 A poster for the upcoming drama ``Still Marry Me.'' The MBC television series features three independent women who are looking for true love. It starts airing tonight at 9:55 p.m. /Courtesy of MBC |
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
The upcoming drama ``Still Marry Me'' on MBC is gearing up for a fierce competition against ``Slave Hunters'' (KBS), which holds the top position in ratings for the Wednesday and Thursday drama slot.
``Still Marry Me'' is the sequel to the popular drama ``Marry Me'' that aired six years ago. Created by Kim Min-sik, the producer of the hit drama ``My Wife is a Superwoman'' last year, the drama is aiming to recreate the stylish and confident women from the American television series ``Sex and the City'' in Seoul.
The period drama ``Slave Hunters,'' on the other hand, has captivated fans with not only its catchy storyline of the charismatic slaves and hunters, but also the chiseled and handsome characters. Marking 30 percent in ratings after airing only four episodes, the series starring Jang Hyuk and Oh Ji-ho will be hard to beat.
Yet, ``Still Marry Me'' is targeting young, determined females who are in need of a trendy drama they can connect with.
``There are so many successful and professional women in our workplace, but these 20 to 30 somethings don't have the chance to love. This drama is particularly for them,'' Park Jin-hee, who will appear as broadcast reporter Lee Sin-young, said during a press conference last week.
The series features three independent women _ Lee, interpreter Jeong Da-jeong played by actress Uhm Ji-won and restaurant consultant Kim Bu-gi portrayed by Wang Bit-na _ and their quest for true love.
Lee breaks up with her boyfriend of 10 years, and meets a troubled musician, Ha Min-jae, played by Kim Bum, the former F4 member from ``Boys Over Flowers.'' While Lee and Ha start pushing and pulling on each other's emotions, Jeong gets married to the almost perfect husband, Na Ban-seok, but realizes that tying the knot does not mean finding true love. Na will be played by ``My Wife is a Superwoman'' co-star Choi Cheol-ho. Meanwhile, Kim is done with love and focuses on her career, but when she finds a baby on her doorstep, she struggles to cope with the nostalgia of her glory days.
``We are having so much fun shooting the show and I hope the viewers will get to feel our excitement. (The drama) is filled with humor and the problems of everyday women,'' said Uhm, who is returning to the small screen after seven years.
Having three independent and distinctive female characters may work as a burden for the show's male actors, but Kim Bum equally expressed his excitement of being on the show.
``My character from `Boys Over Flowers' enjoyed being in love; he was romantic and smooth. But Ha is someone who doesn't show his feelings. He's open to possibilities yet mysterious when it comes to revealing his emotions.''
The story may be fictional, but meeting the love of your life is not easy even for the glamorous actresses.
``Of course, I wonder why it's so hard to date!" the currently single Park said. "My first answer would be because we pursue the life of an actress, which makes it hard to meet people. The biggest problem for us is that our chances of meeting new people are very restricted. The second reason would be the stereotypes. People think actresses are snobby and difficult, and this is an obstacle.'' She added that she was afraid to date when she was younger.
``I sympathize with the lines. I find myself in tears just saying them.
``One of the lines that I remember the most was `useless expectations bring hope and with hope you easily get hurt. If he is not the one for me, take my yearning heart away with him.' I just broke into tears.''
Despite the ongoing speculation regarding the two dramas, viewers will get to enjoy the overall competition as the two are drastically different: One masculine and rough, the other trendy and romantic.
``My knees shook when I saw the ratings for `Slave Hunters.' If slave hunters hunt for slaves, I guess that leaves us with no choice. We will be hunting for slave hunters this year,'' the producer Kim said.
``Still Marry Me'' starts airing tonight at 9:55 p.m. on MBC.
sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr
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