Jaehwa Bernardo

Article (news)

Kim Seon-ho, Go Youn-jung talk characters, chemistry in cross-border rom-com

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768365277919CTLBT1 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Kim Seon-ho (left) and Go Youn-jung in a scene from &#x27;Can This Love Be Translated?&#x27;. Photos courtesy of Netflix</div>In Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung’s “Can This Love Be Translated?”, opposites don’t just attract, they change people.In the heartwarming romantic comedy series, Seon-ho plays Joo Ho-jin, a calm multilingual interpreter, whose personality contrasts with the bright and emotionally expressive Cha Mu-hee, portrayed by Go Youn-jung.Their differences frequently lead to misunderstandings, as teased in the trailer when Ho-jin admits, “Every person speaks their own language. I don&#x27;t think I understand her language very well.” Yet as their romance unfolds, the two slowly begin to learn from one another, uncovering new sides of themselves along the way.<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wzcd72UMs-Q?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>It’s this growth, sparked by Ho-jin and Mu-hee’s interactions, that the lead stars point to as a central charm of the series.“I think the main element or draw of this drama series is how these two characters, who have extremely different ways of communicating, almost grow to change each other into a different color,” Youn-jung told ABS-CBN News in a Zoom interview ahead of the series’ premiere on January 16.Expanding on that point, Seon-ho explained that Ho-jin is the logical type who struggles to express his emotions. “He’s very logical and he&#x27;s not very expressive. Even though those are his characteristics in the beginning, as he meets Mu-hee, he slowly and gradually becomes more like her,” he explained.“They sort of affect and change each other to a point where viewers may feel like Ho-jin is completely different from the one they met before. So that&#x27;s the kind of chemistry that these two share,” said Seon-ho, adding that such a dynamic would be “very entertaining and engaging” for the audiences.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768365369898CTLBT2 (1).jpg" style="width:960px;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/></div>Written by renowned K-drama screenwriters Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran — collectively known as the Hong sisters — “Can This Love Be Translated?” follows Ho-jin, who becomes the personal interpreter for Mu-hee, a former struggling actress who rises to global stardom after starring in a hit zombie film.The two reunite on a reality dating show that takes them around the world, with Ho-jin serving as interpreter for Mu-hee and her Japanese co-star, played by Sota Fukushi of “Kamen Rider Fourze” fame.“Can This Love Be Translated?” marks Seon-ho’s return to a leading role in a romance, following his rise in popularity through hits like “Start-Up” and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.”“I think we all have a certain fantasy about meeting someone special in a place where you’re traveling and I was intrigued to read about the story, which tells that story in a way that is just so beautiful,” Seon-ho shared, explaining why he took on “Translated?”.“And I thought it would be fun to portray the character dynamics and also how Ho-jin consoles and gets closer to Mu-hee,” he added.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768365362499KSH (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Kim Seon-ho</div>To accurately portray Ho-jin’s profession as an interpreter, the 39-year-old actor worked closely with several language specialists, one for each language his character spoke.“We’d sit and read the script together and I’d learn the lines and then we’d work on adding the emotional aspect to it,” he recalled.For her part, Youn-jung said she wanted to star in a purely romantic series, noting that she has only done “a little bit of romance” in shows that primarily focused on other genres, such as the period fantasy “Alchemy of Souls” and the medical drama “Resident Playbook.”“This time around, I wanted to take on a true rom-com project, in its traditional sense. When I read the script, it had a fine line between reality and surrealness. It’s also very fairytale-like,” she said.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768365354039GYJ (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Go Youn-jung</div>Youn-jung also liked that the series would be filmed outside of Korea — in locations such as Japan, Canada and Italy — and was written by the Hong sisters, with whom she had previously worked on “Alchemy of Souls.”Speaking about her character, the 29-year-old actress shared that, aside from both being actresses, she also related to Mu-hee’s insecurities, though to a lesser degree.“The degree may be different, but you know how when you’re so desperate, when you want something so much, it leads to being insecure,” said Youn-jung.“So I tried to really exaggerate that and express it. The degree may be different, but I feel like certain insecurities that you harbor is something that I can also relate to,” she added.

In Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung's 'Can This Love Be Translated?', opposites don't just attract, they change people.

In Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung's 'Can This Love Be Translated?', opposites don't just attract, they change people.