'Undercover Miss Hong' writer Moon Hyun-kyung directly revealed the reason for writing the work and the main viewing points.
The new tvN Saturday-Sunday drama 'Undercover Miss Hong', scheduled to premiere on the 17th (Sat) at 9:10 p.m. (director Park Seon-ho / script Moon Hyun-kyung / planned by Studio Dragon / produced by Celltrion Entertainment, Studio Dragon), is a retro office comedy drama set at the turn of the 1990s about 30-something elite securities regulator Hong Geum-bo (Park Shinhye) who, disguising herself as a 20-year-old low-level employee, takes a job at a securities firm where suspicious funds' flows have been detected, leading to a series of chaotic and comedic events.
Writer Moon Hyun-kyung said the reason she wrote this work was, "I have long wanted to write a drama set in the 1990s, a chaotic era where the anxiety of the century's end coexisted with hope for the new millennium." She added, "I thought Yeouido securities firms, where money flows along the Han River, were the most suitable setting to depict a comic caper movie, and from that point the framework of the story naturally emerged," and explained her intent to write, "Although it is a retro office comedy set in 1997, I wanted to tell a story about moving forward, not reminiscing about the past."
In particular, 'Undercover Miss Hong' uses the era of the century's end as a backdrop to evoke nostalgia while telling stories that contemporary viewers can empathize with. Writer Moon Hyun-kyung said, "Hong Geum-bo infiltrates Hanmin Securities as a new employee and poses as the youngest roommate in the dormitory," and explained, "While the success of the undercover mission is important, I focused most on the character's change as she lives with company colleagues and roommates, feeling camaraderie and sisterhood and growing."
She also shared her first impression of actress Park Shinhye, who stars in 'Undercover Miss Hong.' Moon Hyun-kyung said, "During the script reading I was excited and delighted thinking, 'So that's the expression Hong Geum-bo makes and that's the voice she speaks with. I finally met Hong Geum-bo.' When working on later drafts, I had the new experience of seeing Park Shinhye's expressions and hearing her voice coming from Hong Geum-bo," and she did not spare praise and admiration for Park Shinhye's remarkable ability to portray the character.
She mentioned the Yeouido securities firm scenery just before the 1997 IMF foreign exchange crisis as a viewing point that makes the work more interesting. She said, "Although the era is different, it contains episodes and depictions of bosses, mentors and colleagues that any office worker can relate to," and added, "I hope viewers pay attention to the plight of salaried workers who face the first threat of layoffs in the chill of an economic crisis and the story of Hanmin Securities employees fighting to survive."
As a writer, she especially emphasized the story of the roommates in room 301. Moon Hyun-kyung said, "I recreated the Seoul city rental apartments for single women that I learned about through the documentary 'Documentary 3 Days' as the drama's dormitory," and revealed, "The dormitory is a space where dreams grow. I wanted to portray the dreams of strange and ordinary roommates who hide their names and pasts, and depict women's friendship and growth together," foreshadowing another sympathetic narrative.
Finally, Moon Hyun-kyung sincerely said, "I hope this drama is remembered as a show that provides dinner companions after work and weekend evenings for viewers. I hope you enjoy it with a relaxed heart."
The new tvN Saturday-Sunday drama 'Undercover Miss Hong', which blends retro sensibility, a warm coming-of-age narrative and secrets tangled like a puzzle, will premiere on the 17th (Sat) at 9:10 p.m.<
[Photo] tvN
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