"MZ Goddess" Noh Jeong-eui shows a youthful romance with trending actor Lee Chae-min and Jo Jun-young. It is "Crushology 101," which awakens campus romance.
On the afternoon of the 3rd, a production presentation for MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama "Crushology 101" (written by Seong So-eun and Lee Seul, directed by Kim Ji-hoon) was held at CGV Ipark Mall in Yongsan, Seoul. The main cast, including Noh Jeong-eui, Lee Chae-min, Jo Jun-young, and director Kim Ji-hoon, attended the event, discussing the drama under the moderation of announcer Park So-young.
"Crushology 101" is a romance drama about Bunny, who, after her first love remains a dark past, gets entangled with attractive men who suddenly approach her. It is particularly drawing attention as it is adapted from the popular webtoon of the same name, which has accumulated 170 million views on Kakao Webtoon.
To this end, "MZ Goddess" Noh Jeong-eui plays the title role of Bunny. In addition, trending actor Lee Chae-min, who coordinated with her in the previous work "Hierarchy," also appears as the male lead Hwang Ji-yeol in this project. Furthermore, rookie Jo Jun-young, a former trainee of SM Entertainment, joins as the supporting male character Cha Ji-won. There is curiosity about how they will harmoniously bring the original's sensibility and the drama's charm to life.
Director Kim Ji-hoon introduced the project as "a beautiful youth romance growth drama with pretty and handsome actors." He also commented on the directorial points unique to the drama compared to the original webtoon, saying, "The original artwork was truly beautiful. I watched it as if I was reading a romance comic. To highlight the strengths of the original, I discussed a lot with the actors while writing. I also tried to create beautiful visuals by using lenses that had not been used in Korean productions. I put a lot of thought into creating a fantasy-like, comic-style visual."
Then, regarding the differentiation points of "Crushology 101" in a time slot mostly loved for genre works, he stated, "Our drama targets a different audience and has its own characteristics. Since it features young actors showing fresh and lovely aspects, I believe it can receive a little more love from many viewers."
Noh Jeong-eui plays Bunny, who receives love from four male characters in this project. In addition to Lee Chae-min and Jo Jun-young, who attended the event, Jo Ah-rang as Kim Hyun-jin and Hong Min-ki as Jin Hyeon-oh will also passionately court Bunny in the drama. In this regard, Noh Jeong-eui smiled and said, "As you might expect, I was happy," adding, "I had so much fun. I feel like I filmed happily because I could be with such great people. It was definitely a new experience."
Lee Chae-min could not hide his bright smile throughout Noh Jeong-eui's speech. To this, announcer Park So-young even asked, "Why are you smiling so much when Noh Jeong-eui says she is happy?" Lee Chae-min replied, "It's because it's pretty when she says that," which created a warm atmosphere.
This is actually Noh Jeong-eui and Lee Chae-min's second collaboration. After showcasing a dramatic romance of high school students in their previous work "Hierarchy," the two will now portray college students' romance in "Crushology 101." In this context, Lee Chae-min stated, "The character personalities are completely opposite to those in 'Hierarchy.' It felt different. Since we had already coordinated once, we communicated diligently from the beginning to the end on how to beautifully create each scene, and Jo Jun-young also smiled and matched well with us."
Noh Jeong-eui added, "Since Lee Chae-min has shared everything, I have nothing to add, but since it's our second project together and not a long gap, we decided to enjoy it more and create a good project. We kept that promise while making it." He further emphasized, "It seems we got along well since it's not our first time meeting Jo Jun-young, either."
In contrast, Lee Chae-min noted, "In 'Hierarchy,' the focus was on solving incidents while getting tangled up, but in this drama, there are many romantic elements and heart-fluttering moments." Noh Jeong-eui also remarked, "It seems that a lot of youthful charm in their early 20s is conveyed in 'Crushology 101,'" increasing the anticipation.
Jo Jun-young participated, saying, "It's not my first time working with Jeong-eui noona either." He continued, "I was happy to work with Jeong-eui in this project. She took care of me and taught me a lot while filming," and added, "I met Lee Chae-min for the first time through this project, but surprisingly, there are many bromantic elements within the story. I think viewers can look forward to it. I have been joking around with Lee Chae-min on set and had a happy filming experience. I am grateful for that."
Was there any difficulty in expressing the popular webtoon original? Noh Jeong-eui said, "I thought I had no loveliness in me, so I thought I would enjoy being Bunny and express the original's essential charm," adding, "Performing in a good environment allowed me to be captured naturally and non-artificially on camera."
However, he couldn't pick just one among the four brothers. He laughed and said, "That's a really tough question" and responded, "Please pay attention to all four." What did Lee Chae-min and Jo Jun-young think about Bunny's affection? Lee Chae-min said, "If it were me, I would say the brother is Won. He's warm and only looks at Bunny, a stable and warm person whom others can lean on," while Jo Jun-young replied, "I would say I am Yeol. I have an intense gaze, but there is a warm heart hidden behind it. I only show smiles in front of Bunny, and I have the charm of being cold outside but warm inside, which is why I am Yeol." However, both of them retorted, "If we include ourselves, then I am Yeol," and "I would say I am Won," setting the stage for an anticipated youthful romance.
Regarding the casting of these actors, director Kim Ji-hoon emphasized, "The actors did this together with me." He expressed gratitude, stating, "I am very thankful they worked with me. I was a fan of Jeong-eui, who plays Bunny, from the beginning. I always watched the roles and dramas featuring her. When viewing the webtoon, I thought of Noh Jeong-eui without any hesitation. She is truly beautiful and acts very well. Playing Bunny is challenging because there might be awkward or excessive parts when the webtoon is visualized, but Jeong-eui acts so well and is very bright," he praised.
Additionally, he mentioned, "I saw Chae-min in a drama and was struck. His performance on set is very diligent and charming." He added, "Jo Jun-young was highly recommended among the production team. Although the projects he worked on haven't been released yet, I had heard he was very charming and good-looking. I was told he has strong determination during our meeting. He had lost weight and came looking sharp."
Despite the confident "Crushology 101," the first broadcast has been delayed from the initially scheduled date of the 4th due to the impeachment ruling of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Director Kim Ji-hoon calmly stated, "I cannot say whether I am disappointed about the scheduling issues. I think I should adapt to the given environment, and it actually might turn out well."
He expressed strong confidence, stating, "These are actors who are starring in broadcast for the first time, but they have shown remarkably good performances, which is hard to believe." Finally, director Kim Ji-hoon added, "I hope viewers relieve their stress by watching young actors perform cheerfully, whether they are at the library, cafe, or doing laundry after a tough day."
"Crushology 101" will premiere at 9:50 p.m. on the 11th.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Ji Hyung-jun.
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