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| From left, actors Jung Gun-joo, Shin Ye-eun, Ryeoun, and Kang Hoon pose during an online press conference for the new SBS series, "The Secret Romantic Guesthouse," Wednesday. Courtesy of SBS |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Shin Ye-eun shared her lovable character in the new SBS series, "The Secret Romantic Guesthouse," which prompted her to take on a period project for the first time.
"I felt that (the character) was a type of person a lot of people would love. So I joined the series thinking let's get loved," she said during the online press conference for the series, Wednesday.
"When I first came across this series, I read up to four episodes. And I could tell that there were so many stories to unfold after the fourth episode. And I liked how every one of the characters, not just mine, was multidimensional and lively. It was interesting how (the series) is made up of so many different happenings."
Based on the web novel of the same name, the period series, set to premiere on March 20, revolves around an energetic woman named Yoon Dan-oh (Shin) of the Joseon Dynasty. After her parents die, she gives up a comfortable life and becomes the breadwinner, running a guesthouse called Ihwawon Inn.
While providing a place to stay for people traveling to the capital city to take the exam for royal official positions, Dan-oh meets three mysterious guests ― Kang San (Ryeoun), Kim Shi-yeol (Kang Hoon), and Jung Yoo-ha (Jung Gun-joo) and finds herself caught in a complicated romance with them.
The series is led by director Kim Jung-min, who previously helmed the period detective series, "Royal Secret Agent" (2020), and is co-written by Kwon Eum-mi, who wrote the 2011 series, "Royal Family," and newcomer Kim Ja-hyun.
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| A poster for the series "The Secret Romantic Guesthouse" / Courtesy of SBS |
Shin said she had to give the series a lot of thought before accepting the role.
"Because it is my first period series, I hesitated and took a cautious, careful approach. I felt that I should take a stab when I have enough experience and skills. But since this was such a good series and with a trusted director and co-stars, I came to think there's no need for me to be afraid," she said.
The actress added she shares a lot of things in command with her character. "Out of all the series I've done, I think Dan-oh is most similar to my real personality. I'm not sure if it's that I want to be similar because Dan-oh is so lovely or that I actually am. But Dan-oh is independent, flexible, and strong enough to survive in any environment," she said, as she described her character.
The director noted that the series won't be all romance, but will also have an element of mystery.
"What's special about our series is that there's young adults' light-hearted story along with a mystery plot up to the eighth episode," he said, adding that the series will have both a light and serious tone. "The romantic comedy part comes in the beginning. But if it's too light-hearted, I felt there could be too much difference in the tone that would come later. So my main focus was to find the appropriate tone."
"The Secret Romantic Guesthouse" will air Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
