Still nursing a “True Beauty” and “Lovestruck in the City” hangover? We hear you. Luckily, we might not need to wait long for the return of our K-drama crushes Hwang In-youp and Ji Chang-wook. Netflix has announced the production of its original K-drama “The Sound of Magic” starring the two actors and leading lady Choi Sung-eun.
Based on the webtoon “Annarasumanara,” Netflix describes “The Sound of Magic” as a “touching music drama about Yoon Ah-yi, a girl who had to grow up too fast, and Rieul, a mysterious magician who, although grown-up, wants to remain as a kid.” Yes, there’s singing involved.
Ji Chang-wook plays the childlike and charismatic magician Rieul who lives in an abandoned amusement park. Meanwhile, Hwang In-youp will take on the role of brilliant but slightly unsociable student Na Il-deung whose life transforms when Ah-yi and Rieul introduce him to the world of magic.
If you haven’t read the webtoon (which you can access for free if you plan to, BTW), AsianWiki has a synopsis that gives us more insight into the characters and the difficulties they face. Clueless about her parents’ whereabouts, high school student Ah-yi works part-time jobs to support herself and her younger sister. Despite the circumstances, Ah-yi remains a top-ranking student who just wants to graduate and find a permanent job. Classmate Il-deung regularly competes with her for top grades and, in the classic enemies-to-lovers fashion, they start harboring feelings for each other. Then Ah-yi meets Rieul, who stages magic shows to people who tell him they believe in magic.
Though we’ve yet to know whether director Kim Sung-youn (“Itaewon Class”) and writer Kim Min-jeong (“Love in the Moonlight”) are going to bring changes to this adaptation, what will probably remain are the fairytale-like elements and the potent discussions on mental health and economic struggles. Judging from the details we already know, we’re getting an “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” vibe.
While the possibility of a love triangle isn’t completely out of the question yet, there’s a higher chance that the romance will be between Hwang and Choi’s characters. If you’re not really familiar with rookie actress Choi Sung-eun, we’ve got you covered.
Her first acting credit is a supporting role in the 2019 movie “Start-Up” (not to be confused with the K-drama) about a reckless guy who gets into trouble when he enters a private loaning business.
She also had an eye-catching supporting role in “Beyond Evil,” which stars Yeo Jin-goo (who you might know better from “Hotel Del Luna”).
She also nabbed one of the lead roles for “SF8: Joan’s Galaxy,” a sweet sci-fi story about two girls that we (and some folk who’ve watched it) are convinced is totally sapphic.
We don’t have a date yet for the series premiere but do you think Choi Sung-eun and Hwang In-youp would make for a great on-screen couple?
Photo courtesy of Netflix
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