01x01 - Can a Kiss Scene Lead to Love?

[bunniefuu]

[slow sensual music playing]

[narrator] Can true love really blossom

between two actors
doing a kissing scene together?

Say you must kiss someone
while acting in a romantic drama,

do you and your partner
necessarily fall in love?

♪ Can't get enough ♪

This series dives into Korean drama
and it's taking the world by storm.

KOREAN DRAMA

SIX TALES OF LOVE
EACH CONTAINING KISSING SCENES

Eight men and women will compete
for the leading roles.

Will the love between them be just an act?

Or will it be more?

[Ayano] Every single day,
I can feel my heart racing.

[sobs] I can't.

This is so brutal.

[Yuko] This show is an experiment
to see what happens

when you mix love and acting.

[Nozomi giggles]

Welcome to Love Like a K-Drama.

Let's start by meeting our leading ladies.

♪ Don't you know that I ♪

♪ Can't get enough ♪

[gentle bright music playing]

Hi, I'm Rio Yamashita.

[Rio] I started acting when I was 14,

I've been doing this
for about 16 years now.

In all my years acting,
I have never fallen in love

while sh**ting a kissing scene.

I'm curious to see what will happen.

I'm Ayano Kudo.

[Ayano] I've never acted in
an actual romantic drama before.

I think it may have
something to do with my height.

How's my love life?

Well, I've been single
for quite some time now.

A pretty long time. [chuckles]

I'm Honoka Kitahara.

[Honoka] This is my first time
outside of Japan.

I'm hoping this experience
will bring some freshness into my craft.

That it will rekindle my love for acting.

I'd also really like to meet
a great acting partner.

And falling in love would be amazing.

Hi, I'm Nozomi Bando.

[Nozomi] I'm a music artist.
I made my singing debut

with a group called E-girls

To be honest, I'm feeling a bit insecure

because I have
very little acting experience.

I'm looking forward to learning
from everyone on this show.

I expect to achieve
lasting personal growth.

I'm really hoping I'll get to develop
my acting skills during this process.

[Yuko] Hello, ladies.

[all greeting in Korean]

Welcome to Korea. I'm your host,
Yuko Fueki. Nice to meet you.

[women in Japanese] Nice to meet you.

YUKO FUEKI
KNOWN AS YOO MIN IN KOREA

[narrator in English]
Our host is actress Yuko Fueki.

She has extensive experience
working on productions

in both Japan and Korea.

ACTED IN STAINED GLASS AND IRIS

[Yuko] Are you nervous?

-Very. Yes.
-Really?

But are you also excited?

I'm really curious to see
how dramas are produced here in Korea.

[Yuko] Yes, of course.

It can be pretty grueling.

-[Ayano] Grueling?
-Really?

It depends on who's directing, of course.

Some directors can be
very firm and strict.

[Yuko] The process is intense,
it's demanding,

but you ladies seem to have
the necessary grit.

[women laughing]

I think my grit is
what's gotten me this far.

-[Ayano] Same.
-[laughs]

[Yuko] That's wonderful.

In this drama,
all your lines will be in Korean.

[Yuko] And the production creative team
and crew will be entirely Korean.

When I saw the script,
I couldn't believe it. I was like...

"What?" [chuckles]

[narrator] Participants of this show

will star in a six-part
romantic drama series.

Each episode will feature a kissing scene.

It will be produced
by a critically acclaimed,

highly talented team entirely in Korean.

I don't really want to act
while struggling to speak Korean.

I mean, I feel like
I may not get my lines.

What's the point?

[narrator] Over the next month,

the actresses will pair up with actors
for each episode.

They will rehearse
and audition for the dramas

while competing against one another
for the leading roles.

We'll see if anyone falls in love
during this intense process.

All right, so ladies,

let's get started and establish our pairs
for the first audition.

-Right. Okay.
-Wait, what?

-[women chuckling nervously]
-I'm scared.

[bright music playing]

[narrator] The gentlemen
participating in this series

are all Korean actors.

They're waiting for the women
at various K-Drama filming locations.

-We won't get to meet them before?
-What? They aren't here?

So we're going to go meet them?

Exactly. You'll get to take your pick.

As soon as you like someone,
raise your hand.

THE WOMEN EXPRESS INTEREST

I'm so nervous.

[Yuko] There's your limo.
Time to go meet the guys, ladies.

Good luck!

[bright upbeat music playing]

YEOUIDO HANGANG PARK

-[Nozomi] I can't wait.
-[Honoka] Me too!

-He's got his back to us.
-What is this?

-Look!
-[Honoka] Yes! There he is!

[Nozomi] First stop!
And he's standing proud.

-[Honoka] He looks cute.
-[Ayano] So cute.

I'm nervous.

[tense music playing]

[Nozomi] Hello there.

