Choi Kang-hee confirms Secret Agent War
Confirmations are in: Choi Kang-hee (Protect the Boss) has signed on to be Joo-won’s leading lady in the new spy action rom-com drama Secret Agent War. I… can’t pretend to be ecstatic about this news, as I’m not exactly her biggest fan, but I’m willing to keep an open mind. Who knows, maybe she just played characters I didn’t like before, and somehow she and Joo-won will defy the strangeness of their coupling, have fantastic chemistry, and make me eat my words? Maybe? Possibly? A little bit? I’m trying here! Sigh, the things we do for aegyo monsters. Joo-won, if this drama sucks, I’m putting you on a timeout.
The series is based on the hit movie Level 7 Civil Servant, and will feature a pair of spies who keep their identities a secret from each other while they navigate the muddy waters of dating. It’s like Mr. and Mrs. Smith: The Dating Years, which is a fantastic premise. I loved the movie with Kim Haneul and Kang Ji-hwan, and have wanted them to make this drama forever. It’ll be a fun genre mashup: spy action thriller, romantic melo, and healthy dose of comedy. The 20-episode drama will be written by Chun Sung-il, of Chuno and Level 7 Civil Servant. Directing is Kim Sang-hyub, who was the second director on Dong Yi.
Choi Kang-hee will play Kim Seo-won, an agent with brains, brawn, and looks, but lacking in wealth. She’s the eldest daughter of a poor farmer, and works hard to support her family financially, from living expenses to all her siblings’ tuition. Seo-won is tenacious and independent, and a realist with fierce pride. Joo-won plays Gil-ro, a rookie agent who comes from a well-to-do family. Their initial conflict will arise out of — what else — money and pride.
Phew, well at least they changed it so that Joo-won will be the rookie to Choi Kang-hee’s higher-ranked agent, because I just didn’t see how they were going to pull off same-aged characters and agents on equal footing. But if he’s just playing the younger man and we’re not pretending they’re the same age, it works better all around. Chemistry concerns aside, I am still excited for the drama, because who doesn’t love spies and secret identity hijinks? I hope they milk the hell out of the comedy on this.
Secret Agent War will air in January on MBC.
credits: dramabeans