Alone in Love writer returns with Wild Romance
by javabeans
Ooh, I love this writer: Park Yeon-seon wrote a couple of stand-out dramas — the much-praised Alone In Love and the underappreciated gem Mixed-up Investigate Agency — and is coming back for another one, titled Wild Romance (where the “wild” connotes aggressive and physical).
She pairs with Women In the Sun PD Bae Kyung-soo, but this project will be less emotionally turbulent than that one, despite its title. It’s a romantic comedy about a baseball player hero and a judo athlete–turned–bodyguard heroine — ha, is she a huge fan of Park Min-young (Man of Honor meets City Hunter?), or is this just a huge coincidence of timing?
It’s probably the latter since writer Park tends to take her time preparing her dramas, and despite that easy joke, I have full confidence in her ability to deliver a strong, original drama. Alone In Love is likely to make it to my all-time-favorites shelf once I eventually get to finishing it (it’s the kind of drama you savor, except that savoring time is in short supply these days) — the smart, thoughtful series about a divorced couple finding love again starring Sohn Ye-jin and Kam Woo-sung won what seems like near-universal praise when it aired in 2006.
Her follow-up to Alone In Love IS on my shelf of keepers, because Mixed-up Investigative Agency is one of the best-plotted Korean dramas I’ve seen. It’s also quirky, funny, and unconventional with a cast of wonderful oddballs, led by Lee Min-ki, Yeh Ji-won, and Ryu Seung-soo. Mixed-up somehow manages to mix Indiana Jones-esque mystery-treasure hunt with eccentric comedy and heart-stirring moments of emotion, all while melding trufax of the late-Joseon era with its entirely fictional hunt for buried treasure. That kind of clever mythology and plotting is what Runaway Plan B shoulda done with its lost-gold storyline, but didn’t have time for because of its chase scene quota.
Park also penned the 2011 Drama Special miniseries White Christmas (initially titled Monster), which I hear was pretty solid. Wild Romance is currently in the casting process and will air on KBS after Man of Honor in January. It’s set for 16 episodes and has already completed its first four scripts.
Via TV Report
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1 danna
October 29, 2011 at 3:39 PM
I LOVE Park Yeon Soon..she has written not or two but three of my all time favourite dramas (Alone in Love, Ms Kim, White Christmas) and one that I really liked a lot (MIA)...damn I want this drama now...suddenly 2012 is looking fantastic....btw I had no idea that SBS uploaded Alone in Love on Youtube...it;s great quality, just wish they were subs
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danna
October 29, 2011 at 3:43 PM
Also Kim Ji Woo of Resurrection and Devil is making a comeback, as well Noh Hee Kyung's drama which will be starting in Dec....I can't wait for next year already!!!
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2 diorama
October 29, 2011 at 3:41 PM
HOMG, so checking this out. Anything that this writer puts out is MINE. Now I feel like rewatching Mixed-up Investigative Agency.
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3 KDR
October 29, 2011 at 3:49 PM
So excited.. I loved Mixed up!
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4 sup_super_supper
October 29, 2011 at 3:52 PM
This is good news, yes. I'll be highly anticipating this one.
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5 lovepark
October 29, 2011 at 4:20 PM
What good news!! Mixed-up Investigative Agency is one of my all-time favorites, and a major part of that was because the writing was fantastic. I still have to watch Alone in Love and White Christmas and now Wild Romance seems promising, too. I'm so behind. There are so many old and new dramas that I keep planning to watch that everytime I finish one, it seems like two more take its place.
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6 PancakenMuffins
October 29, 2011 at 4:25 PM
I'm really looking forward to this. I loved both Mixed-Up Investigation Agency and White Christmas (which I highly recommend).
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7 alua
October 29, 2011 at 4:27 PM
I don't know any of these dramas. You've just extended my watch-to-list and, by the sound of it, these go on the must-watch-really-soon-list!
