Actors Choi Hyun-wook and Moon Ga-young showcase a romantic chemistry in ‘That Guy is a Black Dragon’.
On the afternoon of the 12th, an online live-streamed production presentation for tvN's new Monday-Tuesday drama ‘That Guy is a Black Dragon’ (directed by Lee Soo-hyun, written by Kim Soo-yeon) was held. Attending the event were director Lee Soo-hyun, and actors Moon Ga-young, Choi Hyun-wook, Lim Se-mi, and Kwak Si-yang.
‘That Guy is a Black Dragon’ is a romance about ‘Department Head Killer’ Baek Soo-jung (played by Moon Ga-young), who suffers from a dark past, and ‘Chaebol 3rd Generation’ Department Head Ban Joo-yeon (played by Choi Hyun-wook), who harbors a black dragon in his heart. It is based on the webtoon of the same name by writer Hye-jin Yang.
Director Lee Soo-hyun explained the work, saying, “It’s a fun romantic comedy about characters whose first love has turned into a dark history, who meet again, fall in love, and then face their dark past again, healing and growing along the way.”
Moon Ga-young plays Baek Soo-jung, the planning team leader at Yongseong Department Store, who has become accustomed to fighting with the department head rather than just enduring the harsh world. Choi Hyun-wook plays Ban Joo-yeon, a perfectionist chaebol heir who has secretly hidden his fanboy persona ‘Black Dragon’ to be recognized as a chaebol 3rd generation and the department head of Yongseong Department Store.
Director Lee Soo-hyun shared the reason for casting Moon Ga-young, saying, “I was happy to work with Moon Ga-young again. I call her ‘teacher’. She is a friend from whom I can learn a lot. I was waiting for another opportunity to work together, and when I came across the script for ‘Black Dragon’, I felt this was the chance. I was confident she would do very well. I made the offer, and it was an excellent choice.”
He continued, “The role of Ban Joo-yeon has a lot of responsibilities. The on-off switch needs to be clear, and he has to deliver lines that are not everyday speech and do comedy well. I thought about which actor could handle this well. When I first saw Choi Hyun-wook, I thought he had good sense, and I was impressed, so I made the offer. He was really charming on set. He’s a cute friend. While he has the charm of a younger man, he also brought out the charm of the black dragon more than 200%, for which I am very grateful.”
Moon Ga-young said, “The title was so striking that I was very curious. The script was fun, and I thought it could resonate with audiences through hobbies and dark past memories among the small and fun elements, so I decided to take it on as my next project right away.” She added, “I felt more anticipation than pressure. Since it leans more towards comedy than romance, I wanted to greet everyone with a bright work once again.”
Choi Hyun-wook, who has previously appeared in school-themed dramas, is taking on his first office drama after his debut. He stated, “It’s my first time challenging this genre and role, but it came to me as fun. I wear various suits in the work. I focused on a restrained way of walking and tone. While I show a perfect image inside the company, I also have an exaggerated charm outside, so I researched a lot to bring out that charm.”
Moon Ga-young will have a romantic chemistry with the 6-year younger Choi Hyun-wook. Previously, four photos of Moon Ga-young and Choi Hyun-wook were leaked on social media and online communities. In the photos, the two were seen sharing a kiss and hugging, showcasing natural skinship, which caught attention. This led to dating rumors among netizens, but it was later revealed that the leaked kiss photo was a scene from the drama, bringing the commotion to a close.
Moon Ga-young remarked, “It was a new experience. I always played the youngest role on set, but I felt a sense of responsibility as the older one. While filming with Choi Hyun-wook, I realized that there is so much to learn regardless of age. He is a very sensible actor. There were many scenes that were possible because of him. He did a great job with ad-libs. I have many memories of laughing while filming.”
Choi Hyun-wook responded, “It was my first time leading a romance. So, I relied a lot on ‘Melody Queen’ Moon Ga-young and learned a lot. I think a lot of ad-libs came out that weren’t in the script as we exchanged ideas. Since she accepted everything, we filmed with confidence and had fun.”
Finally, director Lee Soo-hyun expressed, “This is a work that you can enjoy watching when you’re stressed. You can comfortably watch it when you want to see something fun during your break. I think it would be good to give it a try. I made it so that the time you invest won’t be wasted, so please watch it until the end.”
‘That Guy is a Black Dragon’ consists of a total of 12 episodes and will premiere on Monday, the 17th, at 8:50 PM.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
