"Kim Hye-soo didn't even cry her eyes out despite her husband's 'affair'..." — The writer of "Now, an Affair" reveals a behind-the-scenes story [Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

Co-writers Jeong Eun-kyung and Park Soo-rin of "Now, an Affair" shared their feelings after the lavish casting of top actress Kim Hye-soo and Jo Yeo-jeong was finalized.

OTT Coupang Play's "Now, an Affair Is Not a Problem" (hereinafter "Now, an Affair") premiered on July 31 and concluded as an eight-part series on September 4. The show is a runaway chain-reaction black comedy where the popular influencer couple Park Kyung-hee (played by Kim Hye-soo) and Im Jae-hong (played by Kim Ji-hoon), who have built their lives on selling happy families, become entangled in an unbearable secret that makes even affairs seem trivial, alongside the neighboring doctor couple Ahn Soo-jeong (played by Jo Yeo-jeong) and Ju Bo-seong (played by Kim Jae-cheol), who are embroiled in a messy divorce lawsuit.

Director Lee Chang-hee, known for the Netflix series "Kill Boksoon," helmed the project. New writers Jeong Eun-kyung and Park Soo-rin took on the scriptwriting duties, creating an original genre piece. While wrapped in the familiar theme of "affair," the story densely unfolds the intertwined events among the characters, vividly capturing the raw faces of various human archetypes.

Notably, "Now, an Affair" sparked widespread discussion with its historic casting that reunited South Korea's leading actresses Kim Hye-soo and Jo Yeo-jeong. The two had previously worked together 23 years ago in the historical drama "Jang Hee-bin" (2002).

As this is their official debut as screenwriters, Jeong Eun-kyung and Park Soo-rin could not hide their sense of honor. In an interview with StarNews on the 10th, they recalled, "We saw reactions on X (formerly Twitter) saying, 'If it were me, I'd ascend to heaven that Kim Hye-soo and Jo Yeo-jeong are in the same cast.' Actually, when we first heard the casting was confirmed, we felt exactly the same way."

Continuing, Writer Jeong said, "I screamed at the name Kim Hye-soo," while Writer Park recalled, "At that time, I had gone out to eat pork galbi with my family. I remember declaring, 'I'm going to treat everyone to beef,' because I was so happy."

Most importantly, Kim Hye-soo had been the dream casting envisioned by the writers since a film version of the script over 10 years ago, long before this drama was realized. Writer Jeong shared an interesting anecdote: "Even more than 10 years ago when I first conceived 'Now, an Affair,' I had Kim Hye-soo in mind for the role of Kyung-hee. Surprisingly, Kim Hye-soo has remained steadfast and even more magnificent over the years. So when meeting with the director, I wondered if it was appropriate to mention her name, but I shyly and carefully brought up Senior Hyesu."

How did they feel about working directly with Kim Hye-soo? The two writers said, "She filled in the gaps between lines and actions so perfectly that she delivered performances clearer than what we had written. Thanks to that power, viewers were likely able to follow 'Now, an Affair' very well," expressing their admiration without holding back.

They added, "There is a certain trust people place in the image Kim Hye-soo has built up over the years. Because of that, she seemed to easily immerse herself into the influencer character Kyung-hee."

Writer Jeong then emphasized Kim Hye-soo's wide acting spectrum: "Although she has a strong image, she actually portrayed her delicate side very well. If we had only highlighted Kyung-hee's strong side, it would have lacked charm. There were moments of collapse that I wanted to express, and Kim Hye-soo hit those points precisely in her performance."

Writer Jeong also shared a specific anecdote: "Actually, when Kyung-hee found out about her husband's affair, the original script had her 'going into the room and crying her eyes out.' But Kim Hye-soo said that if it were Kyung-hee, she wouldn't cry like that, so we revised it accordingly. I was struck again by how profound her interpretation of the script and character is."

Regarding Jo Yeo-jeong's casting, they said, "Je Jak-sa (CEO) (First Man Studio Kim Ji-yeon (CEO)) first brought it up. It was so fitting for the revised role that I thought, 'Why didn't we think of this?'"

They continued, "We wanted Soo-jeong to be lovely, in contrast to Kyung-hee. Jo Yeo-jeong's image fit that well. In fact, by incorporating her 'light-footed' walk and gestures that seemed almost overly enthusiastic, she created a role that is loved despite being an adulteress."

Recalling the first script reading of "Now, an Affair," they praised: "When Kim Hye-soo and Jo Yeo-jeong exchanged lines, if I exaggerate slightly, I felt like electricity was running through my entire body. It was thrilling. From that day on, it became clear how three-dimensionally these two would bring the characters to life."

The two writers have also been recognized as storytellers by veteran actors. They shared, "On the day the 7th and 8th episode scripts were first distributed, we went to the filming set together. At that time, we stood behind the actors, and they praised us so much. As many know, Kim Hye-soo is not one who holds back on praise. Whenever my self-esteem dips, I recall those words. They inspired me to promise myself that I must work even harder in the future to create good works."

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*This content was translated by AI.