The national drama 'Reply 1988,' which created a syndrome, will come together for a team-building retreat to celebrate its 10th anniversary. However, due to the attendance of actress Hyeri (Lee Hyeri) and the absence of Ryu Jun-yeol, the sub couple 'Deok-seon X Jung-pal,' who led the husband-finding craze, is expected to not reunite.
On the 13th, OSEN exclusively reported the news of the 10th anniversary team retreat of the tvN drama 'Reply 1988' (written by Lee Woo-jung, directed by Shin Won-ho, abbreviated as 'Eungpal').
According to OSEN's coverage, the 'Eungpal' team is planning a short retreat in early October at an undisclosed location in Gangwon Province to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the project. This large-scale short trip will see the attendance of 15 people, including director Shin Won-ho and key cast members.
'Eungpal' is a work set against the backdrop of 1988, also known as the 'double eighth year', capturing the zeitgeist of the era. It is a comedic family drama portraying the noisy daily lives of five families in a narrow alley in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul. The series debuted on November 6, 2015, and aired a total of 20 episodes until January 16 of the following year.
'Eungpal' especially received great love by providing laughter and emotion that transcended generations, from romance to familial love. Thanks to this, it recorded a highest viewership rating of 18.8% (based on paid broadcasting households in Korea), and it is the third work following 'Reply 1997' and 'Reply 1994', making it the series with the highest viewership rating. As a result, it is still remembered as a representative work of the 'Reply' series, continuing to be a popular drama even 10 years after its broadcast.
A key content that was present in every season of the 'Reply' series was 'husband finding'. In a series where multiple male characters provided love triangles or more centered around the female protagonist, 'Eungpal' was no exception. In 'Eungpal', the controversy over 'Yeo-nam Ryu or Yeo-nam Taek (Whoever the husband is Ryu Jun-yeol or Choi Taek)' sparked around the female lead Deok-seon (played by Lee Hyeri).
With a prickly personality and often referred to as 'Gaegyeongpal', Kim Jung-hwan (played by Ryu Jun-yeol) looks after Deok-seon more closely than anyone else. Choi Taek (played by Park Bo-gum), who is clumsy enough to be called 'Hee-dong-i,' possesses a legendary competitive spirit in the world of Go. These two characters captivated 'Eungpal' viewers with their irresistible charms. Furthermore, Ryu Jun-yeol, who was quite unknown at the time, showcased immense allure, garnering attention beyond his character, leading 'Yeo-nam Ryu' and 'Yeo-nam Taek' to become widely discussed.
However, Ryu Jun-yeol will not be participating in this 'Eungpal' 10th anniversary team retreat. In this regard, a representative from the project stated to OSEN, "I understand that Ryu Jun-yeol is currently busy filming for his next project, so he cannot attend." In fact, he has confirmed his appearance in the new Netflix series 'Hunting Rat' and is currently filming. 'Hunting Rat' is also garnering attention as it is a work featuring Ryu Jun-yeol and actor Sul KyungGu together.
Some speculate that Ryu Jun-yeol's absence is considerate of Hyeri. In the work 'Eungpal', Deok-seon and Choi Taek became the final couple, but in reality, Hyeri and Ryu Jun-yeol developed into a real-life couple through the project. The two revealed their breakup in November 2023 after about 8 years of public dating. However, the following March, Ryu Jun-yeol became embroiled in dating rumors with actress Han So-hee, which led to Hyeri also being caught in controversy. Therefore, the attendance of Hyeri and Ryu Jun-yeol has become naturally divided.
Although a complete reunion did not materialize, there is speculation about the possibility of filming content to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the legendary drama 'Eungpal.' However, in this regard, a representative from tvN stated, "While it is true that 'Eungpal' marks its 10th anniversary this year since the first broadcast, there are no specific scheduling plans confirmed for the second half of this year."
According to several broadcasting officials, this trip has been established under the leadership of the content production company Egg is Coming, which director Shin Won-ho and writer Lee Woo-jung belong to. Accordingly, it is expected to be released first through Egg is Coming's official YouTube channel 'Channel 15.'
[Photo] Provided by tvN, OSEN DB.
[OSEN]