News bites: October 18, 2014

by awcoconuts

Chun Bo-geun, Cha Tae-hyun

• Drama Festival, MBC’s series of short 1-to-2 episode specials, continues this weekend with 4teen, starring Cha Tae-hyun and child actor Chun Bo-geun (Queen’s Classroom). Based on Japanese novelist Ira Ishida’s prize-winning novel of the same name, the two-episode drama depicts the worries of a group of 14-year-old boys and demonstrates the challenges teens face as they come into adulthood. Cutie Chun (real age, 12) is one of the central youths, and Cha plays the adult version of his character. This will be their third project together, after movies Hello, Ghost and Gone With the Wind. Yoo In-young (Three Musketeers) and singer Narsha (of Brown Eyed Girls) also appear. Evidently PD Lee Yoon-jung (Golden Time, Coffee Prince) left MBC for tvN on good terms; she returned to her former home to helm 4teen, which will air on 10/19 and 10/26. [XSports News]
• Endless Love has suffered a 3-episode cut; the SBS show has been reduced from 40 episodes to 37. The melodrama, starring Hwang Jung-eum, Ryu Soo-young and Jung Kyung-ho, struggled with single-digit ratings through most of its run. Producers and the network politely blamed the Asian Games and the Chuseok holiday for the reduction in episodes, but cast members were said to have been severely disappointed about the decision. Filming will wrap next week, and the last episode will air on 10/26. [Osen]


Park Se-young, Hwang Sun-hee

• Aw, this is too bad: One of my favorite young actresses, Park Se-young (Feel-Good Day) is in a contract dispute with her management agency, Salt Entertainment. Both sides have requested mediation through a committee of the Korean Entertainment Management Association. The details of the dispute haven’t been made public, but Park isn’t able to work with a new management company (and thus, on any new projects) until the issue is resolved. At least we’ll be able to see her in Fashion King in early November. [Joy News]
• Hwang Sun-hee is joining Maids in her first historical drama. She’ll play the much-loved real-life gisaeng, Ga Hee-ah, but in the drama, the famed beauty is a dangerous troublemaker. Having earned the devotion of Kim Gab-soo’s nobleman, she has her hand on his money and his power. Yet she feels tremendously jealous of Jung Yumi, who is loved by both her former flame, Oh Ji-ho, and the man she can’t have, Kim Dong-wook. It seems her philosophy is that if she can’t have them, no one can, and she’ll work to bring all three characters down. [Joy News]


Hwang Bora, Go Yoon

• MBC’s upcoming Wed-Thurs drama Mr. Baek has cast its second leads: Hwang Bora (Sly and Single Again) has signed on to play a confident, snooty sunbae to Jang Nara’s intern. Her character is very comfortable in her own skin, but begins to feel threatened by Jang. In an effort to climb the corporate ladder, she makes advances at Shin Ha-kyun — I’m guessing she discovers early on that he’s a 70-something chaebol heir trapped in a 30-something’s body. Relative newcomer Go Yoon (Hotel King) will play the man secretly in love with Jang Nara. He’s the manager of a resort, who tries to hold back when an injustice occurs. Once he can take it no longer, he reacts physically; he’s ready to tear off his shirt and let his fists fly. Go’s character is short-tempered and macho, but also noble and innocent; once he gives his heart, his feelings don’t waver. [Joongang, Joy News]


Shin So-yool, Kim Ha-eun

• Shin So-yool (Yoo-na’s Street) has landed a lead role in a new daily show which will air on KBS after the conclusion of Cuckoo’s Nest. With a working title of Sweet Secret, the upcoming drama is yet another major network’s attempt to move away from makjang-filled dailies, and is being advertised as a bright and optimistic story. Shin and the other cast members had their first script read last week, and this will be her first time playing the central character in a long-running show. (She played the lead in a drama special earlier this year, and is one of the leads in the upcoming mini-drama Be Arrogant.) Sweet Secret will begin airing in mid-November. [Joongang]
• Kim Ha-eun (Jang Ok-jung Live by Love) is reuniting with Thorn Birds director Kim Jong-chang, but this time on a much lighter project. She’s landed the lead in Miss Mamma Mia, a romantic comedy about a young woman who used to dream about becoming a pop star. We’ve been given a very brief snippet of the plot: Kim’s character sits in front of the TV, watching a figure on a music program and wailing, “If I hadn’t loved that person, I could have been an idol!” Kim has been taking girl-group dance classes to prepare for the role. The fun-and-fluffy-sounding rom-com will last twelve episodes and will air on KBS N in November. [SBS funE]

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