Actors Jung Kyung-ho, Jeon Yeo-been, Choi Dae-hoon, and Kang Mal-geum are confirmed to star in ENA’s new drama ‘Hok-haneun Romance’. Get ready for a “blushing adult rom-com” that will wake up even the most dormant romance cells!
Set for release in the first half of 2027, ENA’s ‘Hok-haneun Romance’ is a romantic comedy about a star anchor suffering from early menopause and a “low-brow” writer who were once rivals. While trying to save a bottom-rated show, they end up reviving their dead romance cells. It depicts the deep, late-blooming love of a man and woman who reached an age where they suspect arrhythmia when their heart flutters and their joints creak when they stand up, having never truly known the taste of love.
The “trusted” actors Jung Kyung-ho, Jeon Yeo-been, Choi Dae-hoon, and Kang Mal-geum will pair up to showcase the essence of realistic romance.
Box Office Guarantees and a Captivating Worldview
Jung Kyung-ho and Jeon Yeo-been will play Na Yi-jun, the face of YCB’s newsroom, and Seo Hae-yoon, a “low-brow” writer chasing sensational items and ratings. Na Yi-jun, who rose to fame as YCB’s youngest anchor, faces the biggest crisis of his life due to early menopause syndrome. Struggling with sudden emotional outbursts and temperature regulation during live broadcasts, he is eventually told to step down from the main news. He then reluctantly takes over a bottom-rated current affairs program, where he meets writer Seo Hae-yoon, who seems to have 0% refinement.
Seo Hae-yoon is a writer who has experienced everything while moving between various newsrooms for over 10 years and doesn’t mind gossip news as long as ratings go up. Though called “low-brow,” she has a strong sense of loyalty toward her juniors. However, her already chaotic life, burdened by a program on the verge of cancellation, becomes even more dizzying with the arrival of the “high-and-mighty” YCB elite, Na Yi-jun.
A Masterclass in Acting: Making an Impression from the First Meeting
The chemistry between Jung Kyung-ho and Jeon Yeo-been, both known as “box office guarantees” who excel in everything from romance to genre pieces, is the biggest highlight of this work. Notably, Jeon Yeo-been previously set a record as the second-highest rated drama in ENA history with ‘Good Woman Bu Se-mi’ last year. The two actors will portray an adult romance where health and worries come before excitement, but they fall harder than ever thanks to their revived romance cells.
Choi Dae-hoon and Kang Mal-geum will play a divorced couple, adding realism to romance in one’s 40s. Choi Dae-hoon plays Ji Han-soo, a YCB reporter who wants to be an anchor like his best friend Na Yi-jun but repeatedly fails due to a fatal pronunciation problem. Despite the scar of a failed first marriage where he gave his all to love, he remains a romantic. Kang Mal-geum plays Heo Mi-eun, a broadcast writer whom Seo Hae-yoon looks up to like an older sister. She has a unique taste, preferring rugged men over “pretty boys.”
A new romance begins when Heo Mi-eun, who looks like Ji Han-soo’s ideal “rugged” type, enters his life. Their shared experience of divorce helps them grow close quickly. Choi Dae-hoon, the star of the “Hak-ssi” syndrome, and Kang Mal-geum, who sparked the “Chan-shil” fever, are “acting guarantees” who leave a strong impression just by appearing. Their skill in realistic, everyday acting is expected to add wings to the realism of the divorced couple.
The production team stated, “We will start filming soon after the first script reading. We expect the synergy between Jung Kyung-ho, Jeon Yeo-been, Choi Dae-hoon, and Kang Mal-geum to perfectly cook up the deep flavor of adult romance. Unlike the youth rom-coms of next year’s first half, we will return with a romantic comedy that you can’t help but be tempted by.”
ENA’s new drama ‘Hok-haneun Romance’ is a collaboration between Director Lee Chang-min, who showed sensory directing skills by leading ‘Agency’ to a mega-hit, and rookie writer Lee Re, who adds laughter and empathy to realistic adult romance. It will air on ENA in the first half of 2027 and will be available via Genie TV.
