In the long-awaited iQiyi’s first K-drama series My Roommate Is a Gumiho (간떨어지는 동거), a “Gumiho” (Nine-tailed Fox) Shin Woo-yeo (played by Jang Ki-yong) has been discreetly living in the human world for centuries. Waiting for the time to become human permanently, his fox bead is swallowed by Lee Dam (played by Lee Hye-ri). Forced to live together for a solution, they set many rules for cohabitation to live their lives. A new romance eventually blossoms between the human and non-human. However, Gye Sun-woo (played by Bae In-hyuk), a handsome and wealthy man, has a crush on Lee Dam after pretending to like her in the first place, and Shin Woo-yeo feels anxious for the first time after more than 900 years!
Another romantic and unconventional relationship happens on the side between Gumiho Yang Hye-sun (played by Kang Han-na) – who has been living as a human being for five years – and human Do Jae-jin (played by Kim Do-wan).
Director’s considerations when adapting the popular webtoon ‘Living Together’
Director Nam Sung-Woo and the five leading actors participated in the press event in Seoul on 26 May morning. When asked if there was any pressure to adapt a popular webtoon, Nam responded that appearance and personality were major considerations during the casting process. For example, for the 999-year-old Shin Woo-yeo, the character needed to look restrained but extremely handsome, and Nam believed Jang fit really well. He also heard that the original webtoon creator envisioned the leading female character to be Lee Hye-ri. Therefore, after reading the script, he was further convinced that Lee was the ideal choice.
Kang Han-na has a strong front, but is silly sometimes, and Kim Do-wan is pure and adorable. Both actors were cast as they embodied similar traits as their characters. However, Nam said that Bae In-hyuk initially looked too nice to him, compared to the character, but the actor performed well overall.
Jumping on the Gumiho (Nine-tailed Fox) bandwagon
There have been quite a few K-drama series about “Gumiho” (Nine-tailed Fox). When asked about how this series was different, Lee answered that the story is a natural romance between a Gumiho male and human female, which developed as they lived together. Her character, Lee Dam, had never been in love before, but pretended to feel comfortable about the arrangement. Although intimidated at first, Lee Dam finds Shin Woo-yeo (played by Jang Ki-yong), to be considerate, polite, and gentle. Therefore, the natural progression of their relationship is a key selling point.
Great chemistry between Jang Ki-yong and Lee Hye-ri
To play this role well, Lee gave up several opportunities in variety shows to stay committed to the series. Her poster with Jang also received positive reviews from the public.
“I am pleasantly surprised and grateful to the positive feedback about the poster,” Lee said.
Fans shared that the two leads looked comfortable and full of chemistry in their promotional poster. This was contributed by the fact that the promotional materials were done after the production – an unconventional arrangement as publicity is usually done before filming.
As Lee’s character is five years younger than she is, Lee shared that she studied a lot about how a younger person should act, and asked them about their reactions. Even though there was no significant generational gap between herself and her character, she wanted to learn more. During the process, she also realised similarities and differences between Lee Dam and herself, which motivated her to play her character better.
Similarly, Jang said the chemistry between the two characters went well from the very beginning. Lee was very positive all the time, and also very helpful on site. He felt lost and challenged during the production as this is his first romance comedy, but Lee was a great support throughout the process.
Tension on set between Kang Han-na and Kim Do-wan
Meanwhile, Kang Han-na and Kim Do-wan had a lot of tension during production. While there were prior collaborations, Kang said she had limited interactions with Kim in the past. She was happy to know about this collaboration this time, and messaged Kim to discuss it. Kang considered herself lucky to develop this relationship with Kim in the story, and it showed in their performances.
The emerging actor Bae In-hyuk was tasked to play a popular role in the webtoon, and he felt pressured to interpret it well. Bae and his appearance were popular among fans as he had a resemblance with the character.
In addition, watch the exclusive 11-minute cast interview here:
Who would Jang Ki Yong like as a roommate?
When asked about choosing a roommate among the cast in an exclusive interview by iQiyi, Jang Ki-yong, Lee Hye-ri, Kang Han-na, Kim Do-wan, and Bae In-hyuk spoke honestly. Jang initially said he preferred honest and genuine friends, and chose Kim as they both enjoyed video games. Lee chose to live with Shin Woo-yeo played by Jang, since his character is warm and always on the look out for other people’s well-being. She also mocked Jang for choosing gaming over her. Feeling anxious about Lee’s response, Jang immediately “corrected his answer”, and even said: “I can still take care of others while playing video games”.
Meanwhile, the other couple, Kang and Kim chose each other. After Kang also chose Kim, Lee and Jang laughed out loud in unison. Surprisingly, Bae chose Shin, as it would be convenient to live with a roommate that uses spells to clean the home and teleport. As Jang said he could have as many as six meals a day, it is important for his roommate “to love food and games”.
iQiyi’s first K-drama series My Roommate Is a Gumiho streams at the same time as Korea, every Wednesday and Thursday at 9:40PM (SGT).
