Character stills and teasers for rom-com Bubblegum

80 September 21, 2015July 19, 2021

by girlfriday

Here’s a peek at tvN’s quirky friends-to-lovers romantic comedy Bubblegum, starring Jung Ryeo-won (Medical Top Team) and Lee Dong-wook (Iron Man) as childhood friends who start to see each other differently as adults. Judging from the teasers, I wonder if this drama is going for anti-chemistry as a concept, which could be a funny tactic. But tvN’s teasers are historically not known for their accuracy, so I’ll just consider them wryly funny commercials.

The drama is described as an “adult fantasy” about people lacking affection in their lives, who heal each other by being together. Jung Ryeo-won plays a radio PD and childhood friend to Lee Dong-wook, a doctor of Eastern medicine. Lee Jong-hyuk (Queen’s Flower) is Jung Ryeo-won’s chief at the broadcast station, and Park Hee-bon (The Producers, Fated To Love You) plays a chaebol heiress dentist.

The concept of the trailers is two best friends who seem utterly un-attracted to each other, wondering what it would be like if they were in a romantic relationship. They run through some typical dating scenarios, fail at them miserably, and give some hilariously unenthusiastic reactions. In the first teaser, they agree angrily to say that they’re dating now, then reach out their arms for a hug… and embrace while touching as little as possible, like they’re afraid to catch cooties.

The if-we-were-a-couple routine continues in the second teaser, where Jung Ryeo-won asks if they eat separately, and Lee Dong-wook says they would feed each other and shoves an ice cream cone in her face. Then he shoves her hand in his back pocket, and she looks like she’s about to lose her lunch.

Finally in the third teaser, things start to look up when they freeze in front of a hotel with lusty thoughts running through their brains. Lee Dong-wook: “If we were dating…” They end up at the Han River instead, but Jung Ryeo-won leans on him and says it’s nice.

Hopefully there will be a little more attraction involved in the drama itself, but the concept of two totally platonic friends trying their hand at romance does seem really funny in an awkward way. Is un-romantic comedy a thing, and if so, will it be any good?

Bubblegum follows Rude Miss Young-ae on Mondays and Tuesdays, and premieres October 26.

Via My Daily

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1 Hwari

September 21, 2015 at 4:07 AM

Bae Jong Ok also in this drama? Now I need some lines or parody about BJO-LDW based on Roommate.

This also LDW first cable drama and this look like a quirky drama too. I like LDW in Iron Man with Shin Se Kyung. Hope to see it again in this drama too.

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2 Even

September 21, 2015 at 4:08 AM

YAAAAY Jung Ryeo-won!

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3 Quiet Thought

September 21, 2015 at 4:09 AM

Somehow, in dramaland, a "chaebol heiress dentist" makes perfect sense.

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clover

September 22, 2015 at 3:29 PM

HAHAHAHAHA!!

So true!

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4 Orion

September 21, 2015 at 4:09 AM

The darling is baaaaack! And after she was so poorly used in 'Medical Flop Team'. Please use her well, tvN. I need her new work and entrance to cable to be good. Please? For me? For everyone? For the greater good?

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fab

September 21, 2015 at 4:15 AM

PRETTY PLEASE.

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bbstl

September 21, 2015 at 9:05 AM

...with a cherry on top ?!

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owl

September 21, 2015 at 9:06 AM

"Medical Flop Team" right-o. This is a great combo, Jung Ryeo-won + Dong Wookie. I'm liking the potential a lot.

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5 Quiet Thought

September 21, 2015 at 4:11 AM

. . . And, somehow, "woman getting her fingers stuck in my back pocket" is going to happen to Lee Dong-wook a lot more often than me.

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6 fanwho

September 21, 2015 at 4:15 AM

awww another rom-com. We have a few friends-turned-lover story this year - some good, some bad(The time----). Hopefully this is good one.

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Rachel

September 21, 2015 at 8:23 AM

Ah yes, the Show That Shall Not Be Named.

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Waiting

September 21, 2015 at 11:25 AM

...and the 7000 days it took to get there.

Waste of a good cast.

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salt n' pepper

September 23, 2015 at 3:44 AM

LMFAO!!

