9, 2014 at 3:45 PM
Aside from his character's "plastered on" hairstyle on INR3, the thing that bothered me about Namgoong Min is that there is is virtually no jaw-chin-line distinction on his face.
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