'Nice to Not Meet You' prompted viewers to fall for it in just two episodes.
tvN's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Nice to Not Meet You' (directed by Kim Ga-ram, written by Jeong Yeo-rang) premiered to strong response. Director Kim Ga-ram's stylish direction and writer Jeong Yeo-rang's witty script, proven through 'Doctor Cha', combined to create the best synergy and immediately captivated viewers. Above all, as director Kim Ga-ram, who said, "In 'Nice to Not Meet You' we wanted to show new sides of the actors," noted, the performances of trusted actors who displayed fresh character play — Lee Jung-jae, Lim Ji-yeon, Kim Ji-hoon and Seo Ji-hye — drew praise.
Meanwhile, the released unpublished and behind-the-scenes cuts, which amplified the genre's fun, captured moments of the actors' passionate performances that made viewers fall for them. Lee Jung-jae, as 'Im Hyun-joon,' a national actor who was brilliantly revived through 'Good Detective Kang Pil-gu,' proved his mettle with seasoned comic acting that didn't shy away from making a fool of himself. From his past life running a print shop and living an ordinary life to becoming a glamorous top star, he deftly portrayed the private struggles of wanting to break free from the image of a detective-specialist actor and dream of growth as an actor, leading the drama.
In particular, "There are signature action scenes that highlight the righteous detective Kang Pil-gu's exploits. I hope viewers fall for the charm of Kang Pil-gu's action as much as we traveled diverse locations and worked hard," director Kim Ga-ram said, naming the play-within-a-play 'Good Detective Kang Pil-gu' as another point of interest. Lee Jung-jae's performance, which even handled the thrilling action of the 'national detective' Kang Pil-gu, was truly a tour de force. An unpublished cut capturing Kang Pil-gu's intense gaze confronting injustice draws the eye.
Lim Ji-yeon completely transformed into reporter Wi Jeong-shin, who went from being the political beat's ace to a rookie in the entertainment beat. Wi Jeong-shin had come up as the political beat's ace with the courage to go undercover for a story. But after getting embroiled in a massive corruption case, she left the political beat and began a new career in the entertainment beat. Lim Ji-yeon humorously portrayed Wi Jeong-shin's mercurial emotions — from constantly bickering with Im Hyun-joon to becoming a 'Good Detective Kang Pil-gu' binge-watcher who started watching to become an 'Im Hyun-joon expert' and ultimately became a Kang Pil-gu fan — foreshadowing a career-defining role.
From their first meeting, Im Hyun-joon and Wi Jeong-shin, who were far from ordinary, were reunited over time as a baffling bad fate. At a red carpet where a war of the stars unfolded, Im Hyun-joon, pushed down the stairs by Wi Jeong-shin, suffered the humiliation of a nationwide live broadcast showing his underwear. Their unlucky rivalry, which caused them to meet repeatedly even when they did not want to, continued without end. But at the end of the broadcast, when Wi Jeong-shin became a fan of Kang Pil-gu, interest grew about the direction of the fiery rival chemistry between Kang Pil-gu's on-screen persona and Im Hyun-joon himself.
Kim Ji-hoon, who transformed into Sports Eunsung president Lee Jae-hyung, showed a different charm with a sweet and affectionate side. Especially after a clumsy first meeting with Wi Jeong-shin at the airport, Lee Jae-hyung's smile as he looked at the employee ID she dropped made viewers' hearts flutter and raised expectations for Kim Ji-hoon's 'heart-fluttering' performance. Seo Ji-hye perfectly synchronized as entertainment department chief Director General Yoon Hwa-young, who has both beauty and ability. Her charisma leading junior reporters and her tsundere-like reversal charm — delivering a sharp rebuke to Wi Jeong-shin while giving her an indifferent kind of support — combined with Seo Ji-hye's uniquely gentle girl-crush aura to be further amplified.
The production team of 'Nice to Not Meet You' said, "In episodes 3 and 4, Im Hyun-joon and Wi Jeong-shin become entangled in an even more mischievous fate," adding, "The two will display an upgraded rival chemistry."
[Photo] Provided by tvN
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