I’m ready for this modern mythical fantasy drama to be my early Christmas present! Hwayugi has released shots where we can get our first glimpse of some of the cast of the new Hong sisters’ drama, starring Lee Seung-gi (You’re All Surrounded). He plays the monkey god, Sun Wukong, originally based on the character in the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West.
His counterpart, the Bull Demon King, will be played by Cha Seung-won (Hwajeong), who will be a gentle but vain entertainment company CEO in this retelling. And the monk from the source material has been reinvented as a female real-estate mogul who can see spirits and resells houses known for their negative energy, and she’ll be played by Oh Yeon-seo (My Sassy Girl).
The drama will tell the journey of how this threesome joins together to banish the darkness in this world, and helps it grow toward the light. In the novel, Sun Wukong was exiled from heaven because he was too prideful, but remains a mischievous, incorrigible character, and Lee Seung-gi seems to be right at home playing him. And now I’m more interested in Cha Seung-won’s character after these stills because of his wacky Willy Wonka getup.
His in-drama talent agency Lucifer manages top stars like PK, the nation’s top celeb, played by Lee Hong-ki (Modern Farmer), who is based on the Pig God from the novel. Then there’s Yoon Bo-ra (Doctor Stranger) who plays sexy star Alice, originally the son of the Dragon King who foolishly handed over a treasure of the Dragon Palace to a female thief. When he was caught, he was expelled from the Dragon Palace and on the edge of despair, but the Bull Demon King found him and gave him a second chance to live in a woman’s body.
Cha Seung-won is aided by Lee El (Black), who plays his faithful personal secretary and right-hand woman. *fervently prays* Dramagods, please make this loveline happen. But to be honest, the best stills are of Lee Se-young (The Best Hit) who looks downright creepy but beautiful at the same time. She plays a zombie girl who was murdered secretly and buried in a godforsaken hill somewhere, but somehow through the power of Oh Yeon-seo’s blood, she arises from the dead and begins to search for her savior-creator.
I’m not quite sure how zombies will fit into this modern retelling, but I like the sound of her character. Because her brain is rotted, she doesn’t know who she is or how she died, but like the typical schoolgirl, she’s very concerned with maintaining her appearance especially as things start to decay off her body. Lols, she’s described as a quirky and cute type of zombie.
Well, this mythical romance looks fantastic so far! Saturday-Sunday drama Hwayugi will premiere on December 23 on tvN.