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8 Kou
October 29, 2011 at 4:56 PM
I love this woman. She is such a talented, thought provoking writer. You should watch White Christmas. That writing/directing/score/acting/editing was hands down the best I've seen in a Korean drama, or at the very least, one of the best. I love MIA and I love everything she has written. I'll definitely tune in for this next project too.
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Jo
October 30, 2011 at 3:15 PM
SHE WROTE WHITE CHRISTMAS?
That is the best Korean drama that I have ever seen!
The cinematography, directing, WRITING. Nothing was skimped on. Albeit, they used some inexperienced actors/actresses, but they were amazingly talented as well.
White Christmas is a MUST WATCH! MUST MUST MUST WATCH!
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9 sPark*
October 29, 2011 at 5:02 PM
Definitely looking forward to this writer's drama :D I can't wait to find out who will be cast. So far the cast for her dramas have been top notch with excellent actors :)
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10 doublen
October 29, 2011 at 6:07 PM
Mixed-up is the best korean drama ever! I had so much fun watching it. Everything: plot, actors, direction was amazing. I was surprised it didnt do well in korea.
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peony
October 30, 2011 at 11:41 AM
hey guys, to anyone who watched and loved MIA -- do you know where one of the actresses, lee eun sung (or, eun-jae) went?? i thought she was great in MIA, but she's kind of gone MIA, actually (lame pun).
anyway, has she quit acting?
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11 Ace
October 29, 2011 at 6:27 PM
I love MIA! It's part of my collection of must-have DVDs. Alone in Love I've watched on and off when it aired in Arirang channel years ago but never got around to finishing it.
Totally did not recognize my fave actress SYJ in that pic above until I read down. Forgot that she had that unfortunate haircut and even dowdier appearance than in PT so at first I mistook her for SHG in World's Within. Viewing this on an iPhone and not wearing my glasses so I also mistook the guy beside her as...Hyun Bin! Hahaha! Then I zoomed in cause I thought that can't be as the chin of that guy is certainly not HB's. So I thought maybe it's the director or something. Heh. Gotta finish my coffee since I'm still half-asleep.
Anyway, totally thought of PMY too when I read baseball and judo turned bodyguard. ;)
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12 annie
October 29, 2011 at 7:58 PM
This is so exciting! Alone in Love is one of the best-written dramas I have ever watched. And the only one I had to take a break from for a little while before I could go back and finish it. The emotions it stirred in me were that real, I cared that much - even though there were no grand conflicts of shocking tragedies, it got so intense near the end. In a way it was more affecting because the story and the people in it were so ordinary. It made what they were experiencing so much more immediate and relatable. The acting was amazing across the board, but what was truly brilliant was the way the writer quietly built up to a climax, slowly pushing the characters closer and closer to that moment of emotional and narrative crisis. Kind of the way life creeps up on us and we don't realize where our decisions are taking us until we end up in a place we hadn't anticipated.
So looking forward to this new drama. I have faith the writer can transform this cliched synopsis into something amazing.
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gailT
October 29, 2011 at 11:26 PM
I totally agree with every single word you said. Thanks, Laica!
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annie
October 30, 2011 at 12:22 AM
Thank YOU. :)
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mihinikki
October 30, 2011 at 6:06 PM
I feel the same way about Alone in Love. It had me at episode 1 and by 15 I was dying inside. If not for my grip on reality I would have wanted to call 911! One of best Korean shows EVER. I've got to see Mixed Up. BTW, I was wondering if JB or GF had ever seen AIL. Glad to know JB has and approves :)
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13 missjb
October 29, 2011 at 11:15 PM
God White christmas is one of the best suspense kdrama I've ever watched and one of my all time favourite!! It has one of the best directing, score, and writing!
I love this writers since watching it.
2012 seems more exciting now.....
