Haeundae Lovers fills out its supporting cast
by javabeans
Nam Gyuri
Casting galore! Here are the latest additions to KBS’s upcoming Haeundae Lovers, the romantic comedy with the outrageous-but-hilarious premise of a prosecutor getting amnesia while on the job and thinking he’s a gangster, then falling for a gangster’s daughter. Whom he somehow sets up house with. Cute, cute.
And who better to play that upright cop than the stoic, serious Kim Kang-woo (Story of a Man) — who, we can only hope, is then divested of his dignity by degrees as he ingratiates himself with the criminal element he came to shut down?
In addition to Kim Kang-woo, also cast are I Need Romance’s Jo Yeo-jung as the heroine and Jung Seok-won as the cold businessman-lawyer-hotel-VP. Now we’re adding former idol-turned-actress Nam Gyuri (49 Days) as the daughter of the Minister of Justice and Kim Kang-woo’s fiancée. Hahaha. That cracks me up and I don’t even know anything about her. It’s a solid (if obvious) premise, and I hope the drama lives up to all the conflicts inherent within, by which I mean The Funny.
Park Gun-il
Super Nova idol Park Gun-il (King Geunchogo, Hon) also joins the show as the youngest uncle of the fish shop (named for the uncles) that Jo Yeo-jung manages. He’s quick on the uptake, glib, and calculating, which means I can totally see his character playing with expectation/type. Haeundae is located in the south, in the Busan area, where stereotypically the men are coarse and masculine in contrast to Seoul’s metrosexual urbanites. I’m going to guess that the other uncles are much more in the standard Busan vein, crude where Park is smooth, quick with the fists whereas Park fights with words.
Park Gun-il will be paired with another idol, T-ara’s So-yeon, whom his character has a one-sided crush.
But the idols don’t stop there; we’ve also got Kang Min-kyung of girl group Davichi, who plays Jung Seok-won’s secretary who’s also Jo Yeo-jung’s high school classmate. Ha, that won’t get complicated or anything, will it? You’ve got the gangster daughter, the cop, and the attorney; it’s like Sandglass: The Comedy Version. Her character’s haughty and prim, but also a “cute villainess.” Okay, I’m still trying to work out how all those words go together, but I’m thinking it can work. I hope.
Kang Min-kyung
For all the idols involved, I have a pretty favorable impression of most of the ones named here; Nam Gyuri used to bug the ever-loving heck out of me until 49 Days, where she was serviceable as the naive almost-dead girl. I didn’t love her, but I thought she did a decent job and fit her role; it was often the character that bugged more than her performance, necessarily. I’ve only ever seen Park Gun-il in Hon, but I thought he was creditably mysterious and creepy; that may be thanks to the sharp directing more than anything, but I remembering coming away from that horror-thriller with a positive impression of him. And Kang Min-kyung was one of the better idols in Vampire Idol, where she played the hard-working “Lightning” delivery girl. True, there was a very low bar for acting on that show, but at least she wasn’t one of the really uncomfortably bad ones.
Basically, Haeundae Lovers takes some of dramaland’s more tired cliches and makes ’em funny again; I generally dislike amnesia when trotted out as an Act 3 game-changer in an angsty melo, but when it’s the premise AND funny? I’m all onboard. Fantasy Couple totally hit my funny buttons for its premise (though it missed a few buttons on the execution front), so if this can improve on that setup, I’ll be a happy camper.
I have hopes for the drama, and the producers seem solid. If anything, my biggest concern is about how their previous work — serious, dramatic — will translate into a comedic piece. But their hands seem capable enough: PD Song Hyun-wook of period war drama Comrades and critically acclaimed medical show Brain, while writer Hwang Eun-kyung did action-thriller City Hunter, political drama Daemul, and medical series New Heart.
Haeundae Lovers follows Big on KBS, and premieres August 13.
Jo Yeo-jung, filming on Haeundae Lovers
Via TV Daily, TV Report, Kuki News
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Tags: Haeundae Lovers, Jo Yeo-jung, Kang Min-kyung, Nam Gyuri, Park Gun-il
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1 Rovi
July 9, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Love the crab headdress, LOL...such a touch of funny BTS...
and here comes the idols~!!! As if we haven't have Hana Kimi to deal with... *rolls eyes*
Also, first, XD.
