When I first heard that upcoming fantasy rom-com Meloholic was shopping around for broadcasters, I can tell you that OCN was the absolute last station I would expect to house it. I mean, sure, it did air their first romance drama My Secret Romance earlier this year, but the channel is overwhelmingly known for its gritty crime thrillers. The show starring DBSK’s U-Know Yunho (Records of a Night Watchman) and Kyung Su-jin (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju) will have an element of mystery, though that is where the similarities end with OCN’s usual fare.
The first teaser gives us the basic premise: Our hero, Yoo Eun-ho, has the supernatural ability to read people’s minds, and will fall in love with heroine Han Ye-ri/Han Joo-ri. From what I gathered in earlier reports, I thought that Kyung Su-jin’s character was two-faced in a bipolar sense, but with two names attached to her, the show seems to be going for a heroine with literally two personalities.
In the first scene of the teaser, we see what must be the heroine’s softer, more innocent personality, as the two leads are embracing under a shower of petals that actually turn out to be heart-shaped. Haha, coupled with the soft lighting and the music, it’s so cheesetastic. The copy reads, “I fell in love. With a woman who is genuine.” That last sentence then gets re-written as, “With a woman who is unpredictable.”
The heroine’s other personality is a bit more aggressive, sporting no glasses and dark eye makeup, and pushing Eun-ho up against a brick wall. I love how round his eyes get when she thinks, “Today is no bra day.” Lol. He looks just as smitten with this side of her at the end of this teaser, though, gaping as she struts towards him in heels and sunglasses. How much would I love the hero to be a complete beta male?
I have to admit, my first reaction wasn’t exactly positive when I heard the casting news for Meloholic because I have yet to see Yunho get beyond that level of acting that doesn’t use the word “foot.” But, I’ve enjoyed PD Song Hyun-wook’s dramas in the past (see: Marriage Not Dating, Oh Hae-young Again, and even parts of Introverted Boss) and this show will be working with established material since it’s an adaptation of a Naver webtoon. So, I’m hoping against hope that maybe this show will be an enjoyable, breezy, cringe-less watch. I am, if nothing else, an optimist.
Meloholic will occupy OCN’s Monday-Tuesday slot, which has been left empty since My Secret Romance. The broadcaster will actually air the show in conjunction with a web channel called Oksusu, which is curiously going to start releasing Meloholic online in advance of the television premiere. OCN will premiere the show on November 6, while Oksusu will make it available on November 1.