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14 Shaira
October 29, 2011 at 11:22 PM
They were talking about this on DCMBC and they were saying that the script was first sent to Yoon Eun Hye then Han Chae Young and Kim Tae Hee for the ladies and for the guys it was sent to Won Bin, Lee Minho and Lee Min Ki.
It would be foolish to pass up this opportunity to work with sych great PD and writer.
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15 ar
October 29, 2011 at 11:27 PM
Psyched about it! I've heard such great things about Alone in Love and Mixed Up Investigative Agency and I enjoyed her miniseries, White Christmas (which really should have stuck with the title "Monster")
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Jo
October 30, 2011 at 3:16 PM
I disagree. Monster would be too redundant and be too blatant. Whilst the drama itself was subtle and totally suspenseful.
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16 epyc
October 30, 2011 at 6:21 AM
Will definitely check this one out!
Alone in Love - though so little talked about - is indeed one of the best Korean dramas in so many ways. Top notch writing, amazing acting and deft directing, plus a cinematography that makes you want to become a Seoul resident.
JB, it'd be great if you could do an impression recap (because an episode-by-episode recap is not necessarily the best way to appreciate this drama). Savoring at your own pace is the way to travel the journey of this divorced couple.
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17 Me_Anonymous
October 30, 2011 at 10:10 AM
Alone in Love was my FIRST Korean (make that Asian) Drama that I happened upon by chance back when I was doing my GCSE Business Studies Coursework. And was I glad or what? I was looking to watch a romantic comedy having just finished action-packed Alias so the name of the drama somehow made it seem like it would be different, if not a comedy (going by the posters).
It instantly made it to my all time favourite dramas, ever. Then I watched some other Korean/Taiwanese dramas and came to find out about Ms Kim's Million Dollar Quest and I was taken aback by the drama's own portrayal of romantic-comedy with a lesson-to-learn at the end.
I am still on 2nd episode of MIA (for the past 3 or 4 years) but do plan on finishing it.
So in a line: I am a BIG time fan of Park Yeon Seon. and I am really looking forward to Wild Romance
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18 jomo143
October 30, 2011 at 10:31 AM
I have never heard of this one.
I checked AM Addiction to see if they had the dl's; all they had is OST. I searched half of soompi, but couldn't find any files.
Is it available anywhere other than unsubbed YT?
I guess one day it will be, hopefully.
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jomo143
October 30, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Found it! They are listed on soompi. Unfortunately I read some spoilers before finding them, which is always a possibility...
http://www.soompi.com/forums/topic/27812-drama-2006-alone-in-love/page__st__880
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19 Sakari
October 30, 2011 at 1:23 PM
I never got past E01 of Mixed-up Investigative Agency, but did like Alone in Love very much. Perhaps it should be noted that Park Yeon-seon's script for the latter drama was based on a novel by Japanese writer Hisashi Nozawa; see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alone_in_love
I don't know how much of the novel made it to the script. But the general atmosphere of the drama is not very KDrama-ish, is it? For example, only one of the main characters (played by Lee Jin-wook) seems to be living with his parents (if I remember correctly.) In a typical KDrama, a character living *outside* the parental home would be the exception.
Also, the bar with the weird staff where the characters frequently assemble is a staple of Japanese dramas, but not, I think, of Korean ones.
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belleza
October 31, 2011 at 5:02 AM
Alone in Love (the novel was called "Love Generation", though not related to the Kimataku show) is kind of a Korean/Japanese drama hybrid. You have a wrestling character. You have a nuclear, rather than extended, family. You have people drinking at a pub (with a friendly bartender) rather than at a street stall. There's a serial plot, but each episode is written around a theme. Where the show differs from most mature takes is that it doesn't really focus all that much on love. It really focuses on loneliness, and how we construct our images of love, family, happiness, etc. around that loneliness. This is more typical of Japanese drama, because they to approach even love stories as a lesson learned
There's a way to read her character as well. She speaks from the viewpoint who is also experiencing depression, perhaps clinical, perhaps postpartum depression. She struggles to feel anything through a fog, and she does not know how to articulate this to anybody. The novel has a downbeat ending. Also, in the novel, the sister is very awkward and has feelings for the ex-husband.
