Yeo Jin-goo promises romance in “Orange Marmalade”

Yeo Jin-goo, right, and Seol Hyun pose at the press conference at GLAD hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

Teenage heartthrob Yeo Jin-goo promises to make the viewers’ hearts flutter in his new fantasy melodrama “Orange Marmalade” that premieres this Friday on Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

“This is my first time to star in a romantic drama as a leading character,” Yeo said during a press conference at the GLAD hotel, in Seoul, Tuesday. “I will remind viewers of their forgotten feelings of first love through the drama.”

The 17-year-old actor, who began his career back in 2005, said he has never had a girlfriend and the emotion of love is still unfamiliar to him. However, Yeo thinks his situation can help him express love more purely than veteran actors.

“Orange Marmalade is a teenage drama and I am the character’s age. I don’t have to think about acting out certain feelings. I naturally showed my feelings on the spot as I read the script with my partner Seol Hyun.”

Seol Hyun, a member of the girl band Ace Of Angel (AOA), has her first leading role in the drama as Yeo’s first love. She said she is feeling the pressure of such a big role, but did not hesitate to take her chance.

“I was criticized by netizens for my bad acting in a previous television series,” Seol said. “However, I promise my acting in Orange Marmalade will be better as my character and I share many similarities.

“I was a trainee and debuted in a girl band while attending high school. My classmates treated me specially. Baek Ma-ri (Seol Hyun’s character in the scene) is also a special girl at her school because she is a vampire. She tries to hide her identity and deliberately acts like an outcast, which makes her even more distinct for her odd behavior.”

Asked whether she wants to follow in the footsteps of Suzy from girl band Miss A who is often called “the nation’s first love,” Seol said she just wants to be accepted as herself.

“Orange Marmalade” features 12 episodes in three parts, representing the past, present and future. The fantasy drama is based on the original story of the popular web cartoon of the same title which depicts romance between a human and a vampire.

“Vampires are trendy these days, although some drama series in Korea have failed to take advantage of this,” said Kim Jeong-hwan, the chief producer. “However, Orange Marmalade is different in that it mixes with a teen romance story like a combination of the American movie series Twilight and the 1996 Korean melodrama the Gingko Bed.”