The series "Because there is no next life," which depicts the real growing pains of three women in their 40s, stepped forward to evoke viewers' empathy.
On the afternoon of the 10th at the Stanford Hotel Korea in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, a production press conference was held for the new TV CHOSUN Monday-Tuesday drama "Because there is no next life." Actors Kim Hee-seon, Han Hye-jin, Jin Seo-yeon, Yoon Park, Heo Joon-seok and Jang In-seop attended the press conference and talked.
"Because there is no next life" is a comedic coming-of-age drama about three 41-year-old friends exhausted by the same daily routine, the war of childcare and hamster-wheel corporate life, and their chaotic quest for a better "complete life."
In the work, Kim Hee-seon plays Jo Na-jung, a former promising shopping host who once earned a nine-figure annual salary but is now a "returned career woman mother" with two sons. Kim Hee-seon, who has actual experience with marriage and childbirth, said, "Actually I'm not quite a returned career woman, but after I married and had children I spent six years at home raising them. Honestly, some days felt long. While watching TV with the kids I sometimes imagined, 'If I hadn't married, could I have had that leading role?' Spending those six years, I missed the work I used to do," she began.
She said, "Na-jung also did shopping host work, then spent six years raising her children and wants to challenge work again. Everyone here will feel that. These days men also raise children after marriage. Women will especially understand my feelings. I think overcoming those things one by one is life. I'm glad to be able to work like this now. If it had been a job I always did, after resting for six years I felt its preciousness and value more and worked harder," describing similarities with her character.
That was also the reason she decided to appear in the work. Kim Hee-seon said, "It felt like my story. I think every woman in her 40s worries about this at least once. The six-year career break, the feelings of a returned career woman, resonated with me. I actually took exactly six years off. After working 25 years, I rested six years and felt empty. Na-jung's feelings were similar to mine then, so it resonated. Perhaps because I experienced those feelings, I thought I could express them well. I read the script in one day when I first received it. I'm the type who usually takes time to read scripts, but this one read well and felt like my heart, so I think that's why I chose it," she said.
Kim Hee-seon shares a married couple dynamic with Yoon Park, who plays home shopping PD Noh Won-bin. She said, "Jo Na-jung is in an office romance. Her husband is a PD and I'm a shopping host; we married as an older-man, younger-woman couple. After having children she became in charge of the household. Because of the kids they didn't know each other's value, but as I return to work they lean on each other more, incidents happen, and they become closer. It's a story about a new familial love forming," sharing the story to come.
Han Hye-jin plays Gu Joo-young, head of planning at an art center, who seems perfect in every way but has a sexless husband and makes every effort to have a child. Regarding the "middle-age romance" element in the work, she said, "For married viewers it might portray rediscovered love. Since our couples are always next to each other, it can remind them of the spouse whose value they took for granted, and it might become a love rediscovered," she said.
Asked what message she wanted to convey through the work, she said, "In married life the tension often dulls, and in some ways selfish demands or putting my desires first can happen, so this drama made me reflect a lot. Through Joo-young I asked myself, 'Have I put my demands before understanding that person?' It made me reflect. I realized through the drama that by understanding each other and respecting what the other values, recovery and a beautifully built marriage are possible," she said.
Jang In-seop, who plays Oh Sang-min, a director at a game company and husband of Gu Joo-young, said, "A couple doesn't know everything about each other. Living together you sometimes accept things and sometimes can't. In the drama they discover parts they didn't know about each other. I think this is not only about marital relationships but about people learning about, accepting and respecting each other in any relationship, allowing it to develop and providing time for self-reflection. I think our couple's story can deliver messages about human relationships to viewers," he said.
Jin Seo-yeon plays Lee Il-ri, deputy editor at a magazine who has fantasies about an as-yet-unrealized marriage. She said, "In the drama she has two boyfriends. There is a first and a second boyfriend. It's described as middle-age love, but love always feels like the first time. The love story of Il-ri and Sang-gyu, not much different from love in your 20s, will be very fun and comedic to watch all the way to the end," she said.
Heo Joon-seok plays Byun Sang-gyu, a university theater club senior and a manual therapist, and forms a romantic pairing with Jin Seo-yeon's Il-ri. He also said, "Age doesn't matter in love, whether in your 20s or 40s. When you face the person you love the feelings feel the same. I think we approached it from that perspective. Il-ri is like a 'teto woman' but in front of love she gradually becomes an 'egen woman'—we'll show that," he hinted.
He added that this is his first time doing a proper romance through this work. Heo Joon-seok said, "I did a little in 'Be Melodramatic,' but this is my first full-length melodrama from start to finish. Seoyon and I joked, 'Without guns, knives or props, facing each other so bare is awkward. It feels like we should be handed something.' This could be a turning point in my life," he joked. Jin Seo-yeon added, "It's my first time doing melodrama and the best part is no one dies. There's no blood in my drama. It's the first time facing someone and laughing. It's even cutesy this time; it comes out very affectionate. Please look forward to it," she added.
