Disney+ 'Call It Love' to deliver emotional melodrama

From left, actors Kim Ye-won, Sung Joon, Lee Sung-kyung, Kim Young-kwang, Hani and director Lee Kwang-young pose during the press conference for the Disney+ series “Call It Love," held in Dongdaemun District, Seoul Tuesday. Courtesy of Disney+

By Lee Gyu-lee

Disney+ is set to release one of its much-anticipated melodrama series "Call It Love," starring actors Kim Young-kwang and Lee Sung-kyoung.

The streaming service's new Korean original series, which will commence on Wednesday, depicts the plight of a woman, Shim Woo-joo (Lee), who gets caught up in a whirlwind crisis after learning about her father's extramarital affair.

When her father's mistress claims the inheritance and kicks Woo-joo out of the family home, she decides to take revenge on the mistress's son, Han Dong-jin (Kim). However, her plans are dashed when she falls in love with him after learning more about him and his misfortunes.

"Woo-joo has lived in pain for a long time after having the things she valued taken away from her,” Lee said when describing her character during the press conference for the series, held in Dongdaemun District, Seoul on Tuesday.

“When we say it is a revenge story, many would think of this as a cathartic, dynamic revenge-genre series. But Woo-joo is a person who doesn't have what it takes to get revenge. As she leaps to protect something special to her, she finds herself experiencing an unexpected feeling."

Actors Lee Sung-kyung, left, and Kim Young-kwang pose during the press conference for the Disney+ series “Call It Love," held in Dongdaemun District, Seoul Tuesday. Courtesy of Disney+

The two lead actors said they avoided each other on set so they could stay in character. They are close friends in real life.

“Dong-jin is a lonely person who has held onto his issues for a long time without being able to resolve them,” Kim said. “Towards the beginning of the shooting, I tried to avoid Lee. I felt like I shouldn't step out of Dong-jin's persona. Since we are so close already, it didn't feel right to joke around and have fun with her (on the set).”

According to Lee, she also remained distant from Dong-jin in order to maintain the hostility her character holds towards him.

"We are so close, and I'm the type who plays around to make people feel more at ease. So I tried to keep myself away from him to remain in character. As you can see from the still photos, my look appears hostile towards Dong-jin ... and it changes over time,” she said

The series is led by director Lee Kwang-young, who previously led the web series "No, Thank You.”