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Sera The Ms Temper

September 21, 2015 at 5:47 PM

HAHAHA. it seems everyone remember the pain and sufferings we got from watching The 7000 days We Were Not in Love. lol

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7 pancchi

September 21, 2015 at 4:28 AM

Awww.. Its been such a long time LEE DONG WOOK!! :):)
*come soon*

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8 alpha

September 21, 2015 at 4:45 AM

Wooow so excited to see my baby LDW back on screen.

Im still iffy about Jung Ryeo Won in a rom-com but lets see how it goes.

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9 Daehoney

September 21, 2015 at 5:03 AM

Ah, I'm longing for a sweet light romance. Haven't seen JRW in anything but she seems good. I'm neutral about LDW. Hope they won't pollute it with unnecessary angst.

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AJK

September 21, 2015 at 9:20 AM

Run don't walk to see History of a Salaryman. I love her in that, and in King of Dramas. Don't much care for him though, so this is a mixed bag for me.

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nomad

September 21, 2015 at 9:54 AM

Yes, yes, I've looooveeeddd her since History of Salaryman. Oh I hope the story line is good, cause I'm excited already!

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owl

September 21, 2015 at 12:09 PM

Omo,remember the grandfather's royal prize chicken?

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Muenchabench

September 21, 2015 at 4:02 PM

It still haunts me to this day (in the best way possible). Also, let us never forget the sing-song perfection that is car dancing to Bae (as in Queen Beyonce) with LBS... Oh man a rewatch may be in order. For those on the fence as to whether to watch HotS or not, just watch the teaser and your question will be answered

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Muenchabench

September 21, 2015 at 4:03 PM

http://koalasplayground.com/2011/12/13/history-of-the-salaryman-releases-the-craziest-official-drama-mv/

mjfan

September 22, 2015 at 12:09 AM

OMG , why did you remind me of that MV :D
now am gonna watch the whole thing again

mjfan

September 21, 2015 at 11:48 PM

History of a Salaryman and King of Dramas are two perfect dramas , I LOVED her since then , it sure helped she was acting with two beasts LBS , KMM

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10 Twentyonebuds

September 21, 2015 at 5:26 AM

Yay Jung Ryeo Won!!!!! This looks hilarious.

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11 LizJ

September 21, 2015 at 5:48 AM

Here's hoping for lots of smexy smirks from Lee Dong-wook (because I don't think there's another actor out there in KDrama land that can smirk like he does), and less angst than his most recent two dramas!

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Erma

September 21, 2015 at 8:26 PM

Where is the like button?? I wanna like your comment on LDW's smirk..
He got a nice and sexy smirk!! Call! hahahaha

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12 joleneey

September 21, 2015 at 5:55 AM

Jung Ryeo Won! First watched her in my name is Kim Sam Soom, and she is still so gorgeous!

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13 kit

September 21, 2015 at 5:56 AM

SO EXCITED.

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14 graey

September 21, 2015 at 5:57 AM

The teasers looks so fun. Can we get more romcom meta in the drama? Haha.

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15 Nemo

September 21, 2015 at 5:58 AM

This is going to be a heavy drama. Mon-Tue drama of tvn is usually like this, cute teasers but it's the opposite when it airs. Look at Hogu's Love and Valis Love

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lostmysanity

September 21, 2015 at 6:31 AM

Valid Love had pretty heavy teasers rather than cute teasers though!

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nomad

September 21, 2015 at 9:55 AM

I really really like Hogu's Love though, and thought though it handled a pretty heavy theme, it ended up very light hearted and uplifting.

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16 museofmanymasks

September 21, 2015 at 6:02 AM

If it can manage to be actually funny, I love this quirky anti-romance concept. Either way, JRW, I'm not worried about at all. I was indifferent to LDW (because he overacts) till Roommate (he has a cool personality) and Blade Man since he's fine with good directing for the most part. If this wasn't a cast I like, I wouldn't be so sure because I'm still scratching my head over the premise, but I hope for good things.

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17 hawoojinruinedme

September 21, 2015 at 6:24 AM

SO. CUTE.

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18 toolatethehero

September 21, 2015 at 7:17 AM

yay! looking forward in watching this one!

After the steamy chemistry of PBY and JJS in Oh my ghost, this one looks to be refreshing haha!