-Wow! He's so handsome.
-What a looker!

-[Ayano] Hello.
-Hello.

[women giggling]

[Nozomi] Pleased to meet you.

[Rio] Hello.

Hello, ladies. I'm Won Shik Kim.

[Won Shik] Let me tell you
a bit about myself.

I'm a passionate guy.
As passionate as Mitsui in Slam Dunk.

-[women laughing]
-[Nozomi] Oh, Slam Dunk.

In acting and in love, I never give up.

You won't regret pairing up with me.
We'll have an amazing time.

[women giggling]

What I wanna know is,
who wants to gaze at the stars with me?

[cheerful violin music playing]

[laughing]

-[Honoka] He's so cute.
-[Ayano] So adorable.

Okay, so ladies, please close your eyes.

-What?
-What? Already?

-I'm confused. Wait, hold on.
-What's going on?

If any of you wish to pair up with me

please raise your hand now.

What?

What?

No, wait a minute.

IF MULTIPLE WOMEN RAISE THEIR HANDS
THE MAN GETS TO CHOOSE

[Honoka] What's going on?
Is it already time to find out?

[Ayano] Already? Wait.

[Honoka] I don't know. I'm confused.
When should I open my eyes?

[Won Shik] I look forward
to working with you.

[Honoka] Wait, did anybody else
raise their hand?

[upbeat music playing]

-[Ayano] I did.
-[Rio] Me too.

-[Honoka] Nice to meet you.
-[Won Shik] Hi.

-[Won Shik] It's really nice to meet you.
-I'm delighted.

[Honoka] When he turned around

our eyes met right away.

I don't know. Maybe I'm making it up
and his reaction is all in my head.

[Ayano] Let's find the next place.

-Fifteen.
-Where?

-You found it?
-Yes!

-[Nozomi] Right there.
-How lovely.

-[chuckling]
-This place is really nice.

It was pretty noisy outside
but it's nice and peaceful in here.

-[Nozomi] Yeah.
-[Ayano] It's really quiet

-all of a sudden.
-[Nozomi] Yeah. Amazing.

-[Rio] I'm getting nervous.
-Yeah.

[Ayano] Yeah.

[rock music playing]

[all greeting in Korean]

Hello, ladies. I'm Ji Hyuk Song.

-[Haruna] Great. He speaks Japanese.
-[a-chan] Yeah.

[chuckling]

I've been acting for five years now.

I've worked on Japanese productions,
in Japanese, of course.

I've featured in plays and musicals.

[Ayano] Wow, so cool.

So I totally get
how challenging it will be

for you to act here in Korea
in a foreign language.

[Ji Hyuk] Rest assured,
I will stand by you

and we'll work together
and overcome all challenges as a team.

I plan on supporting you
in every possible way I can

so you can look back
at this experience fondly, forever.

If you would like to pair up with me
and make good memories together,

please hold out your hand.

-What?
-What?

We don't have to close our eyes?

No, you can keep them open.

[chuckling]

[suspenseful music playing]

-Yes!
-[chuckles]

[Ji Hyuk] Thank you.
I'm sure it'll be great.

[Rio] Yes, thank you.

-Thank you.
-Pleased to meet you.

-[Ji Hyuk] Likewise.
-[Rio chuckles]

-Amazing.
-He's hot!

[in Japanese] Actually,
I am familiar with you.

-Excuse me?
-I'm fam... I know of you.

-You know me?
-Yeah.

-Me?
-Yes.

[in English] You were in Supernova, right?

Oh, yes. Yeah, I was.

-Glad to meet you.
-Me too.

You speak Japanese very well.

I've performed on stage
in Japan before in a boy band

and I'd like to work in Japan
as an actor, as well.

We're able to communicate
so much faster than the others,

because he speaks Japanese.

I think it's wonderful
because I don't speak Korean very well.

I think this is gonna be super helpful.

BANPO BRIDGE

[upbeat electronic music playing]

-[Nozomi] This is gonna be a game changer.
-[Ayano] Yeah, the final two pairs.

[suspenseful music playing]

-What do we do?
-I don't know.

[chuckles]

-[Haruna] He's adorable!
-[Hayato] Sure is!

[Haruna] He's got boyish charm.

-Hi.
-[women] Hi.

I'm Tae Gyun Lee.

I've been acting for five years.

[Tae Gyun] I'm a pretty shy person
in real life,

but when it comes to acting,
I'm all in and don't hold back.

I'm looking for love
but I don't want to force it.

If feelings start to develop
while prepping for the audition...

that would be great.

♪ No matter what we both decide ♪

♪ I'm gonna be all right ♪

Would one of you ladies
like to pair up with me?

[light sweet music playing]

[laughing]

Uh...

