Actors Choi Soo-young and Gong Myung have come together for 'Please Drink Responsibly.' Following the previous work 'Divorce Insurance,' which ended with humiliating ratings in the 0% range, attention is focused on whether 'Please Drink Responsibly' can recover and perform well in terms of viewership.
On the afternoon of the 7th, an online recorded production presentation for tvN's new Monday-Tuesday drama 'Please Drink Responsibly' (written by Myung Soo-hyun and Jeon Ji-hyun / directed by Jang Yu-jung) was held. Due to the cast's scheduling conflicts, the event was conducted as a pre-recorded session rather than a live broadcast, featuring edited footage from the shoot. Director Jang Yu-jung, along with Choi Soo-young, Gong Myung, Kim Sung-ryung, Kim Sang-ho, and Jo Yoon-hee attended the event.
'Please Drink Responsibly' is a romantic drama about a woman who considered herself a very reasonable drinker, who challenges herself to quit drinking after reuniting with her first love, who despises alcohol.
Director Jang Yu-jung expressed her feelings about directing, saying, "When I read the script, I really wanted to do it. I read it in the early morning and couldn't wait for morning to come. I had a very rewarding time meeting the actors and filming. I am excited and looking forward to how we will reach the viewers."
Regarding the theme of abstaining from alcohol, she explained, "I don't think alcohol is absolutely bad, but the more you drink, the harder it is to control, and you can become overly dependent, which can be fatal to oneself. This work provides cheerful yet serious advice about those risks. It's a story about alcohol, but also about dependency."
Choi Soo-young plays Han Geum-joo, a 10-year veteran mechanic whose life has gone awry due to alcohol.
Choi Soo-young stated, "Geum-joo is a 10-year mechanic working for a large corporation. She is a friend who doesn't hesitate to work overtime to survive in a male-dominated environment. As a result, she has become almost addicted to alcohol. She can't sleep without drinking and enjoys it, but she is also dependent on it. Geum-joo goes down to Bo-cheon and meets her first love, who despises alcohol, and through this challenge to quit drinking, she grows and heals, marking her journey of growth."
Regarding portraying alcohol addiction, she said, "At first, we had many discussions about how to express and set the level of alcohol addiction. In reality, it seems like there are many people who don't appear to be addicted at all. I started by observing and recalling, and I thought the process of accepting that I might be an alcoholic needed to be detailed. Initially, everyone denies it. After hearing the stories, it really seemed plausible. That is expressed in detail in the script."
Gong Myung plays Seo Ui-jun, Geum-joo's first love and the head of the Bo-cheon health center.
Gong Myung shared, "Ui-jun is a figure of hope for the village elders. I think the nickname 'Seon-nim' comes from that." He added, "Since he doesn't express his inner feelings directly, I had a lot of thoughts about how to portray him. Given the weight of the term 'first love,' I pondered how to express the emotional flow to convey Ui-jun's feelings for Geum-joo to the viewers."
Finally, Choi Soo-young remarked, "This is actually my personal opinion, but while filming, I reflected on 'What am I addicted to?' I feel like I keep looking for things to cover my wounds, like putting red medicine on them, because I can't face the addictions I am unaware of. I hope this drama serves as an opportunity for many people, not just regarding alcohol, to reflect on themselves."
'Please Drink Responsibly' will premiere on Monday, the 12th, at 8:50 PM.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
