Reuniting with the writer duo Hong Sisters for Netflix series Can This Love Be Translated? after Alchemy of Souls felt like being part of a fairy tale, K-drama star Go Youn-jung said in a recent interview.
The Hong Sisters have written the scripts for some of the acclaimed Korean shows including Hotel del Luna, My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, The Greatest Love and A Korean Odyssey.
The latest Korean drama Can This Love Be Translated?, which also stars Kim Seon-ho in the lead role, is Youn-jung’s second project with the director duo, after the popular fantasy drama Alchemy of Souls (2022).
In a recent interview with the news agency PTI, the actress revealed that the Hong Sisters always manage to create a different universe within their stories.
“Something I felt when I worked with them back then, as well as now, is that they are writers who are able to create a time and space that feels like you're in a fairy tale. Alchemy of Souls was the fantasy genre but I feel like they do an amazing job in creating a fantasy within a world that's not really fantastical. It feels like a fairy tale,” she said.
“It almost feels like there is a different universe, a different country where these characters would actually live. So I went into this character wishing that she comes off as someone who's endearing and lovable to the viewers,” added Youn-jung.
Released on Friday, the 12-episode series Can This Love Be Translated? centres around a steamy romance between Korean pop-star Cha Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung) and her multilingual interpreter Joo Ho-jin (Kim Seon-ho).
The story takes Cha Mu-hee, who is filming a television show at various locations across the globe while Joo Ho-jin accompanies her, communicating via Bluetooth earbuds, interpreting the world in a language only the two of them understand.
Despite their contrasting personalities, the duo slowly develop feelings for each other and their relationship evolves as they spend more time together.
Youn-jung said a section of the audience will relate to Mu-hee’s ambiguous nature.
“While you would think that she's very straightforward, when it comes to matters of her heart, she tends to beat around the bush. I think that was one of the most challenging moments for me in this drama series because there are certain words in her speech where she is saying things that seem like she's being honest, but it is not really how she feels. She's trying to express it in a very indirect way,” she said.
The cast of Can This Love Be Translated? also includes Sota Fukushi as Hiro Kurosawa, a Japanese actor who joins Mu-hee on a dating TV show.