-[Tae Gyun] Thanks. Glad to work with you.
-Same here.

-[Tae Gyun] This will be great.
-I'm sure it will be.

[all chuckling]

Why am I laughing?

[in Japanese] Gosh, I'm laughing.

[in English] I'm 26 years old.

You are? I'm 26 too.

-Wow. Same birthday.
-[Ayano] We're the same age.

-Thank you.
-[Ayano] Nice to meet you.

[both chuckling]

[Ayano] He was so different
from the first two guys.

I think he's really handsome,
so I raised my hand.

[smooth jazzy music playing]

ITAEWON

[funky upbeat music playing]

Hello.

-Hi.
-[Nozomi] Hi.

Have you been waiting long?

Uh, kind of. [chuckles]

We're the last ones left.

Feels like fate, doesn't it?

[studio cast squealing]

-[Hayato] A sweet talker.
-What a charmer.

Already feels like a K-Drama. [claps]

Let the drama begin!

My name is Dong Kyu Kim.

I'm Nozomi Bando.

-[Dong Kyu] Nozomi?
-Yes.

[Dong Kyu] Um... I'm a professional model
and an actor here in Korea.

Whether it's acting or real-life romance...

uh, I always give it my all.

I'm a sincere guy
and I wanna do this right.

So...

Will you pair up with me?

[gentle sweet music playing]

[chuckles]

-[in Korean] Nice to... wait. Nice to...
-"Nice to meet you."

...meet you. [laughs]

[Nozomi] It was so sweet of him to ask me

if I wanted to pair up with him.
What a gentleman. He...

He looks like
he came straight out of a K-Drama.

He's tall and he has a great smile.

So far, I think
he's the most charming of the guys.

Oh, it must be fate!

Will they kiss already?

He's a great sweet talker.

THE SHARED HOUSE

[narrator] The eight actors
participating in this series

will live together for a month
in a house in Seoul.

-[Honoka] We're home!
-Home, sweet home!

-[Won Shik] Cool!
-[amazed exclaims]

It's beautiful.

[gasps] Amazing.

[Honoka] It's so nice and open!

[Ji Hyuk] Amazing, it's huge!
Oh, it's great!

[Ayano] So roomy!

[narrator] The men and women
will live here together

while competing for
the same leading roles.

Cool! No way!

You have to come see this, there's a tent!

[Ayano] A tent?

-It's so cozy!
-[Ayano] Wow! A tent.

[Won Shik] Look at this amazing seating.

Isn't this romantic?

It's so romantic.

[Honoka cheers]

[narrator] One month to explore
love and acting

and to overcome language barriers.

And then I cry.

[ballad music playing]

Will I have to shed tears
for real tomorrow?

[automated voice]
Will I have to shed tears

for real tomorrow?

[laughs]

[narrator] Our journey into
the possibilities

romantic drama can create, starts now.

That's it, we're all set.

Love Like a K-Drama can really begin now!

[cheering, applauding]

This reality show was designed to see

if two actors doing
romantic scenes together

-can end up falling in love for real.
-[a-chan] Yes.

The show's eight participants
are going to live together in Seoul

while auditioning in pairs
for the lead parts in a drama.

The pair that lands the roles
will get to star in the episode

and share a kiss.

They'll have to kiss.

[Shusuke] We are gonna find out
if kissing in a scene

can lead to true feelings!

[clapping]

-The thing is, they're all actors.
-Yup.

Their priority isn't love,
it's to score leading parts

and showcase their skills.

That could cause a little tension
and stir up some conflicts.

-Things could get pretty messy, right?
-[a-chan] True.

This is truly
the ultimate reality dating show.

The whole process is gonna be
so intense and stressful for them.

-[Hayato] It'll be hard.
-[Haruna] For sure.

Yes, and there's
a language barrier as well.

-[Haruna] That's a challenge.
-Will they overcome it?

[Haruna] Pretty difficult.

-[Shusuke] It's gonna be hard.
-They'll really have to push themselves.

You know, the staff told me
that we might see some sparks fly

in the love department, too.

Really?

I've heard that Korean guys
tend to come on really strong.

-They really go for it.
-Really?

Maybe us guys
will get to learn a thing or two

by seeing their moves.

-You'll get even louder.
-[Hayato] Oh, yeah?

These women are discovering
a whole other culture.

Yes.

AUDITION

-Let's start.
-Okay, let's go.

[in Korean] "Mom and Dad will freak out
if we mention marriage so soon."

"Mom and Dad will freak out."

"Mom and Dad will freak out."

[Honoka] "If we mention marriage so soon."

[Won Shik] "If we mention
marriage so soon."

WON SHIK: WE SHOULD BE CLOSER
TO LOOK LIKE A COUPLE

WON SHIK:
KEEP LOOKING INTO MY EYES

[in English]
Okay. All right.