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20 mnstpdu08
October 30, 2011 at 1:50 PM
I don't think I ever got to watch Alone in Love in its entirety, but from what I saw I loved it. It's a great drama that is subtle and I think, realistic. I'll have to keep an eye for the new one, even though I don't really like sports drama.
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21 eb
October 30, 2011 at 8:50 PM
i love Alone in Love (i still listen to the OST on occasion). White Christmas was also really good. Now that I found out they were both written by the same author, I know I will be watching at least the first few episodes of this drama.
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22 chahaya
October 30, 2011 at 10:09 PM
I love White Christmas! It's the first time that I watched a psychology thriller drama/movie that emphasized all the characters and not the main lead only
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23 belleza
October 31, 2011 at 4:42 AM
Worth noting . . . Park Yeon Seon also provided the script for My Tutor Friend and did the Byakuyako adaptation (Into the White Night.) She can do comedy; she can do psychological thriller; she can do it all.
Anyway . . . Alone in Love is "The Wire" of romantic Korean drama. It is the best romantic K-drama ever written. It is the best acted romantic K-drama ever made, and has perhaps the best female performance (worth noting . . . Son Yeh Jin was 24 years old when she did Alone In Love, about the age of Park Min Young, Moon Chae Won, Han Hyo Joo . . . ) I've seen in the past decade. It's one of the best directed shows of the past decade. I can go on and on. I usually go through shows quickly, but this one I really took my time with. I savored each episode knowing it rarely gets this go in any drama format.
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Telenovelera
October 31, 2011 at 12:54 PM
OK, if you drop the title "The Wire" somewhere, that's live bait for me. I guess I need to see this now. Will start searching right away.
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belleza
October 31, 2011 at 11:42 PM
The show ends with a voiceover. And it reads like this . . .
"Suddenly one day, like a toy, we become broken. When will change come? When will the end come? When we look back, we will feel empty. We cannot help but have to treasure the present moment.
Whether we're sad or happy, we live and wait on our happiness. Those painful times have passed and gone by. Times when we cannot look back without guilt has also gone by. Times when happiness is scarce has also gone by. Having gone through so much forgotten time, we have traveled to today.
Sometimes, we quarrel. Sometimes, we feel irritated . Sometimes, we feel tired. But we frequently treasure the pitiful side of each other and live on.
When we look back in the future, the "me" now is like someone who has fallen into a deep slumber, with my thick-skin. I'll say I am happy now, because this is not the terminal end of my time. So we cannot say, now is the terminal end of our happiness . . . .
Mommy . . . what is love?"
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doozy
November 1, 2011 at 9:46 PM
*tear* so lovely, so poignant..
(Oh darn, there's no edit/delete button. Sorry for spamming the post, jb. I guess this news just got me really excited!)
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doozy
November 1, 2011 at 9:42 PM
I agree wholeheartedly! Alone in Love is my all-time favorite dramas.
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24 doozy
November 1, 2011 at 9:43 PM
I've been waiting for Park Yeon Seon's return to tv land. This is awesome news!
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25 crizzy
November 1, 2011 at 11:46 PM
this would be a drama i would watch out with YEH and LDW rumored to be considered for the roles. The prev projects of the writer is now added to my own dramas-to-watch list. Sounds like a credible and interesting writer. Off to hunt those dramas now..
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26 just me
November 2, 2011 at 5:12 AM
I don't really know any writers.. but I definitely enjoyed White Christmas a lot!! A LOT MORE than I thought I will.. ^^
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27 orbiter
November 3, 2011 at 9:25 AM
I've watched over 10 years of Korean drama and Alone in Love is the top of my list. White Christmas and Mixed-up agency are probably in the top 10. This is one I'm not going to miss :)
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