KBS2 drama 'For Eagle Brothers' delves into question of what truly makes family

Actors Ahn Jae-wook, left, and Uhm Ji-won pose for KBS2's new weekend drama "For Eagle Brothers" during a press conference at Ramada by Wyndham Seoul Sindorim in Guro District, Wednesday. Yonhap

KBS 2's new family drama "For Eagle Brothers" poses a rather philosophical question: "What truly makes a family?" The heart-warming drama filled with laughter and tears aims to show viewers that family isn't always about blood — it's about the connections we make.

The upcoming series starring Uhm Ji-won and Ahn Jae-wook revolves around quirky brothers from Eagle Brewery, a fictional family makgeolli (Korean traditional rice wine) brewery, and their sister-in-law Ma Gwang-sook (Uhm) who becomes the family's breadwinner after a sudden tragedy.

The 47-year-old actor Uhm portrays Ma as a bubbly post office worker who marries Oh Jang-soo (Lee Pil-mo), the eldest son and CEO of the Eagle Brewery. But, only 10 days into their marriage, her husband dies suddenly in an accident. She takes over the brewery and becomes the breadwinner for her four younger brothers-in-law. Choi Dae-chul, Kim Dong-wan, Yoon Bak and Lee Seok-gi will play the four troublesome brothers.

Director Choi Sang-yeol shared that the script reminded him of the 2003 movie "Love Actually," which is one of his favorites.

"While the content isn't similar, I was drawn to the diversity of the various love stories. Personally, I enjoy comedies and find creating them quite interesting. So this opportunity to tell the story of five delightful couples was particularly appealing," he said during a press conference at Ramada by Wyndham Seoul Sindorim in Guro District, Wednesday.

Ahn takes the role of Han Dong-seok, a charismatic CEO of a big hotel whose path becomes increasingly entangled with Ma's. "I wondered about my role in driving the drama both internally and externally while playing Han Dong-seok," the 53-year-old actor said while explaining why he took the part.

A promotional photo for KBS2's upcoming drama "For Eagle Brothers" / Courtesy of KBS2

"At first I was worried the story might be a bit messy with various relationships between characters, but those concerns were completely erased when I saw the script. The plot unfolds quickly, and the stories of each character are well-balanced, so I thought we can make a great weekend drama if we all work hard."

Uhm introduced Ma as a cheerful and bright character who is always straightforward. She also highlighted the "bickering romance chemistry" as a key point to watch out for. "The two main characters meet under unfavorable circumstances at the beginning and clash so much that you might find yourself wishing they would just fight moderately. I'm curious myself about how their relationship will develop," she said.

Choi takes on the role of Oh Cheon-soo, the second-oldest brother at the brewery. He was once a successful fund manager at a securities company but was unfairly dismissed and is now living in a tiny single room. He reunites with his first love.

Singer-actor Kim plays Oh Heung-soo, the third brother, who used to be a big-time backup dancer but now teaches dance at a community center, hoping to make a comeback.

"All of my brothers are quite troublesome. With the women who are in charge of each brother, we will show how they help us and how we change and redirect our lives," he said. "We are also very much looking forward to seeing how this unfolds."

The weekend drama will premiere on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. on KBS2.