HONOKA AND WON SHIK

[Honoka] Yeah, okay.

-[Haruna] What?
-[a-chan] They're so close!

"I love you."

"I'll love you forever."

[gentle sweet music playing]

[Won Shik] Honoka...

she's so kind, and she's
so innocent-looking and adorable.

[chuckles]

I really want us
to do our best to get the parts.

[Rio] "I don't want to interfere."

[Ji Hyuk] "I love you."

"I'll love you forever."

♪ I just wanna pull you closer ♪

♪ Electricity, feeling up the vibe ♪

♪ It takes one touch to get it right ♪

[in Japanese] I hope it doesn't look like
I'm the one begging for a kiss.

I kind of think it looks like
you're leaning in too quickly.

Too quickly, really?

-Go step by step.
-How?

-One...
-Two, three... Okay.

"Oh, I love you."

[Ji Hyuk] She is a very passionate person.

I'm gonna try to keep up with her
and match her.

This is great.

I know this will help me grow as an actor.

[Tae Gyun] Ayane...

-[Tae Gyun] Ayane... huh?
-[Ayano] Ayano.

-[Tae Gyun] Ayano...
-[Ayano] Oh!

-Ayano.
-Ayano.

-Ayano.
-Ayano.

Ayano. [chuckles]

DONG KYU:
SORRY I CAN'T SPEAK JAPANESE

NOZOMI:
I CAN'T SPEAK KOREAN EITHER

Nozomi...

[Dong Kyu] Should we use
both hands at the end?

Yeah, like this.

[chuckles]

DONG KYU: DO MY HANDS
COVER YOUR FACE TOO MUCH?

IT'S SO SMALL

Oh, I see.

NOZOMI:
YOUR HANDS ARE TOO BIG!

When two hearts connect,
they can fall in love.

When you love someone, you can always
find a way to talk to them.

To communicate with them.

-That's such a sweet thing to say.
-[a-chan] I love it.

[Yuko] It's my first time
meeting you, gentlemen.

I'm Yuko Fueki.

-Nice to meet you.
-[men greeting]

I'm glad you all are here.

The auditions are about to begin.

Welcome to all of you.

Each audition will be evaluated
by three judges, including me.

[Yuko] They're about to enter the room.

This way, please.

-Hello.
-[all actors] Hello.

This is Doo Jin Hwang, a former professor
at the Seoul Institute of the Arts.

And our second panelist
is stage actress Jung Eun Kim.

GUESTS WILL JUDGE THE AUDITION

[narrator] A panel of Korean guests
will be judging each audition.

[tense music playing]

[Yuko] The audition starts in 30 minutes.

So you still have time for
one final rehearsal.

♪ Turn 'em in, turn 'em out ♪

AN ENGAGED COUPLE BREAKS UP
THEN THE MAN'S SECRET COMES OUT

[narrator] Episode 1, "The Last Goodbye."

A couple is forced
to call off their engagement.

The last scene reveals
the man's hidden trauma

and emotional turmoil.

The episode ends with
the couple sharing a bittersweet kiss.

What are the crucial elements
you're looking for

to bring this storyline to life?

This is a classic
plot development in K-Dramas.

So I'm guessing they'll have
a pretty good idea of how to tackle it.

I don't want them to just copy
what they've seen on TV, though.

[Doo Jin] I'll tell you
what I'll be looking for.

When they confess their feelings
to one another at the end,

and say, "I love you,"

I'll be assessing how authentic
they would seem to the audience.

They have to understand the emotion
and really convey it.

Will they manage to do that,
even though they barely know each other

and started rehearsing yesterday?

In my opinion,
that's what's most important.

It has to be heartfelt.

[tense music playing]

[Yuko] Let's begin
the audition for Episode 1.

The first pair up is Honoka and Won Shik.

Please get ready to begin.

Okay.

[narrator] Honoka and Won Shik
are first up to audition.

Take your places, and...

action.

SCENE 15
SHE FOLLOWS HIM AND LEARNS HIS SECRET

[Won Shik crying]

Why did you do that?

[sobs]

I miss you.

I miss you so much.

I broke your heart.

Don't say that.

SCENE 15
THE REUNITED COUPLE KISS WHILE CRYING

I'm the one to blame.

[both sniffling]

I love you.

I love you too.

[Yuko claps once]

[Yuko] Thank you.
Please return to your seats.

[Haruna] That was amazing.

Her Korean is great!

That was awesome!

[narrator] The second pair
is Rio and Ji Hyuk.

SCENE 15

SHE FOLLOWS HIM AND LEARNS HIS SECRET

Why did you do that?

Why?

Why?

[breathing heavily]

I miss you.

I miss you so much.