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2 Maymay
July 9, 2012 at 1:17 PM
It will premiere the same day as Lee Min Ho's Faith. Can't wait!
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3 Rashell
July 9, 2012 at 1:40 PM
Oh, I want to watch this one too. Lee Min Ho will come first, but Kim Kang Woo makes the must watch list. And this sounds like it could be really funny which I love. Let's hope the execution is as good as the lead up.
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4 sartorius
July 9, 2012 at 1:46 PM
wait doesnt BIG end in July????
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SprinkledPink
July 9, 2012 at 4:52 PM
That's what I thought. According to drama wiki, the last episode (episode 16) is suppose to air July 24th. o.O I haven't heard anything about an extension...
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observantzani
July 9, 2012 at 5:26 PM
I guess the gap will be filled with the drama specials KBS has lined up. I'm looking forward to Park Shin Hye's Don't Worry, I'm a Ghost!
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5 mskololia
July 9, 2012 at 2:11 PM
OMGoodness....HL vs Faith?
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6 Kiara
July 9, 2012 at 2:11 PM
Sigh...
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7 ~Feather~
July 9, 2012 at 2:14 PM
I'm definitely going to watch this. Always up for something fun. ^^ The only issue I have with any of the upcoming dramas is that it means I have less vacation time left until school starts again. (TT~TT)
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8 Noelle
July 9, 2012 at 2:17 PM
I can't wait!
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9 Trina
July 9, 2012 at 3:00 PM
nam Gyu ri will be busy with her movie too with PSH and what his name.
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10 QLD
July 9, 2012 at 3:59 PM
I'm surprised JB did not mention kang min kyungs amazing acting skillz
i want everybody to imagine the worst and yet most hilarious crying scene in the world where the sound elicited could only be likened to the soothing cry of a banshee
such is the acting prowess of kang min kyung in smile, mom
i would kill to find that youtube video again
i cannot find the link :(
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11 canxi
July 9, 2012 at 4:57 PM
Looks good, can't wait for it (:
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12 JuDa
July 9, 2012 at 6:10 PM
Faith will be bored drama!!!
So.,I definitely watch this !!
HL come 1st.....
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13 Hmm..
July 9, 2012 at 6:52 PM
Does anyone else feel insulted for Gyuri and Min Kyung for being called idols
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14 dulcedeleche
July 9, 2012 at 7:35 PM
It doesn't matter how many idols they cast in this drama. I'm soo there for Kim Kang-woo alone. Loved loved LOVED Story of a Man.
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15 stars4u
July 9, 2012 at 7:53 PM
I can't wait to watch Kim Kang-woo with the funny... I still have his name attached to his character in Story Of A Man.
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16 SuziQ
July 9, 2012 at 8:05 PM
Couldn't stand to watch Nam Gyuri in 49 Days..Agreed, her buggy eyes look of acting drove me crazy too. Her acting was MLEH....Is she an Idol?
Conflicted because I do like Kim Kang Woo in Story of a Man.
I will watch Faith first then maybe Haeundae Lovers if I can tolerate NG. Hope she doesn't go buggy eyed again.
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17 crazedlu
July 9, 2012 at 8:12 PM
kim kang woo, yes! jo yeo jung, ??? she does well with comedy, but dude, do i hate her EYES. i know. stone me.
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18 ck1Oz
July 9, 2012 at 10:19 PM
Okay I am so watching a gangster engaged to a daughter of the Minister for Justice.This alone is making me darn curious and excited.
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19 hajae
July 10, 2012 at 2:28 AM
I just find it funny that all of the idols cast are from the same company... and have worked together before. T-ara and Supernova did the collab yonks ago for T.T.L and T-ara and Davichi did a recent collab for We Were in Love.
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20 aera
July 11, 2012 at 6:24 PM
can't NGR become the main lead T_T
why ?....
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21 Joonkawaii
July 13, 2012 at 8:16 AM
Hmmm... the line story maybe kind of romcom, but ive heard story like that, in a drama called Time between wolf and dog, keke, we have amnesia, gangster, and love the boss's daughter! So so....
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