Seo In-gook headlines romantic comedy for tvN

51 April 14, 2014June 16, 2014

by girlfriday

Hey, sometimes when life gives you lemons, you make everyone happier by coming back to dramaland and making rom-com lemonade. Seo In-gook (Master’s Sun) is headed back to the network that made him a household name with Answer Me 1997 — the actor has confirmed that he’ll take on the leading role in tvN’s summer romantic comedy High School King of Savvy. (It’s a really weird title, more literally like “high school king of knowing how to get through life,” which just does NOT roll off the tongue.)

The drama stars Seo In-gook as a high schooler who pretends to be an adult (kinda funny, since it’s the other way around for the actor). He plays an immature high school student, a star hockey player and basically the most popular boy in school. But due to unnamed complications, he ends up having to masquerade as his hyung, who’s a manager at a large IT company.

So it’s the story of this kid who leads a double life, and somehow manages to make everyone at this company believe he’s an executive. Naturally, things can only go downhill in comedic fashion. It’s not quite body-swap levels of trickery, but there will be some mental hoops to get through. Seo In-gook is pretty convincing as an immature kid though, so I doubt I’ll have any trouble believing the setup. It’s described as a lighthearted romantic comedy about how a high-schooler who’s overflowing with confidence and doesn’t care to follow the social rules of the workplace actually excels despite being out of his league.

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that the premise sets us up for a noona romance, though I think it’d be great if we had a high school love story to rival the workplace one. Lee Hana has signed on to co-star, which makes this her first drama since 2009’s Triple. She’s done movies (Fair Love, R2B: Return to Base) since then, but has had a pretty low-key career as an actress. She’ll play a temp at the company where the hero works.

High School King of Savvy will be tvN’s next Monday-Tuesday drama following Witch’s Romance. That programming block might as well be renamed the Noona Rom-Com Hour. It premieres in June.

Via Sports Hankook, TV Report

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1 Mrs.Jang Guem Suk

April 14, 2014 at 2:11 PM

Yay I love this Man sooooo happy ????

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2 Mama J

April 14, 2014 at 2:12 PM

Looking forward to this! He's very funny, and since he IS a man who can PLAY a kid...I figure he'll look natural enough in both roles to mess with our heads a bit.

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3 Mrs.Jang Guem Suk

April 14, 2014 at 2:13 PM

Hope his character is a little like his 1997 character *crosses fingers *

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4 fit

April 14, 2014 at 2:18 PM

Well, I have to admit although he's 26, but his face looks so young so he's still believable as high schoolboy. I do hope this drama is as awesome as Answer Me 1997 but his character is different from Yoonje, even though both of them are immature. Nevertheless, I'm happy that he's back as lead to dramaland. I can't get enough of him in Master's Sun as second lead, and Kang Woo was such an undeveloped character. I'm definitely going to watch this!

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5 Laden

April 14, 2014 at 2:21 PM

Gookie!! Where have you been? *in molly weasley's voice*
How I've missed you!!
I'm totally going to watch this for you

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divyrus

April 15, 2014 at 2:07 AM

I totally heard her voice now !

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6 mudaepo

April 14, 2014 at 2:22 PM

Haha, wasn't his hyung in Reply 1997 also playing a president/manager of an IT company at some point?

I'm a total sucker for stories of twinswapping or bodyswapping. Brotherswapping is a new one but it sounds fun. :D

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CFLH

April 14, 2014 at 11:15 PM

haha! my thoughts exactly! its like yoon yoon jae masquerading as his hyung...

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7 Mandy

April 14, 2014 at 2:29 PM

Aww! So glad he's back in leading man territory. I'm like the only freak who liked him way better than SJS in Master's Sun. Although tbh, I was expecting him to headline the Hong sisters' new drama ala the JGS route. Everyone else seems busy doing something so I do wonder who they'll court.

Either way, this sounds like a fun project and something he'd do really well in. I have never heard of the female lead, but I guess I'll know her now.

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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan

April 14, 2014 at 4:18 PM

You're not the only one. He, little Taeyang and the soundtrack are the only things I enjoyed about Master's Sun and the occasional drunk antics of big Taeyang. He made me all kinds of happy whenever he came on. I really need to watch Reply 1997 soon.

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Brasslefrat

April 15, 2014 at 8:44 AM

You haven't seen Reply 1997 yet? What are you waiting for? It was truly amazing!! And if you aren't Korean like I am, I would advise you to read every recap on here after the episode to understand all the hilarious pop culture references. SIG was awesome in it!