SCENE 15
THE REUNITED COUPLE KISS WHILE CRYING

I... I broke your heart.

Don't say that. I'm the one to blame.

I love you.

[sniffles] I'll...

I'll love you forever.

[both sniffling]

[Yuko claps once]

[Yuko] Thank you.

Please return to your seats.

Wow. That was steaming.

[suspenseful music playing]

[narrator] The third pair
is Ayano and Tae Gyun.

SCENE 15

SHE FOLLOWS HIM AND LEARNS HIS SECRET

[crying]

Why did you do that?

[crying]

I miss you.

I miss you so much.

I miss you.

SCENE 15

THE REUNITED COUPLE KISS WHILE CRYING

Forgive me.

I'm so sorry.

Don't say that.

I'm the one to blame.

I love you. [cries]

I love you.

I'll love you forever.

[both sniffling]

[sobbing]

[Yuko claps once]

[Yuko] Thank you.
Please return to your seats.

-[Haruna] Look at the judge.
-[Shusuke] Is it good or bad, though?

-Oh, that's a good sign.
-[Haruna] We'll see.

[Yuko] Nozomi and Dong Kyu, your turn.

[narrator] The fourth pair
is Nozomi and Dong Kyu.

SCENE 15

SHE FOLLOWS HIM AND LEARNS HIS SECRET

[tearful breaths]

Why did you do that?

I miss... you.

I miss you so much.

[cries]

Forgive me.

SCENE 15
THE REUNITED COUPLE KISS WHILE CRYING

I'm so sorry.

-Don't say that.
-[cries]

I'm the one to blame.

I love you.

I love you too.

[both sniffling]

[Yuko claps once]

[Yuko] Thank you very much.

The judges look so serious.

[Hayato] What do you think
they're writing down?

What are your thoughts?

Well, for starters...

the actors, both men and women,

are visibly inexperienced in this genre.

They don't seem to know
how to tackle these scenes.

-[tense music playing]
-[Maria] What?

-[in Japanese] He's strict.
-[in English] Oh, that's so harsh.

-[Maria] Crying isn't enough?
-[Hayato] I guess not.

[Shusuke] That was brutal.

In seeing the point they're at right now,

I don't see how they're going to manage
to successfully build up their characters.

I was worried they would imitate
existing dramas,

but they didn't even manage to do that.

I feel like they need to go way back
and start over from the beginning.

They need to go
all the way back to kindergarten.

This is far worse
than what I was expecting.

It's not looking good.
It's a dire situation.

I'm deeply concerned.

[all exclaiming in shock]
What!

-[Hayato] She's rough.
-She's harsh.

Yuko's in a tough spot too.

When I was that age,

I couldn't have made it that far in
that short amount of time, I assure you.

They're working so hard.

Of course, they each have
their weaknesses and points to work on.

I could tell that Rio was
particularly focused on her character.

She also has great magnetism.

She really attracts attention.

That's an amazing trait for an actor.

Ji Hyuk wasn't really up to par,
but I think Rio can compensate for that.

She'll steal the show.

[tense music playing]

[Yuko] We are ready
to announce the results.

The lead roles in this episode go to...

[suspenseful tone]

Rio and Ji Hyuk.

-[a-chan] They're so cute!
-[Haruna] They look so relieved.

[Shusuke] How sweet,
they're holding hands.

[all applauding]

[soft delicate music playing]

[Yuko] I'll explain why we chose you.

It was a very difficult decision to make

but Rio's acting was very captivating.

We agreed that the two of you
are the right picks

for this challenging role.

I'll let the other two judges
elaborate on our reasoning.

Please. Go ahead.

In my opinion,
none of the four pairs was good enough.

[Doo Jin] We want you all to know
that we didn't pick this team

because they were much better
than the others.

We saw a concrete connection
between the characters

because Rio was reacting
so naturally to Ji Hyuk.

Her acting really
held the audition together.

We picked you because
we believe that with some more work,

you can polish up your act by tomorrow.

Nozomi was as focused
on the role as Rio was.

But what I find strange is that
I could barely understand the male actors,

even though they all speak fluent Korean.

[Jung Eun] I was quite disappointed that
it was so hard to make out your lines.

Please work on your pronunciation.

I look forward to seeing your improvements

over the course of the next auditions.

In general, all of the Japanese actresses
showed great focus today.

That's wonderful. Keep it up.

I'm eager to see
what you come up with next time.

-Okay.
-Thank you.

-Thank you.
-Thank you.

[tense music playing]

I already knew that
my acting skills need a lot of work.

Rio's the only reason
why we landed the parts.

She did great.

I can't say that
I'm entirely happy about this audition.

I didn't do very well.

Rio is a really charming woman
in real life,

but she's absolutely radiant
when she's acting.

I've never filmed in Japan
on my own before.

