Despite my niggling distaste for the original fairytale, the first teaser for Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter (also known as Gyeryong Fairy Tale) gives me hope that tvN’s adaptation will do justice to the source webtoon’s witty, satirical, and modern interpretation of the classic fable.
In the parable, a woodcutter steals a fairy’s clothes to prevent her from returning to the heavens, offers to clothe and to provide for her, and thus gains himself a wife. In the webtoon, the fairy is 699 years old, works as a barista on Gyeryong mountain, and has a magical appearance–she looks like a grandmother to most, but to a select few, she appears as a beautiful young woman, her true form.
Moon Chae-won (Criminal Minds) has been cast as the fairy, and while her last few projects have failed to showcase her abilities, the brief promo video makes me hopeful that this character will bring out her best. Her daughter, played by Gugudan’s Mina, narrates the folk tale as actual stills from the webtoon flit by. The audio speeds up until the part where the woodcutter and fairy get married and live happily ever aft… at which point she stops abruptly in disgust and asks, “Mom, is this a true story?!” Ha. The clip ends with Moon demurely saying, “I’m eagerly awaiting the reincarnation of my husband.”
Yoon Hyun-min (Witch’s Court) is cast as a potential suitor, and while we’ve seen little of him in the role, I like their pairing on paper and can’t wait to see the chemistry they’ll bring to the screen. Rounding out the cast are Seo Ji-hoon (Misty) and Go Du-shim (My Ajusshi). The latter is playing the older version of Moon’s fairy, and I can’t wait to see how the two talented actors interpret the same role.
Mama Fairy and the Woodcutter will be directed by PD Kim Yoon-cheol (Woman of Dignity) and will be tvN’s next Monday-Tuesday drama following 100 Days My Prince. It premieres on November 5.
