Positively Yours foreshadowed a shocking, speed‑breaking romance between Choi Jin-hyuk and Oh Yeon-seo.
On the 13th afternoon at The Link Seoul hotel in Guro District, Seoul, Channel A held a production press conference for its new drama Positively Yours. Director Kim Jin-sung and actors Choi Jin-hyuk, Oh Yeon-seo, Hong Jong Hyun and Kim Dasom attended the production press conference and spoke.
Positively Yours, based on a web novel of the same name, is a reverse‑running romantic comedy that unfolds from a one‑night deviation between two men and women who vowed there would be no marriage in this life. Director Kim Jin-sung said, "There is an original web novel and webtoon. I received the script when it was still very charming and popular, and the premise felt fresh. Reverse‑running romance usually reaches a conclusion during the dating process and ends, but chasing causes from the conclusion is fun, so I took on directing."
Choi Jin-hyuk plays Tae Han Brewery president and self‑declared nonmarrier workaholic Kang Du-jun, who unfolds a reverse‑running romance with Oh Yeon-seo (Jang Hee-won). He said, "I liked the reversal of thinking. It was fresh. Director Kim Jin-suk and I had a connection 12 years ago during Gu Family Book. He co-directed then so we are friendly, and when he took on directing this time and the script was fun, I decided to join the project," explaining his reason for appearing.
Oh Yeon-seo plays Jang Hee-won, a career woman who is a manager in Tae Han Brewery's new product development team and loves beer and romance enough to proclaim there will be no marriage in this life. She also said, "I read the script so enjoyably. I was excited at the thought of meeting the director again after our previous work, and because Jin-hyuk oppa is in it I could trust and act, so I chose to join. Filming was fun. It felt like going to work to fall in love, so the set received and gave a lot of love," she said.
Hong Jong Hyun plays Cha Min-wook, a deputy in Tae Han Brewery's sales team and Hee-won's male friend who is like a soulmate. He explained his reason for appearing, saying, "After my previous work I felt a craving for bright, fun genre drama, and a good opportunity arose so I participated. I briefly filmed with the director in the past. I remember that time so fondly that I filmed this with joy."
In particular, Hong Jong Hyun was brought in midproduction and reshot scenes after Yoon Ji-on, originally cast as Cha Min-wook, left due to drunk driving. Asked about the pressure, he said, "It would be a lie to say I had no pressure. I felt pressure. They had already rehearsed together and I wondered if I could fit in, whether I'd be a burden; I thought all kinds of things. Fortunately, I had briefly filmed with the director and Oh Yeon-seo in the past. My portion wasn't large and that day I met the two of them for the first time. The feeling on set was good. It stayed with me personally, and I thought later that if time and opportunity allowed, I wanted to work with the two of them," he confessed.
He added, "I wondered whether it was right for me to be greedy in this situation, but after meeting the director and talking, we concluded it was worth trying. I judged that if I worked with these people, we could do it. All I could do was prepare hard within the permitted time. When I arrived on set, everyone helped me — from the staff to Choi Jin-hyuk hyung, who said, 'thank you for making a difficult decision.' Because of their thoughtful consideration over whether I might be nervous or not adapt, I was able to perform better than I had prepared for," he expressed gratitude.
Director Kim Jin-sung said, "There was an unexpected variable, but I wanted to turn it into an opportunity," and added, "When I filmed with actor Hong Jong Hyun and actress Oh Yeon-seo in the past, I said I wanted to shoot a romance with those two. I thought it was a chance given from above, so although it might have been an unreasonable request, I asked. I said it would be good to do it together amid memories and crisis, and they accepted, so I think the reversal became a blessing and produced better quality in a better environment."
Kim Dasom, who plays Hwang Mi-ran, the Tae Han Hotel manager and Hee-won's dependable friend like an older sister, said her reason for appearing was, "I don't have a prior connection with the director, but I love romantic comedy and I was very attracted by how a webtoon‑based drama could be realized, so I joined." Asked about efforts to increase sync with the webtoon, she said, "Mi-ran in the webtoon has strong styling. She has red hair, so I tried as much as possible to get close to that image. Because of the webtoon's nature, actors must create certain speech patterns and personalities, so I used parts close to my real self. Beyond that, after much discussion with the director we built up the details. Please look on it kindly," she said.
When asked what she focused on in adapting the web novel and webtoon to screen, director Kim Jin-sung said, "Many fans of the original exist, so while preserving the reverse‑running romance, because it is a drama and broadcast, we adapted it to enjoyably handle things the webtoon can't fully contain. Fans who loved the original might feel it's a bit different, but we added more fun and excitement to surpass that, so you can look forward to it," he said confidently.
Regarding the somewhat clichéd Cinderella story, he explained, "The actors performed so well that all age groups can accept it without resistance. We created the visuals, acting and music with a youthful sensibility. You can look forward to it."
Regarding similarities to the 2014 broadcast of Fate Loves You, director Kim Jin-sung emphasized, "I think there is hardly anything completely new as drama material. Some subjects become trends at certain times, and now because it reverses from the trend, I said it feels fresh. You will feel it's different from ordinary romance. While making it and acting with the actors it might have seemed like a typical drama, I think the result was not typical. I think what new elements appear depends on which actor performs, which writer writes and which director directs. Combining all those things likely produced better synergy."
Choi Jin-hyuk, who also appeared in Fate Loves You, said, "The role I played then was similar to Min-wook, the role Hong Jong Hyun took. In this drama I play, conversely, the role that Jang Hyuk hyung played." He added, "Though the premise of starting with pregnancy is similar, I think familiarity can be enjoyable. We depicted something that could have been stale in a fun, fast and bright way. These days there are many heavy dramas and serious subjects, so I take pride in having bright, fun energy amid that."
However, because the subject of 'premarital pregnancy marriage' could provoke resistance given Korean sentiment, and because the perception that careers matter more than marriage and pregnancy has strengthened and nonmarriage has become a trend among the younger generation, it might feel somewhat old. Asked about efforts to reduce this resistance, Oh Yeon-seo said, "Because my character becomes pregnant, many things happen. That part was difficult and burdensome for me to act. My character worries a lot there — whether to give up for my future or chase the future more — and I think those subtleties are well shown. In fact, both Du-jun and Hee-won are nonmarriists. Because the process of how the two meet, decide to marry, think about love and take responsibility for the child is solidly depicted, I think viewers will naturally understand when they watch the drama," she said.
Finally, director Kim Jin-sung urged viewers to watch, saying, "There are more beautiful and fun scenes than the preview. The comic element is emphasized. I think it will be more entertaining than expected, so watching with parents will be enjoyable. Please watch a lot." Choi Jin-hyuk said, "It could be predictable, but we kept a fast tempo and focused on comedy. I think viewers can comfortably enjoy and laugh, so please look forward to it." Oh Yeon-seo added, "I worked hard and acted enjoyably to give really pleasant energy, so please look forward to it. There are many relationships — family stories, things that happen at work, love and friendship — so I think it is a drama that everyone can watch warmly in winter, and I hope people enjoy it."
Meanwhile, Positively Yours will premiere on the 17th at 10:30 p.m.
[photo] OSEN reporter Lee Dae-sun
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