Character posters for tvN’s Bride of the Water God 2017, a supernatural fantasy romance drama about the love story between a god and his mortal servant, have been released, and they’re darker and more seductive than I expected. The group poster above reads, “In a realistic world, an unrealistic divine romance unfolds.”
Shin Se-kyung (Six Flying Dragons) plays a psychiatrist who becomes a god’s servant. Her character is a strict realist and pragmatist, which is why the text in her poster reads: “I can’t afford to consider a stranger’s situation.” Nam Joo-hyuk (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju), who plays the god her family has been fated to serve for generations, introduces himself in his poster: “I’m the sovereign of the Water Kingdom, the Water God, your owner, Ha-baek.” I don’t know why, but he descends to the mortal realm, unleashing his divine-fatale charms everywhere.
Krystal (She’s So Lovable) has that haughty expression pat down for her character, Mura, who is also a deity from the Water Kingdom. Granted, she’s a minor one sent to Earth as part of management control, but she certainly has a hoity-toity attitude in her copy, which reads, “Who dares step in front of me?” She’s supposed to have an unrequited crush on Ha-baek, and Bi-ryum, played by Gong Myung (Drinking Solo) is supposed to have a crush on her, and so the circle of one-sided love continues.
Out of all five character posters, Gong Myung’s is the most lighthearted (he’s the only one not making a moody expression), perhaps to signify his playful personality, as a sky deity whose position on the corporate god ladder is the same as Mura’s. The text on his poster says, “Hey do water gods only hang out with each other? Am I really the outcast here?”
The man who completes the other end of the love circle is Im Joo-hwan (Uncontrollably Fond), who plays a mortal entrepreneur more perfect than a god but with a human side to him. He’s all dressed up in a suit for his poster, saying, “With actions come responsibility.” Although his relationship with the heroine So-ah (Shin Se-kyung) begins with bickering, it ends up becoming something more romantic as they get to know each other.
To be honest, I wasn’t completely sold on this cast list, but as the pretty posters and stills keep coming and the premiere date date approaches, my preconceptions are slowly shifting in the positive direction. Monday-Tuesday drama Bride of the Water God begins in less than two weeks, on July 3.
