Sex toy firm CEO, conservative marketer spark romance in 'Make Me Tingle'

A sex toy company CEO and a conservatively raised marketer with strict traditional values are set to clash in Tving's upcoming original series "Make Me Tingle."

The romantic comedy centers on the hilarious and heartwarming growth of two people with opposing views on intimacy: a woman who refuses to have sex without love, and a man who is perfectly fine having sex without it.

Nam Ji-hyun stars as Gong Yeon-su, an eldest daughter raised in a strictly traditional Korean head family. Despite her conservative upbringing, she works as a sharp, trend-conscious advertising marketer. Kim Jae-young plays Dokgo Dal, the CEO of an adult toy startup who values both emotional connection and physical chemistry.

When asked how the production team approached adult toys without falling into sensationalism or alienating audiences, director Kim Ye-ji emphasized tone control.

"While sex toys are becoming more mainstream these days, we made a point not to try too hard to be 'cool' about it," Kim explained during a press conference at the Stanford Hotel Seoul in Mapo District, Wednesday. "Instead of leaning into shock value, we treated the products as a backdrop to focus on how the two leads clash, connect, and fall in love. Pushing a try-hard 'cool' vibe could have turned viewers off, so we intentionally kept the tone grounded."

Nam echoed this sentiment, reassuring viewers that the sex toy startup setting is merely a backdrop for a relatable, heart-warming rom-com. In the series, Yeon-su’s professional life hits a wall when Dal becomes her agency’s newest client. Not only are their personal values polar opposites, but the product line is also completely unfamiliar territory for her. Dal, on the other hand, struggles to work with a marketer who lacks insight into his products.

"Yeon-su grew up surrounded by love, which gave her strong convictions about relationships," Nam said of her character. "At the same time, as a 'Confucian girl' raised in a traditional head family, she secretly worries that her perspective is too sheltered. Still, she’s constantly trying to break out of her shell and evolve into a better version of herself."

"Meeting Dokgo Dal forces her to rethink everything she thought she knew about love," Nam added. "She stumbles along the way and can be headstrong, but her journey feels very true to life. I deeply resonated with her determination to grow through her mistakes, and I worked hard to capture that genuine sincerity on screen."

As the two try to align on a marketing strategy, their opposing views on romance constantly clash. Yet as they step into each other’s worlds, their perspectives slowly begin to shift. Stripping away rigid ideas about love and breaking through personal prejudices are at the series' core.

Actor Kim admitted he was initially caught off guard by the premise, but the script quickly won him over.

"While adult products serve as the backdrop, the story also highlights how genuine and necessary they can be for certain people," he said. "At first, I was a bit taken aback by his line of work, but reading through the script made me realize the show isn't about that at all. It’s a fast-paced rom-com. The speed at which these total opposites get drawn to each other was so fun that I jumped at the chance to join."

"I’m personally quite slow when it comes to love, whereas Dokgo Dal is bold and relentless. At first, I worried his blunt way of speaking might come off as hurtful. But stepping into his shoes was liberating — I even thought, 'It must be nice to live with so little stress.' The director put a lot of effort into making him feel sexy, so I hope viewers can really sense that charisma," he added.

One of the show’s biggest highlights is the intense debates on love between the two leads.

"Out of all the rom-coms I’ve done so far, I think this is the one where the main couple talks about love the most — and clashes over it the hardest," Nam said. "They aren't fighting because they don't understand each other; rather, it’s a constant tug-of-war where they try to help each other understand their views. That process was so much fun, and the dialogue gives viewers a lot of meaningful food for thought."

"Make Me Tingle" premieres Thursday.