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19 August

September 21, 2015 at 7:44 AM

Happy for Jung Ryeo-Won and Lee Dong-Wook. I'm a fan of the both of them. Bubblegum please be good because I want to see them in another great kdrama project.

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20 klmeri

September 21, 2015 at 7:52 AM

I am excited for this. I bet they will have great chemistry... and comedy together!

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21 pogo

September 21, 2015 at 7:52 AM

Longtime friends-to-lovers after insisting that they can't be and never have been attracted to each other?

Gee, I wonder which other drama did THAT recently and made a useless waste of airtime out of it....

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Kiara

September 21, 2015 at 12:01 PM

Lol pogo. Another drama that shall not be named.

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Chandler

September 21, 2015 at 12:33 PM

Well, at least this one is going for an awkward, comedic sort of vibe, instead of attempting to be deep and thoughtful (=slow and draggy)?

Besides, there have actually been some far better friends-to-lovers/denying attraction dramas than that one...

Let's hope this is own of them? (Even though I don't really understand anything else about the plot...)

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22 niKai

September 21, 2015 at 7:54 AM

"un-romantic comedy…"

Try Date, the Japanese drama. it's so hilariously unromantic.

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owl

September 21, 2015 at 12:11 PM

I loved Date, yes highly recommended. NEET

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Chandler

September 21, 2015 at 12:35 PM

Lol, that is definitely the unromantic comedy to beat!

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23 UmbrellaLei

September 21, 2015 at 8:12 AM

Gah. So cute. I'll be looking forward to this one. <3

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24 Keren27

September 21, 2015 at 8:46 AM

Been waiting for Jung Ryeo Won's comeback! It's also been a long time since I watched Lee Dong Wook in a drama. Super Excited! :-D

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25 newbie

September 21, 2015 at 9:14 AM

I got a dirty mind. This ice cream cone made me think of something totally differnt...
Should I blush? Na, I'm old enough.

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Maggie

September 21, 2015 at 4:57 PM

I thought the exact same thing... I've never seen such a phallic ice cream ... I wonder if it led up to the hotel bit. hmm

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Sim

September 22, 2015 at 6:04 AM

I was checking to see if someone said this before I said it for all of us. I gasped when I saw it lol like "is this...is this a euphemism?"

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26 haruka

September 21, 2015 at 9:31 AM

Jung Ryeo-won in a rom-com? YAAASS. My first rom-com of hers was Which Planet Are You From with Kim Rae-won and she sure has knack for being crazily hilarious, completely shed that sappy and bland character in Kim Sam-soon out of her. I hope this drama will do justice for both leads.

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Muenchabench

September 21, 2015 at 4:05 PM

I've been wondering whether or not watch that drama as I love both actors but have heard mixed reviews. Would you recommend?

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mjfan

September 22, 2015 at 12:13 AM

I LOVED this drama , you wont regret watching it , JRW was so fresh and innocent there , KRW was awesome too

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haruka

September 22, 2015 at 10:05 PM

Sorry, took me long enough to reply! If you're going to watch just for the sake of the leads then I guess you'll have no problem despite all the cliches. It's an almost 10 years old show, so. It was a drama that made me love Jung Ryeo-won so I have a soft spot for it. Also, Kim Rea-won! Man, will we ever get a rom-com of his because he's amazing on it.

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27 mardie

September 21, 2015 at 9:42 AM

Haha. Glad im not the only one.

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28 Ameli

September 21, 2015 at 9:48 AM

Those teasers are so fresh and funny. Anti-romantic...no way. I can feel the chemistry in the air and I love them both. I only pray for LDW's charachter to smile and laugh more. Please, Tvn, do it for me! Can't wait for this drama to air

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29 canxi

September 21, 2015 at 9:50 AM

Awww so cute. I'm so excited for this drama and pairing. They seem like a winning competition and I like the idea of two friends fumbling their way to romance lmao. Like "Hey, I'm here, you're here maybe we should just...give it...a shot, I guess??? ?? ? ?????? ?"

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30 dfwkimchi

September 21, 2015 at 10:13 AM

JRW was super funny in History of Salaryman with Lee Bum Soo - a combination that give folks pause. But they managed to pull it off plus the story was funny!

JRW may not fit the straight common rom-com (ala Medical Top team and some parts of King drama) - but does a job with quirky rom-com.