Not only romance but the women's "womance" also stands out. Han Hye-jin said, "It was great to have three actresses together like this. Whenever we met we were busy laughing. We often chatted and then immediately went into shooting. If those moments are well absorbed into the drama, I would feel the show is a success because our relationships were that good. Kim Hee-seon is generous and a strong woman. She's our team's leader. Jin Seo-yeon is very affectionate. Please spread the word. She's warm and affectionate. The three of us had great chemistry," she said.
Kim Hee-seon said, "Actually I was worried about playing a younger sister and friend role with them. I was anxious about being friends with two beautiful actresses, but the youngest, Seo-yeon, created a group chat called 'Three beauties' from the start, where she guided conversations comfortably as Na-jung, Il-ri and Joo-young without seniority. I'm really grateful; she contributes a lot of health knowledge. We shot even in midsummer, and she was the younger sister who acted as our health missionary and took care of our health. Hye-jin is very calm. I'm impatient and flustered, so she was the second who steadied the center. Outdoor shoots are tough when actresses sweat a lot. She gave all kinds of gifts to keep us from sweating and cool things. Packages arrived at Seo-yeon's house almost every day. They were all healthy things. Getting to know these two friends and the male actors is a great asset from this project," she said. Then Jin Seo-yeon said, "Pretty people know they're pretty so they don't get jealous. I like my face too. There were no conflicts and it was great. Fun scenes will be well portrayed," she said frankly, drawing laughter.
However, because the show deals with marriage and children, younger generations might feel distant from it. Asked how this drama might appeal to younger viewers, Kim Hee-seon said, "It's a rehearsal-like drama. The three couples' cases are all stories audiences can relate to. I married a co-worker and experienced the struggles of dual-income parenting and growing through that. Han Hye-jin's character wants children but has conflicts with her partner, and Jin Seo-yeon is called a gold miss. Though a gold miss, she wants both career and love. The stories of our three couples are the kinds of stories you might find around you. I think young people, even if it's not their own story, will have friends like these around them and might become like that themselves. I hope it becomes a rehearsal-like drama," she said.
Currently, the Monday-Tuesday drama slot is dominated by tvN's "Nice to Not Meet You," starring Lee Jung-jae and Lim Ji-yeon, which is seeing rising ratings. Asked about the unique strengths of "Because there is no next life," Jang In-seop said, "The script is really fun. I agree with the rehearsal remark. From people in their 20s facing their 30s to people in their 30s facing their 40s, and even those in their 60s, 70s and 80s who went through those times—men and women of all ages can empathize. Not only our couples but a variety of characters have their own stories that resonate across ages and can make viewers clap along. I think that's the biggest strength of our drama," he replied.
Heo Joon-seok said, "There are many detailed stories that closely touch on everyday life. I think they are easily relatable. You can see the diversity of couples and people, so it won't be boring and will be fun to watch," and Yoon Park said, "It's not that I appeared in the work because I liked the role of Noh Won-bin, but watching the stories of the three friends (Jo Na-jung, Gu Joo-young, Lee Il-ri) I found myself empathizing with experiences I hadn't had. I thought viewers would absolutely empathize. We think our strength is the parts that elicit empathy. That's why many people will watch. It will be available on TV CHOSUN for older viewers and on Netflix for younger viewers. With good accessibility, many people will be able to watch," he emphasized, prompting laughter.
Jin Seo-yeon said, "I read parts 1 through 12 all at once. I also looked at other characters and wondered how each was written so interestingly. A drama's success is usually for either very fantastical elements or elements like 'this is my story,' but our drama inevitably creates a sense of 'Isn't this my story?' and empathy. It's fun and comedic with melodrama, comedy and sadness. Its strength is being full of stories everyone can experience," she noted.
Han Hye-jin also said, "It's a drama for those considering marriage and those who are married. Even divorce. Friends will think, 'We hang out like that, talk like that, have those worries.' It's easy to jump in and accessible. But it holds the center firmly. At the same time it's so cheerful and fun that you won't notice time passing," she pitched.
Kim Hee-seon said, "This is TV CHOSUN's first Monday-Tuesday drama in 13 years. It must be really good to return after 13 years. I think our drama might solidify the Monday-Tuesday drama section," she asserted. When asked whether the "Because there is no next life" team had any ratings pledges like "Nice to Not Meet You," which pledged a 'Suyangdaegun signing event' if its premiere rating reached 3 percent, the team discussed on the spot and said, "If it exceeds 5 percent, the six of us will give free hugs and send a coffee truck. Detailed notice will be announced later if we reach 5 percent," they previewed. Then she added, "'Nice to Not Meet You'? It's annoying. Do you empathize with the romance in 'Nice to Not Meet You'? Our story is our own so people can empathize," she emphasized.
Meanwhile, "Because there is no next life" premieres tonight (the 10th) at 10 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Ji Hyung-joon
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