The more I see of ENA’s upcoming rom-com Oh! Young-shim, the more I’m charmed by its vibe. Is it 2024 or 1993, because this looks like an old school drama ready to do all the things. The drama is based on a well-loved 90s cartoon and animated series about two childhood friends. In our new drama version of the story, these two kiddies meet again 20 years later, and it’s hijinks galore!
Song Ha-yoon (Please Don’t Date Him) plays our eponymous heroine, and hard-working but often-failing variety show PD. While casting for her new dating show, hotshot CEO Mark Wang — Donghae (God’s Quiz 4) — is one of the selected bachelors. But much to Young-shim’s surprise, Mark Wang is actually Wang Kyung-tae. That’s right — she’s unknowingly cast her old childhood friend, and the teasers do not attempt to hide his sparkle, even using some onscreen animations to make sure we realize how much he shines.
Our new teaser gives us more of a sense of Young-shim’s wild-hearted ways (see: judo-throwing Mark Wang around like a rag doll), but we also meet our second leads. Because it wouldn’t be an old school rom-com without the love polygon! The swiftly rising Lee Min-jae (Crash Course in Romance) plays Young-shim’s fellow PD Lee Chae-dong, and you can feel his crush on her right through the screen. *The SLS hurts already*
We also have Goo Wol-sook, played by Jung Woo-yeon (Meant to Be). She’s a beauty YouTuber, frenemy, and also a childhood friend of Young-shim’s. It looks like she’ll be stirring the pot a bit, throwing our leads in the hot seat. I wouldn’t discount a crush on Mark Wang, either.
I don’t know about you, but this setup is just screaming my name; I miss the old drama days of messy, struggling, and relatable heroines who unknowingly charm the men around them. Best case, Oh! Young-shim gives us a wonderful old school rom-com with tropes to chew on for days; worse case, we get an interesting comparison to Love is For Suckers, which shall be the subject of many a forthcoming K-drama thesis.
Co-directed by PD Oh Hwan-min (Fly Again) and PD Kim Kyung-eun with scripts by Jeon Sun-young (A DeadbEAT’s Meal), ENA’s Oh! Young-shim premieres on May 15.