It must be hard for her over here.

It's a whole new environment for her.

And I'll be here to support her.

[gentle music playing]

RIO YAMASHITA

After spending this time with him,
I see what kind of person he is.

I really like him.

As a person, I like him 120%.

But then again...

I've been staying focused on him

because we're sh**ting
this drama together.

Will my fondness for him
continue afterward? I don't know.

I'm surprised the judges were
so much harsher on the Korean actors.

-[Maria] Me too.
-[Shusuke] Yeah.

Like when she said
she couldn't understand what they said.

-She was most impressed by Rio.
-[Haruna] Yes.

She really was. It must have been
so humiliating for the guys,

like when she told Ji Hyuk
he wasn't up to par.

-Totally.
-[Hayato] My question is,

-how will they get through the sh**t?
-[a-chan] Great question.

How will they get through it together?

Rio looks like she's not open to romance.

-But Ji Hyuk said he'd support her.
-[Haruna] Yeah.

I think he'll be there for her
no matter what.

-Yes.
-Yes.

EPISODE 1

[narrator] Episode 1, "The Last Goodbye."

They were engaged and excited
about building a future together.

AOI
RIO YAMASHITA

Aoi, an exchange student from Japan,

and Min Woo, who fell head over heels
in love with Aoi the moment he saw her.

What will become of their love
now that they're apart?

[choir music playing]

[priest] It's not your fault.
May peace be with you.

[choir music continues playing]

MIN WOO (AOI'S FIANCÉ)

[restaurant music playing]

So, have you settled everything?

[Min Woo] Yeah.

I broke the lease for our house,

and went to the church we'd booked
for the wedding to call it off.

But...

I still have the ring.

Do you want it?

[woman scoffs]
You said you were done.

Why are you hanging on to that?

[woman] Get rid of it.

Yeah, I'm going to.

AOI

[fragile music playing]

[music intensifying]

How could he do that?

THE LAST GOODBYE

[gentle investigative music playing]

[sobbing]

[delicate music playing]

[revelatory music playing]

AOI (DECEASED)

BORN MAY 20, 1998
DIED APRIL 11, 2023

[revelatory music intensifies]

[Min Woo] Why can't we go there
together this weekend?

My parents are gonna freak out
if we tell them

we're already speaking of marriage.

I'd rather go alone
to tell them how we feel.

And you can come next weekend.

But I'm gonna miss you, darling.

So let me drive you
to the airport at least.

[chuckles] It's fine, love.

You've got work, right? You don't wanna go

-out of business, do you?
-[sighs]

I don't want to interfere.
I'm on your side, you know?

Okay, fine.

How about the...

-bus stop, instead.
-[chuckles]

What? You're against that too?

No, it's cool.

I'd really like that, actually.

[both chuckling softly]

[gentle music playing]

-Thank you, ma'am. Enjoy!
-Thank you.

[phone buzzing]

Hello?

Yes, this is Min Woo Cheon.

[ominous music playing]

[newscaster] Tragically, one person
has perished in an accident

on the road that leads to Incheon Airport.

More details to follow.

[tragic emotional music playing]

[sobbing]

[emotional music playing]

You didn't let me drive you there!

Why did you do that?

[Min Woo breathing heavily]

[Min Woo crying]

[emotional music playing]

Aoi?

What's going on?

Aoi, you're really here?

Mm-hmm.

[soft fragile music playing]

Yes, I'm here.

I'm with you.

[sniffles]

Forgive me.

[Aoi] I'm so sorry.

I know...

I broke your heart.

Don't say that.

I'm the one to blame.

[Min Woo] I shouldn't have
let you go alone.

I need to know one thing.

The pain is gone, right?

[sniffles]

[stifled cries]

Yes, darling.

[gentle piano music playing]

I love you.

[sweet emotional music playing]

I'll love you forever.

[sweet emotional music continues]

[music swells]

[Yong Sun in Korean] Cut. Okay, good.

[crew] Scene ten-nine, take two.

Thank you.

[in English] Thank you.

DID LOVE BLOOM BEHIND THE SCENES?

-[Shusuke] Did it?
-[Haruna] I wonder.

FIRST DAY OF sh**ting

-[Ji Hyuk] It's so nice to meet you.
-[Rio] Nice to meet you.

[Ji Hyuk] Looking forward
to working with you.

The whole crew is Korean.

Are you okay with that?

Of course. It doesn't bother me at all.

[laughs]

[Ji Hyuk] You're so resilient.

The first time I worked in Japan,
everyone was Japanese,

it took some getting used to.

[Yong Sun in Korean]
Don't get too friendly.

You need to get in character. [chuckles]

Try to keep some distance
to get in character, okay?

[in English] Bye-bye!

[Rio laughs]

Wow, that's how the director
talks to the actors?

