The premise for JTBC’s upcoming drama Family x Melo sounds quirky, and its first teaser showcases a bright palette to go with the offbeat story. Ji Jin-hee (D.P. 2) stars as the good-for-nothing Byun Mu-jin who is more of a liability than a reliable partner to his wife Geum Ae-yeon played by Kim Ji-soo (High Class). However, when the ousted family head returns after eleven years as a successful man, his wife and kids are utterly confused.
The teaser opens with an exasperated Ae-yeon asking her husband what he plans to do this time. Mu-jin says that he wants to open a dumpling restaurant and laughs with confidence, reminding his wife that he is the Byun Mu-jin. His boisterousness, though, turns into her frustration as Ae-yeon screams, “You dunce!”
Mu-jin gets kicked in the face, grabbed by the collar, and thrown aside as Ae-yeon tells him that the worst thing to happen to her is meeting him. Even his daughter Byun Mi-rae played by Sohn Na-eun (Agency) is tired of him and tosses his belongings on the street.
Things take a turn when the family watches a news report of an accident on their television, and they see Mu-jin’s motorcycle along with the caption of the death of a man in his forties. They believe Mu-jin has died, but all of a sudden, he reappears in their lives as a totally different man.
Mu-jin is now the owner of the villa they live in, and Ae-yeon grumbles in disbelief over her hapless husband’s uncharacteristic success. He even raises a glass à la Gatsby, but will his new wealth be enough to win back his family’s love?
Directed by PD Kim Da-ye (Fly High Butterfly) and written by Kim Young-yoon (My Secret Romance), JTBC’s Family x Melo is slated for twelve episodes and premieres August 10 in the Saturday-Sunday slot.