Flirting with the afterlife in 49 Days

by javabeans

Here’s some casting news that makes me happy: Jung Il-woo (Return of Iljimae), pictured above, and Jo Hyun-jae (Three Dads, One Mom) have been chosen for an upcoming SBS drama, 49 Days. (Okay, and also former Seeya singer Nam Gyuri, recently of weekend show Life Is Beautiful. Meh.)

This’ll be bound to make Jo Hyun-jae fans happy, as he has been out of the spotlight for quite some time now; he has been in military service for two years and was discharged this summer, but his father’s passing has kept him from a comeback till now.

The plot of 49 Days revolves around a woman from an affluent family (Nam Gyuri) who lives a completely happy life, but through a car accident is brought to death’s door. However, the spirit that leaves her body encounters her “kkotminam” (pretty boy) scheduler (Jung Il-woo), whose role is to guide her to the afterlife. With his help she’s able to return to the living realm by borrowing someone else’s body, and must earn the sincere tears of three people (excepting her parents). Jo Hyun-jae’s character is only described as a man who becomes entangled with the other two. (Well, duh. Details, please!)

You may know that in Buddhism, it is believed that a soul whose body has died spends 49 days in a transitional period, where his/her karma decides how the soul will be reborn in the next life. In Korean culture, rites are observed on the 49th day after a person dies, and in the drama Who Are You, the father is given 49 days to return to settle his affairs in the living world before he must move on to the hereafter.

This sounds potentially GREAT. (Yes, also potentially awful, but I’m looking on the bright side.) Quirky, fun, and fresh. Jung Il-woo said, “The character I’m playing this time is rather light, who’s impulsive and candid and has a lot of curiosity about the living world. After receiving the synopsis and script, I really had a good feeling. I think it’ll be a drama that’ll allow us to think about what we really value in our lives.”

Writing is So Hyun-kyung of Brilliant Legacy and Prosecutor Princess. 49 Days will air on Wednesdays and Thursdays, replacing the just-premiered Sign (which, coincidentally enough, is also about death). It plans to begin filming at the end of January for a March premiere.

Eeeee!

Via TV Report

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