Looking forward to see these 2!

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

September 21, 2015 at 10:29 AM

I'm currently watching Hotel King, and Lee Dong-wook sure knows how to brood. I'm not taken with JRW, I saw her first in that Sam-soon drama and I thoroughly hated her character and then I saw her in the four episodes of King of Dramas I watched before I gave up and I had no reaction whatsoever. Maybe third time's a charm. It certainly was for Park Bo-young who I didn't love until Oh My Ghostess.

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Delurker

September 21, 2015 at 10:51 AM

Yes, her Sam-Soon character was horrible, and she was OK in King of Dramas, but nothing remarkable. However, History of the Salaryman is quite another matter; give it a peek while you wait for this one :)

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32 Delurker

September 21, 2015 at 10:45 AM

I like both leads, and I think both can do great in rom-com; JRW was one of the best things about History of the Salaryman, and LDW was probably better than what he had to work with in Iron Man.

However, I only have three words: Lee Jong Hyuk! :) . One of the very few actors who can get me to watch whatever he is in, no questions asked...

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33 chinkerbell

September 21, 2015 at 11:04 AM

@Newbie
I scrolled down to see if someone made a comment about that, lol. That did NOT look like 'innocent rom-com' to me. Good to know I'm not the only one!

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Ameli

September 21, 2015 at 11:11 AM

Sure it doesn't look. If we have Motel and hand in a back pocket in first teasers, for sure we can expect more, when they will team up in real as a couple. So excited ^^

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34 Waiting

September 21, 2015 at 11:29 AM

OMG...this looks hilarious. Even without subs, I laughed when they were looking up at the hotel...hahahahaha! Talk about uncomfortable!

And that hug...I've done that with a guy friend in a similar situation and yup....awkwaaaaaaaaaaaaard. Now we laugh about it endlessly. :P

Tuning in for sure! Jung Ryeo-won and Wookie...fighting!

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35 redfox

September 21, 2015 at 12:15 PM

now we need a reference to some bungee jumping...
I bet Ryeo Won would jump

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36 kanz

September 21, 2015 at 2:37 PM

Finally!! Finally I can see Lee Dong Wook and Jung Ryeo Won in something I'd watch since.. well, 2013. Medical Top Team not counted, I was bored by it.

The teasers seem quirky and funny, if this is unromantic comedy, well, bring it on!

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37 iamdeb

September 21, 2015 at 3:17 PM

Although I'm really enjoying the rom coms I'm watching now, I'm a little burnt out on them BUTTTT will make an exception for the lovely JRW who is my BFF in my head haha. I've missed her soooo much!

I have a feeling this script might be quite good. Apart from the medical drama she did during that annoying phase in kdramas, she's done a good job picking dramas in the past few years. She's also hilarious! I loved her so much in History of A Salaryman like everyone else. Actually I might go rewatch it. The drama is hilarious.

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38 Lizzie

September 21, 2015 at 3:24 PM

Friends to Lovers.................*sigh* after a traumatic drama experience with just that... Show, just don't make me hate you too..ok? I am tentatively looking forward to this one...

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iamdeb

September 21, 2015 at 5:27 PM

Seeing how everyone is quite relaxed and laughing at the script reading, it gives me hope!

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39 Z

September 21, 2015 at 5:45 PM

Am I the only one who is totally scarred for Childhood BFFs to Lovers stories because of The Time I Lied to You?

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Sera The Ms Temper

September 21, 2015 at 5:49 PM

haha. no, you are definitely not the only one. Im also still scarred from it. lol

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tapiocapearl

September 21, 2015 at 8:27 PM

One bad apple in a bushel. I have hope for this. This couple could really kill it (of course, I said that about The Time I Wasted Watching This Drama, but I'll remain positive.) As long as there are no douchey, uncharismatic pianists who leave a black hole wherever they step in this show, I'm good.

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kanz

September 22, 2015 at 7:05 AM

You mean The Time Everyone Feels Cheated by That Drama?
Well, I'm also scarred from it.. But this year we have plenty pretty good childhood BFFs to lovers drama, even currently airing Twenty Again and She Was Pretty. Besides, this drama has two of my faves JRW and LDW and I'm pretty optimistic with the script.