Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
'Work Later, Drink Now' to follow three female friends
Actors Lee Sun-bin, from left, Han Sun-hwa, Jung Eun-ji, and Choi Si-won pose for pictures during the online press conference of the series “Work Later, Drink Now,” Friday. Courtesy of Tving
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
Lee Sun-bin, Han Sun-hwa, and Jung Eun-ji will be playing three besties who live for boozing in the streaming platform Tving's upcoming comedy series “Work Later, Drink Now.”
Based on the webcomics of the same name, the series follows three single women in their 30s ― variety show writer So-hee (Lee), yoga instructor Ji-yeon (Han), and papercraft YouTuber Ji-gu (Jung).
Despite pursuing different career paths, the three always meet up for a drink at the end of the day, seeking comfort from each other and in getting drunk together.
“After reading the original webcomic, I was surprised to see how realistic and relatable the story was. It really portrayed people's everyday lives, and how competitive the world we're living in is, which drew me to the series,” Lee said during an online press conference of the series, Friday.
“A lot of people struggle with their relationship with their boss and get frustrated when things don't work out for them or they have to work overtime. Those relatable issues and things like dealing with romantic relationships are portrayed comically in the series.”
Han and Jung also added they were drawn to the realistic depiction of ordinary people these days.
“I felt that if I take the role, I could really pull it off. And the script was so interesting because it reflects reality,” Han said. “This was the first time I've ever felt that the script was this realistic and vivid.”
The series' director Kim Jung-sik said he intends to offer a fresh take on things to the viewers through the drama.
“During this depressing time (of the COVID-19 pandemic), I hope the viewers can grasp the fun and excitement of hanging out with friends through our series. We had so much fun filming and the results show that,” he said. “Since it's about three best friends, I want viewers to think they wished they had friends like this, after seeing our show.”
Adding that showing the friendship chemistry between the three actresses was the key in filming, he noted the three actually drank real alcohol in some scenes. “In most of the scenes where their faces are red, they were acting while really drinking,” he said.
A poster for the series / Courtesy of Tving
Lee's character So-hee is a rowdy woman who can get feisty with everyone at work.
“She tries to be tough but no one among her friends takes it seriously, which makes her cute,” she said. “Since she is a variety show writer, she deals with a lot of anger and tries to put up with them at work,” she said. “So she's like a ticking bomb which explodes when she's with her friends and drinks alcohol.”
Han plays cheery, high-spirited yoga instructor Ji-yeon who is the heaviest drinker out of the three.
“She is the most cheerful one of the friends… So I tried to put myself in the character in a way that she's not too obnoxious and is lovely enough,” she said.
Jung's character Ji-gu makes a living as a YouTuber making videos about paper crafts. The actress said that she found her talent in arts and crafts through her role.
“I practiced enough to be called a 'paper craft YouTuber.' I learned that it was actually a larger and deeper field than I thought,” she said. “And I found myself to be a little crafty ― like, I can easily make a gun out paper. This series led me to find my hidden talent.”
Actor Choi Si-won took the role of Buk-gu, a variety show producer who works with So-hee. He said he was drawn to the comical story and the cast members of the lead characters.
Describing his character as an oddball, the actor said he tried a different appearance to portray a show producer.
“I talked with the director a lot to bring the character to life. He told me that variety show producers don't even have time to shave. So I tried on sort of a wild look to help myself get into playing the character,” he said.