'Risky Romance' is drama focusing on hormones

Lee Si-young, left, and Ji Hyun-woo are seen in MBC's new drama “Risky Romance.” / Courtesy of MBC

By Park Jin-hai

When it comes to medical drama, viewers are familiar with the scenes of medical staff in doctor's masks and gowns holding scalpels and performing surgery. But MBC's new medical romance drama “Risky Romance” will have less blood and more “hormones” instead.

The Monday-Tuesday drama, starring Lee Si-young and Ji Hyun-woo, will tell the love story of an endocrinologist Joo In-ah, played by actress Lee, who believes that almost all one's emotions and even feelings of love are determined by one's hormones. Joo, who deems herself as an “oxytocin” type, affected by the powerful hormone that plays a role in behaviors of empathy and generosity, develops a romantic relationship after she picks a testosterone-type neurosurgeon as the ideal subject for her hormone study.

“Many previous medical dramas have show surgeons, but I've rarely seen dramas telling the stories of internists and even less with the subject of hormones,” said Lee Chang-han, the drama's producer, during a press conference at the broadcaster's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. “I thought that viewers might feel comfortable with the subject of hormones. I will tell a fun romance story between the hormone-obsessed woman and a man whose hormones are mal-functioning.”

A pounding heartbeat when looking at a lover stems from adrenaline which propels people to compete, and winning in the fierce competition is influenced testosterone; cortisol controls people's stress levels; and the pleasure one feels from having a beer after work and playing a game of pool with friends comes from “dopamine,” according to the drama.

The unique romance drama will premiere on Monday. It is written by a popular webtoonist Kim Nam-hee, working under the penname of Sun'kki, of original webtoon “Cheese in the Trap,” which was made into drama series and a movie.

Director Kim, whose previous works include romantic comedy series “Star in My Heart” (1997), one of the earlier Korean dramas aired outside Korea as part of hallyu, and “I Need Romance” (2011), says his latest drama is not that all light drama. “Although it is a romantic comedy, I've put in various elements in order to give it more weight. They will make the right balance in storytelling between the playfulness and seriousness,” he said.

Actress Lee comes back to the small screen half a year after giving birth to a son in January. Actor Ji, who plays Lee's love interest, says he had some difficulties in playing his competitive neurosurgeon character. “My character has very severe mood fluctuations. As one with impulse-control disorder, I had to go between mad-laughing and being furious in a day. Immersed in my character, I feel like those extreme highs and lows seem to have affected me to some degree personally.”

The drama will air its first episode on Monday at 10 p.m.