MBC's new Wednesday drama 'I'm Lovely Dog Today' (directed by Kim Dae-woong/written by Baek In-ah/produced by Group 8 and Fantagio/produced and invested by A&E Korea), which first aired on the 11th, is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name, 'I'm Lovely Dog Today' (written by Baek In-ah). An unpredictable fantasy romance drama about a woman who is cursed to turn into a dog when she kisses, and a man who is afraid of dogs, although he is the only cheat who can break the curse. Park Gyu-young made her first appearance in the play as Han Hae-na, a high school Korean language teacher and a cursed woman.
In episodes 1 and 2 of 'I'm Lovely Dog Today', Hae-na loses both love and friendship due to a family curse that turns her into a dog when she kisses her. Out of anger, she decides to confess and kisses Lee Bo-gyeom (played by Lee Hyun-woo), a Korean history teacher at the same school whom she had a crush on. . However, the opponent is math teacher Jin Seo-won (Cha Eun-woo). As a result, Hae-na turns into a dog after her first kiss in 28 years, and struggles to kiss Seo-won again to lift the curse.
Hae-na was attacking Seo-won like a bulldozer, but when she noticed that Seo-won had a secret that she couldn't tell, she said, "If it's difficult to say, you don't have to say it," and "Anyway, everyone has their own circumstances, and everyone has their own secrets in their hearts." “Because you can,” he said, offering calm consolation.
Although Park Gyu-young was cursed, she made the viewers smile by taking full advantage of Han Hae-na's bright, usually wrinkle-free charm. Previously, at the drama production press conference, Park Gyu-young expressed her affection for her role, saying, "I learned something from Hae-na while playing her," and "I am thankful to Hae-na because I was able to live with a slightly brighter energy than I have." In addition, he expressed his true feelings, saying, “Because it is an original webtoon, I wanted to show content that would not disappoint fans of the original.”
Park Gyu-young's efforts to complete Han Hae-na were visible throughout the work. For the first time since his debut, he showed off his short brown hair and created a dense portrait of a character who lives brightly while hiding his pain. Viewers also gave favorable reviews, saying, ‘Park Kyu-young’s casting is perfect,’ ‘Haena is smiling,’ and ‘She’s really good at acting and is lovely.’
Park Gyu-young, who thrilled not only fans of the original work but also viewers, with a high level of synchronization with the webtoon character ever since the news of her appearance confirmation was announced. He perfectly lived up to the expectations of many people, coloring Wednesday night in pink with his own interpretation of the character and his natural charm.
Meanwhile, 'I'm Lovely Dog Today' starring Park Gyu-young airs every Wednesday at 9 PM on MBC.
Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr