Oooh, shivers just went up my spine from watching the latest teaser for Rescue Me, the upcoming psychological thriller on OCN. It captures both the youthful tone and the frightening mystery that the main characters become entangled in. Set in a small sleepy town in the countryside, a religious cult begins to take over, its insidious teachings slowly pervading the minds of the townspeople. A neighborhood gang of four young hot-blooded boys led by Taecyeon (Bring It On, Ghost) try to rescue their first love, played by Seo Ye-ji (Hwarang), from its clutches.
The teaser opens with the cult leader, played by Jo Sung-ha (The K2), telling a young naive-looking Seo Ye-ji, “The embrace of the new god is open to anyone.” Her eyes are shut tight in what seems to be prayer, but they suddenly jerk wide open when hands grasp at her thighs. Then the scene changes to one where Jo Sung-ha is in front of a large audience of prostrate followers who sway fervently to his preachings. She passes out flyers on the street, presumably promoting the cult, and Taecyeon and one of his school buddies watch her on their motorcycles from afar.
A fight breaks out at the school, and Taecyeon and his crew, being the brash youths they are, are amongst the first to send flying kicks to their opponents. Seo Ye-ji is cornered against a wall, and a man’s voice tells her “You will soon earn salvation.” In between, the copy reads: “Hot-blooded youths save the world from a religious cult.” Then there’s a blur of clips that show Taecyeon running with his friends right behind him, Seo Ye-ji struggling to break free of her captor on the ground, and Taecyeon arguing that they should do something.
A woman’s sinister voice says, “We don’t give up” in the background, as Jo Sung-ha glares creepily. Then the teaser closes out with a close-up of Seo Ye-ji’s face, bloodied, shivering, and covered in sweat, as she whispers, “Rescue me.”
So far, this drama has been doing a fantastic job of setting the stage for its chilling mystery. According to the production staff, Taecyeon became so immersed in the emotions of his character that he couldn’t stop crying even after the PD yelled cut in the bus chase scene pictured below. I’m looking forward to his simple but heartwarming country bumpkin character in this drama, and watching him and his gang bring down the creepy cult.
OCN’s next weekend thriller drama Rescue Me begins airing on August 5.
