Lee Tae-ri turns on the charm as aspiring musical actor in Coffee, I Leave It to You

by tipsymocha

I’m always happy to hear there’s a new rom-com in the works, and this drama sounds cute with a dash of fantasy. Lee Tae-ri (Hospital Ship, Hwajeong, Rooftop Prince) — formerly known by his stage name Lee Min-ho — is the latest addition to the drama titled Coffee, I Leave It to You. I was a little confused by the casting reports at first because of the name change, but I have to admit it’ll be nice to not have to differentiate Lee Tae-ri (which is his birth name) with the other Lee Min-ho.

The premise involves our heroine, played by Kim Min-young (Uncontrollably Fond) and described as cute but overweight, somehow transforming into Chae Seo-jin (Lingerie Girls’ Generation) after drinking a magical cup of coffee. The idea is that she gets a supernatural glow-up, essentially, and starts pursuing her one-sided crush. She’ll get swept up into a “risky” romance with a webtoon artist who doesn’t believe in love (natch). Highlight’s Yong Joon-hyung will be making an acting comeback (it’s been five years since his last drama, Monstar), playing the male lead.

Lee Tae-ri is up to play the lead’s best friend in what sounds like a pretty endearing role: His character, named Moon Jung-won, is an aspiring musical actor who turned his back on his former life as an elite employee at a large corporation in order to pursue his dreams. He’s described as a ball of endless energy, with boundless optimism and a healthy dose of curiosity to boot. He’s also a hopeless romantic, who dreams of a grandiose romance like the ones found in musicals, which should serve as a perfect foil to his best friend’s skepticism.

While the premise seems a little superficial, I’m hoping that the story is handled with some depth, and tackle issues like self-worth and the narrow standards of beauty in Korea. One of the writers attached to the project, Seo Bo-ra, has credits like Fight My Way and Remember—Son’s War to her name, which is promising. The director, Park Soo-cheol, has a more checkered filmography, with some of my old favorites, like Hwang Jin-yi and My Girl, mixed in with some more questionable projects, such as Witch Amusement and Monster. I’m going to take a leaf out of Lee Tae-ri’s new role, though, and remain optimistic about the show, since I do love a cute rom-com.

Coffee, I Leave It to You will be fully pre-produced and is still negotiating a station and timeslot.

Yong Joon-hyung, Kim Min-young, Chae Seo-jin

Via Seoul Kyungjae, Osen, News 1

RELATED POSTS

• Lingerie Girls’ Generation: Episode 1
• Hospital Ship: Episodes 1-2
• News bites: January 21, 2017
• Uncontrollably Fond: Episode 1
• Monstar: Episode 1