A new Coupang Play original is in the works, and the production team is certainly aiming for the stars with their casting calls. Set in the midst of a zombie outbreak, Influenza has scouted Chungmuro veteran Park Jung-min (Hellbound) and Blackpink’s Jisoo (Snowdrop) to play its leads. Adapted from the novel of the same name, the drama will portray the rekindling of love amidst the struggle for survival.
If he accepts the role, Park Jung-min will star as the soldier Jae-yoon, who enlisted late at the age of 26. Having spent the past few years attempting to obtain a job in the defense sector in order to qualify for alternative civilian service, Jae-yoon’s not quite sure of his direction in life. As such, he’s been clinging on to his girlfriend Young-joo (Jisoo) as his only compass — until she breaks up with him, and he’s left to flounder.
Young-joo has her reasons for the split, though. Jae-yoon has been putting all his eggs in one basket, leaving him with too much uncertainty about his future and too little energy to take care of Young-joo. With him enlisted, it’s been even harder on Young-joo, and she eventually decides that she’d be better off single.
Neither of them expect to see each other again, but the world has other plans. When a zombie outbreak overruns the city, the stage is set for them to run into — or run towards — each other again. Once weak and lacking confidence, Jae-yoon gradually comes into his own while fighting off the monsters, eventually taking the helm of his ragtag survival squad.
It’s the perfect opportunity for Young-joo to see Jae-yoon in a new light, while also building her own tenacity. With a common enemy and the shared goal of survival, perhaps the two ex-lovers may find comfort in camaraderie, sentiment in solidarity, and romance in resilience. Who knows? Maybe the outbreak might just be the perfect wingman for the pair.
Helmed by PD Yoon Sung-hyun (Time to Hunt) with scripts written by Han Jin-won (Parasite) and Ji Ho-jin, Influenza will be released via the streaming platform Coupang Play.