A modern royal romcom

AFTER winning the hearts of K-drama lovers for years, stars IU (real name Lee Ji-eun) and Byeon Wooseok are coming together as leads in a romantic comedy for the first time, in Perfect Crown.

The original series, which is now on Disney+, tells the story of modern-day grand prince I-An (played by Mr. Byeon) and corporate heiress Huiju (played by IU).

In a preview event on April 6, BusinessWorld glimpsed the first episode, which laid down the groundwork for the twists and turns of the two characters’ marriage of convenience. According to the series’ summary, the prince’s power struggle with other members of the royal family and the heiress’ ambitions for her conglomerate will eventually clash.

While the first episode sets up the dynamic between the two, it’s also an interesting look at how a monarchy would be like in modern South Korea, with characters like a prime minister and a dowager queen.

What drives the K-drama, however, are its romcom aspects, with the leads’ actions and antics front and center of the story.

“I feel like we have a chemistry that stretches over a decade and you can really see that chemistry in this series,” Mr. Byeon said in Korean which was translated into English, at a separate press event in Seoul that was streamed online.

He added that IU made him feel at ease instantly. “She’s such a great scene partner, so I enjoyed it so much,” he said.

Both actors appeared together 10 years ago, in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, where IU played the lead and Byeon Wooseok had a cameo role as her ex. This makes Perfect Crown their debut as the main onscreen couple.

“In that [other] series, he was actually a boyfriend who cheated on me. Now, after 10 years have passed, we get to work alongside each other again as main characters,” IU told the Korean press. “It almost felt like we had been friends all along in that time, so it made me feel like I wanted to do another project with him.”

As for their characters, I-An is described as “the favorite royal of 21^st century Korea, but with a status where he can’t outshine anyone,” while Huiju is a “greedy character who yearns for a lot of things.”

Mr. Byeon explained that he studied his role deeply. “Prince I-An is very strong on the outside, but he’s very lonely and scarred on the inside,” he said.

Meanwhile, IU said that she found her role fascinating. “Frustration is a key word that really describes Sung Huiju, but she’s also very adorable,” she said.

The series is directed by Park Joonhwa and written by Yoo Jiwon.

Perfect Crown is now on Disney+. — Brontë H. Lacsamana