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fit

April 15, 2014 at 9:06 AM

You DEFINITELY needs to watch Reply 1997. Everything about that drama was amazing. And it was the drama that made Seo Inguk got huge recognition as an actor, so, if you liked him on Master's Sun, you should watch him on Reply 1997 because, at least to me, he was more awesome in it :) (and he got more screentime in Reply 1997 than in MS! :D)

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pogo

April 14, 2014 at 11:08 PM

Speaking of the Hong sisters, it's April already and we have no news yet of their next......I'm curious to know what it will be about and who the leads will be. (loved SJS/GHJ, I hope they pick equally talented actors with good chemistry now, maybe of a younger generation since their last 3 dramas had senior actors for leads. I'd kill to see what they can do with the likes of Lee Hyun-woo, Kim Woo-bin or Lee Yoo-bi)

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8 Chandler

April 14, 2014 at 2:37 PM

OMG. This sounds like it could be great. Please just let it be great and let it come soon. Hopefully Witch's Romance will be good so that the wait won't be as hard :)

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9 Tee

April 14, 2014 at 2:47 PM

I need romance 3, followed by witches romance followed by this - tvn should just say Monday Tuesday is now the noona time slot

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10 Fira

April 14, 2014 at 3:02 PM

I cant remember Lee Hana on anything after KBS drama Women of the Sun.

Glad that she's back to Kdramaland.

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11 soprection

April 14, 2014 at 3:22 PM

Haha, Noona's Rom-Com Hour. I love it.

Not sure how I feel about this setup at the moment. Will have to wait for teasers/stills to see if I want to check it out.

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12 fuzzymogwai

April 14, 2014 at 3:31 PM

Super excited for seo in gook!!

Way less excited about lee hana...she was really kinda a downer in triple....then again ive never seen her in anything else so mebbe that was a one off..

But the premise sounds adorable!

Its catchy hehehe...the noona hour~

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13 captaincrunch

April 14, 2014 at 3:52 PM

This sounds like so much fun. I loved Lee Hana in Alone in Love, she was so funny and adorable. I hope she's just as winning in this show. I hope we get some really good kisses (lol, my priorities) bc Master's Sun had no decent kiss scenes and like, we know Seo In Guk can kiss. It's a waste not to use his skills properly ;').

Ha, I vote we should actually call it noona romance hour. tvN have done a pretty good job cornering the market, though jTBC are giving them a run for their money at the moment. SLA is amazing.

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14 shinchae

April 14, 2014 at 3:56 PM

Can they sign in Jung Eun Ji as thr high school love interest? Even BFF will do or just random classmate. I miss the bickering pair in Reply 1997 and if Yoonjae is coming back to star in a tvN drama, might as well invite Shi Won too. Just sayin. :)

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xix

April 14, 2014 at 5:09 PM

Greatest. Idea. Ever.
I'd do anything to see my favorite drama couple on screen again, whatever the setup is. :3

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pogo

April 14, 2014 at 11:10 PM

I want Eun Ji back in an acting project already, I know she's young and set a very high bar with 1997 but she's one of the most natural actors of her generation and could really shine in acting jobs despite having only two so far.

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missorrowrei

April 27, 2014 at 1:02 AM

wait. Yes. TOTALLY YES. I'd feel so bad cause I'd root for them so hard rather than the main couple.

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15 Abbie

April 14, 2014 at 4:06 PM

First, I saw the headline and was excited. Seo In-gook is one of my favorite actors now. I'm glad he's coming back to dramaland.

Second, I read the description and, while I thought it was interesting, it didn't really hit that sweet spot where I think "I have to watch this!"

Third, another noona romance. This is one drama trope that I am fast tiring of, so it's a strike against the show for me. I mean, five years (in reality) isn't that big a deal, but seeing as he's playing a high school-er, well, there I draw the line. I just don't like that, it feels wrong. Unless his character is, like, eighteen, then I won't support it.

In conclusion, despite this being another Seo In-gook drama, I may not watch.

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pogo

April 14, 2014 at 11:14 PM

I'll still take noona romances over what we're fed in most other media, i.e. men with love interests young enough to be their daughters.

And at least South Korea puts out enough dramas out there with actors who are close in age, that we don't end up with infographics for actors (of either gender) that look like this:

http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/leading-men-age-but-their-love-interests-dont.html

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Abbie

April 15, 2014 at 8:37 AM

I'm not saying an oppa romance is any better than a noona romance. I am aware that Hollywood likes to partner older male actors with (much) younger female actresses. If the age gap is more than five years, then I draw the line.

The issue I have with the more recent noona romances in K-dramas is that the male lead is sometimes in high school, which is just wrong. I would have no problem, as I said, if the high school-er is 18 and therefore, in my eyes, legal and perfectly capable of picking a romantic partner. But if not, then I just find it disturbing. If it was the other way around, with the girl being in high school, and the man being much older, I would have the same difficulties. I don't like noona or oppa romances where the age gap is more than five years, or if the younger member is in high school. So, in Korea or in Hollywood, I watch such shows (sometimes) with a huge suspension of belief, or I don't watch at all.

