Red Velvet’s Joy and Kim Hyun-jin have shared what drew them to TVING’s upcoming romance drama “One of a Kind Romance,” which premieres on November 9 and pairs an ordinary job seeker with a top star hiding painful wounds.
The 12-episode series, based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Dooboo, will be released on TVING at 6 p.m. KST on November 9. It will also reach viewers outside Korea through an advance exclusive release on Viu in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and on ABEMA in Japan. The drama is written by Jeon Hyun-mi, directed by Kim Jin-young and produced by Copus Korea.
Joy, whose real name is Park Soo-young, plays Gong Yu-il, a job seeker who unexpectedly becomes the manager of top star Tak Moo-i. Kim Hyun-jin plays Tak Moo-i, a star who conceals the wounds of stalking behind his public image. The story follows the two as a mutual fangirl-and-fanboy romance develops between them, with each coming to understand and embrace the other’s pain.
Joy said the healing at the heart of the story was what convinced her to take the role. “The process of two different people meeting, understanding and embracing each other’s pain and deficiencies resonated with me the most,” she said. “I thought it was a work like a warm comfort.” She described Gong Yu-il as someone who stays bright and spirited even when reality is unforgiving, calling that resilience both lovely and remarkable.
The singer-actress said she focused on the solidity beneath her character’s cheerfulness. “What I found charming about Gong Yu-il is that she never loses her own brightness in any situation,” Joy said. “I thought that came not simply from a positive personality but from the steadfastness of living each day in her own way even in difficult circumstances.” She added that she tried to express Gong Yu-il’s easygoing and lovable side as naturally as possible, while making sure not to miss the moments when her vulnerability shows through.
Kim Hyun-jin said faithfulness to the original webtoon was his first consideration. “I think I looked at how similar the script was to the original work,” he said. “I felt excited imagining the various sides I could show as Tak Moo-i and how closely I could match the sync with the original character.” He noted that Tak Moo-i behaves differently at work, in everyday life and in front of someone he likes, and said the scenes in which he actively shows interest in Gong Yu-il were shaped through discussions on set with the director and fellow cast members.
The cast grew in late October, when the production team announced that Shin Hyun-soo and Kang Na-eon had joined the series, setting up a four-way relationship around the two leads. The announcement added a love-square dynamic to a story that had previously centered on its central pair, and it gave the drama a broader ensemble heading into its premiere week.
Joy personally announced the premiere date on October 29, sharing a couple poster for the drama and writing, “See you on TVING on November 9 for the drama ‘One of a Kind Romance.’” The poster showed her smiling beside Kim Hyun-jin, with the title and premiere date printed at the bottom.
The role marks Joy’s latest acting project alongside her work with Red Velvet and as an MC on SBS’s “TV Animal Farm,” which airs every Sunday morning. She attended a recording of the show on November 4, five days before the drama’s premiere, as promotional activity for the series picked up.
For TVING, the series continues a run of webtoon-based romances aimed at both domestic viewers and the platform’s growing overseas audience through Viu and ABEMA. With its premiere days away, the drama’s mix of a healing romance, a star-and-manager setup and a well-known webtoon source gives it a clear lane in a crowded November lineup. Whether it can turn that setup into a hit will become clear once the first episodes land on November 9.
