I really enjoy a well-done youth drama set in high school, and JTBC has some pretty strong entries in the category (A Beautiful World and Solomon’s Perjury come to mind), so I’m excited to see what the channel will offer in A Moment at Eighteen. Another reason to be excited is that the show marks Kim Hyang-gi’s (Innocent Witness) comeback to dramaland after a 6-year-long absence, at least as part of a full-length series. She’s pictured in the recently released stills of the script read, joined by former Wanna One member Ong Sung-woo, rookie Shin Seung-ho (A-Teen), and Kang Ki-young (My Secret Terrius).
The four leads are joined by fellow supporting cast members, including Astro’s Moon Bin, model Moon Joo-yeon, rookie Han Sung-min (Fallen), theatre actress Kim Ga-hee (Jane), and musical actor Sung Ki-yoon (Human, Space, Time and Human). The list includes a lot of really new faces, whether it’s to the medium or to the industry as a whole. I’m not usually that worried about that fact in youth dramas, because I feel like the genre tends to serve as a launching pad for rookies into rising stardom. But, I do feel some relief in seeing more veteran faces like Shim Yi-young (Thirty But Seventeen), Kim Sun-young (Her Private Life), and Park Sung-geun (Doctor Prisoner) amongst the cast.
There hasn’t been much that has been released regarding the plot of the show, but we do know that it begins with Ong Sung-woo’s character transferring to Kim Hyang-gi’s school, and his adjustment to his new high school. His character is described as a loner who gotten in the habit of being alone, and is somewhat stunted in communicating his feelings. But, he also has a cute and silly side to him that most don’t get to see. Kim Hyang-gi will play an over-achieving student who dreams of becoming independent. Her academic achievement is largely driven by her ambitious and demanding mother, the consequence of which is that Kim Hyang-gi’s character has no dream or goals for herself.
Shin Seung-ho plays another student whose outer shell is very different to what’s going on inside. While he appears perfect and trustworthy to others, he harbors a complex that threatens to push him off his path. All three are in the same class, and their assistant homeroom teacher will be played by Kang Ki-young, who is described as hapless and very, very new to the whole teaching gig. But as he butts heads with his students, he will start to grow and become a real teacher in the process.
A Moment at Eighteen is slated to premiere sometime in July of this year.