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pogo

April 16, 2014 at 10:50 AM

I can't really think of any dramas where the high school love interest wasn't yet 18.....in I Hear Your Voice they made it clear that he was 18 when he was in high school and crushing on her, and feelings didn't even begin to get reciprocated until a year later, when he was 20 (19 in Western years) and definitely legal.

Maybe Big? I don't remember how old Shin Won-ho's character was supposed to be, there.

That said, I feel like the five-year gap rule really only applies to younger (ish) couples. I mean, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's eleven-year age gap did not bother me at all in Mr and Mrs Smith, and they were 41 and 30 by then.

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16 Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan

April 14, 2014 at 4:23 PM

This is like the male version of the American show Jane by Design. High school teenager by day, hotshot fashion designer by night. Only He's high school teenager by day, S Korea's Steve Jobs by night. Look forward to this show.

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17 bbstl

April 14, 2014 at 4:31 PM

Gosh, I wondered where she's been! She's also a great singer so I hope there will be a lot of noraebang scenes for them.

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18 derp

April 14, 2014 at 5:17 PM

pfft! here we go again, another 1987'er playing high school student.. can we have someone whose age is appropriate for a high school student or someone close to that of a h.s student just like these talented 1993'er, lee min ho, no young hak, and possibly lee hyun woo (though he has a very child like face until now)

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Mandy

April 14, 2014 at 5:38 PM

Well, they made actors like Yeo Jin-gu and Yoo Seung-ho play characters way older than their real life age. To me, that's much more unconvincing. And since Seo In-guk played a high schooler pretty well in AM97 only 2 years ago, I think he's one 87er who can actually pull it off without too many eye brows raised.

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Deliane

April 14, 2014 at 7:22 PM

Yeah he definitely can pull off a younger look. Especially when you compare him to Jaejoong who is only one year older, or JGS who is also a 87er.

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kanz

April 14, 2014 at 5:46 PM

Koreans like to swapping age, that's my explanation. Almost all 87'er play as highschooler in recent years.

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pogo

April 14, 2014 at 11:17 PM

To be fair to him, he looks like a convincing high schooler and here he's supposed to be able to pass for older. It won't be a LMH/Heirs kind of situation, lol.

To me, it's weirder how the likes of Yoo Seung-ho and Yeo Jin-gu are playing men in their mid-twenties when the actors are still in their teens. YSH especially didn't look convincing at all.

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19 missDVM

April 14, 2014 at 5:46 PM

I laughed out loud with, "…might as well be renamed the Noona Rom-Com Hour."

Thank you for your wit!

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20 d14h

April 14, 2014 at 7:39 PM

Seo In Guk is a good actor, he can act, can sing, really love him, I can't wait to watch this drama.

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21 iced

April 14, 2014 at 7:51 PM

Seriously, is the trend this year noona romance? I don't have anything against noona romance but it's seriously an overkill to have so many dramas like this! Totally agree that a high school romance thrown in would be great!! (:

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22 ana

April 14, 2014 at 8:20 PM

High school noona romance is so creepy to me. He's technically still a minor. Is it legal in Korea or something? It just feels so odd.

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23 whilethemusiclasts

April 14, 2014 at 9:00 PM

Awwww.... this sounds cute!

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24 cheekbones

April 14, 2014 at 10:24 PM

Sounds quite a riot !

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25 ninji

April 14, 2014 at 10:34 PM

Oh, I remember her quite clearly in Triple, if she could make that character and couple work this romance will probably not be too hard to believe. I mean with Seo In-gook, easypeasy.
Awesome noona-year.

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26 canxi

April 14, 2014 at 11:42 PM

Seo In Gook is on my Watch-Anything-You're-In list, so.... I also like Lee Hana!!!

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27 Azimiza1210

April 15, 2014 at 1:55 AM

I can handle this.... (Nosebleed alert!!). Can someone clone this guy so that I can keep one in my drawer?

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28 mel

April 15, 2014 at 4:16 AM

i'm not thrilled about the noona romance again. getting tired. but it's him, so I might give it a try.

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29 noer

April 15, 2014 at 4:30 AM

same like you guys..
I miss him much...
too much....
I wanna see him again
just like in reply 1997
In Gukk aas.....
sarangeee....
emmuach....

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30 fab

April 15, 2014 at 4:34 AM

Squeeeeeee cutie pie is back! God, as much as I loved Masters' Sun he was totally wasted there. And Lee Hana, it's been too long, I love her. Perhaps they can sing a duet for the OST! :D