-[Shusuke] Is this for real?
-Why would they be apart?

They need to be in love.

[Yong Sun in Korean]
We start sh**ting in ten minutes!

DIRECTOR
JO YONG SUN

We're sh**ting! Get over here!

sh**t! Action!

The camera is rolling. We're sh**ting.

You're worried about him
but also angry about last night,

so it should be complicated and ambiguous.

With those mixed feelings,
you look out the window.

-[Yong Sun in English] Okay?
-Okay.

[Yong Sun in Korean] Ready...

-[Yong Sun] Cut.
-[crew] Cut!

[crew] Take two.

[Yong Sun] We could
wrap this up right now.

She's so good, I have no complaints.

[translator] He thinks you're so good,
we can finish already.

[laughs]

[excited exclaims]

That's great! I'm so happy.

[narrator] This drama is about
a heartbroken man who is

miraculously reunited with his fiancée
who died in a tragic accident.

The two leads won't speak
with one another until the final scene.

THE SHARED HOUSE

-[Ayano] Why aren't they home yet?
-[Honoka] They just left.

[Nozomi] Don't worry, shoots take time.

[Nozomi] I smell stir-fried burdock root.

[Ayano] That smells so good!

Did you use mirin?

-[Nozomi] Yeah, for the eggs.
-Soy sauce would ruin the color.

Put that in first.

Oh, you like fried eggs?

-[in Japanese] You make? You... you made it?
-"Made."

-[in English] Yes. I made it.
-Oh!

-Amazing.
-Should we heat it up?

Looks great.

[Honoka] Thank you.

-It's really tasty.
-[Honoka] Oh, thanks.

[Honoka] Glad you like it.

[laughs]

[Tae Gyun] Kinpira... You just eat it as is?

[Honoka] Yeah.
It's stir-fried burdock root.

-It's great.
-I know!

-The eggs are amazing, too.
-Everything's amazing.

[Ayano] Okay.

-[Won Shik] This is awesome.
-[Tae Gyun] It's delicious.

It's really great.

-Wow!
-Thank you.

[Tae Gyun] It's really... really good.

[Maria] She must be so happy.

The ones who aren't sh**ting
seem more likely to fall in love.

They really look like
they're bonding, yeah.

[Min Woo sobbing]

[Yong Sun in Korean] Cut.
Okay, can you do one more take?

I messed up the call out for the camera,
I'm sorry.

[sobbing]

[in English] Cut.

[in Korean] You're crying, crying, crying.

That's all you're doing.

That's not what I want to see.

The tone is wrong.
It's not all about the crying.

[in English] Got it.

[in Korean] You know what I mean?

-[in English] Thank you.
-[in Korean] Why are you bowing?

[Yong Sun in Korean] Okay.

The tone is off, that's all.

[Ji Hyuk in English] Okay.

[gentle music playing]

I haven't been doing
as well as I had hoped to, unfortunately.

I feel bad about it.

I've been finding my performance
disappointing in every scene we shot.

[Ji Hyuk] I have to get the tone right,

because I'm keeping
Rio and the whole crew waiting

while I try to figure it out.

This is all probably draining Rio

so I really have to focus on
tapping into the right emotions.

[Haruna] He's got
a lot on his plate right now.

[Maria] He really does.

[gentle fragile music playing]

[crew in Korean] Please stand by.

Break a leg!

[narrator in English] Rio and Ji Hyuk
have been apart all day.

They're about to begin
sh**ting the final scene.

[Yong Sun] Ready...

[Min Woo sobbing]

[Yong Sun] Action!

Aoi?

[cries softly]

-[Yong Sun] Cut.
-[crew] Cut.

[Yong Sun in Korean] The kiss looked
a bit rushed and intense.

I want something
more relaxed, more reserved.

You got it 90% right.

Let's go for 100%.

[sniffles, sighs]

[Shusuke in English]
Oh, he's having a hard time.

[Haruna] He said he'd take care of her,

-but he's struggling himself.
-[a-chan] Yeah.

[Yong Sun] Action.

-[Min Woo] I'm to blame.
-I... I broke your heart.

[Yong Sun] Cut. Okay.

-[Ji Hyuk] Sorry I spoke over you.
-[Rio] Don't worry about it, it's fine.

[Ji Hyuk] I'm sorry.

[Rio] It's okay.

[gentle music playing]

[Yong Sun] Cut. Okay.

[Yong Sun in Korean] I want this to be
not a kiss of love but a kiss goodbye.

I'd like to see tears running down
if you can.

This is your last minute
with your beloved.

[in English] I really need
to wipe my nose.

Uh, can I have a minute, please?

[gentle music playing]

I'm all right now.

Great.

It's okay.

I love you.

[gentle music continues playing]

[Yong Sun in Korean] Cut.
Okay, good work everyone.

Okay!

[both sniffling]

[fragile music playing]

-He did his absolute best. Yeah.
-[Hayato] He really did.

She doesn't look like
she's fallen for him, that's pretty clear.

-[Hayato] At all.
-[Haruna] She's not into him.

-The setting wasn't very romantic.
-[Shusuke] Yeah.

How could sparks possibly fly
in that kind of environment?

-It seems almost impossible.
-[Haruna] Good point.

THE NEXT DAY

[actors greeting in Japanese]

[Nozomi in Korean] Good morning!

[doorbell rings]

-Oh!
-Who is it?

Is this for real?

-I'll open the door!
-[Honoka] Hurry up and open it.

-[Nozomi] Hi.
-Hello.

-[Won Shik] Is someone here?
-[Rio] Not yet.

[Won Shik] Yuko's come for a visit.

-[Rio] Is it?
-What? Are you serious?

[all greeting]

-[Yuko] May I come in?
-Yes, please do.

Of course.

I came to pay you a visit.
It's beautiful here. Wow.

-How lovely.
-[Nozomi] Yeah, it's great.

[bright salsa music playing]

[Yuko] So how did it go yesterday?
How was the sh**t?

It was difficult.

[Yuko] I'm sure it was.
What do you remember?

I felt confused.

[Yuko] What was difficult for you?

The main challenge was
understanding the lines

-and what he was saying to me in Korean.
-I see.

[Rio] And I had lines to say in Korean.

It's weird, I felt like
I was using three brains at once.

They decided to change
some of the lines on the spot, too.

-[Ayano] They did?
-[Nozomi] That's brutal.

That was the biggest challenge for me.

[Yuko] I always think
that's the biggest challenge too.

You rehearse your lines so much
and you know them through and through.

If they change some of them,
it takes a while to adapt.

I used to be more concerned with
pronunciation and intonation than acting.

Like, "What if they get mad at me?"

"What if they criticize me?"

I used to get so nervous
about what the crew would think,

but I was missing the point.

I want you to forget about all that.

When you're sh**ting,
you just have to enjoy it.

I want you to concentrate on acting.
I want you all to participate fully.

Everyone has to be invested.

-We will be.
-[Yuko] Great.

That's a really good point.

So, it's time to establish the new pairs.

-[Dong Kyu] Now?
-You mean here?

-[Yuko] Yes.
-[Ji Hyuk] Right now?

[Yuko] Right now. Is that okay?

Here? For real?

[Yuko] Here. For real.

[funky suspenseful music playing]

We will now decide on the pairs
for Episode 2.

I'm assuming you've all read the scripts?

-Yes.
-Yes.

Episode 2, "She is the One."

[Yuko] As the title implies,
there will be one leading lady.

It's a love story about a love triangle

in which two men are in love
with the same woman.

All right?

This time, the gentlemen are
going to get to establish the new pairs.

They will be choosing who they want
as a partner for the audition.

THE MEN WILL CHOOSE THE WOMEN

-[actors chuckling]
-Whoa.

-This is tricky.
-[Yuko] You think so?

[Yuko] Ladies, I'm gonna ask you
to kindly leave the room

so we can get through
the decision-making process.

You can go out for tea or something.

-All right!
-What?

[Yuko] I'll let you know when we're done.

[Honoka] Should we go to a café?

-[Nozomi] A café!
-Let's go!

Yes! A café, café, café.

[Yuko] Let's get to it.

So, this is how we're going to proceed
with partner selections.

You're gonna talk about it.

[tense tune]

You're gonna talk it through
amongst yourselves.

-Just us?
-[Yuko] Exactly.

-What?
-What?

[Yuko] Are you all right?

Okay.

[cheeky music playing]

[Yuko] All right.

Let's begin!

Let's do it!

-[Yuko] Go for it.
-Let's talk about it.

[cheeky music continues playing]

Nozomi?

[Yuko] That was fast!

-[Ji Hyuk] Nozomi?
-Nozomi.

I pick Honoka.

I'd really like to pair up with Rio.

[studio cast exclaiming in surprise]

[Haruna] Really?

[a-chan] Who will Tae Gyun pick?

[hums in thought]

I wish to pair up with... Rio, actually.

[studio cast exclaiming in surprise]

[rock music playing]

♪ Come and get me ♪

-[Shusuke] Now we're talking!
-[Maria] It's on!

[rock music continues playing]

[Ji Hyuk] I was surprised.

I had no idea Tae Gyun
was interested in her.

But it shows in his eyes.

I feel like he'll be willing
to fight me for it.

He looks... determined.

[Tae Gyun] I'm a man.

So I won't back down.

That simple.

-[Haruna] This guy is fierce.
-[Maria] I can't believe he said that.