Does Choi Hyun-Wook’s pairing with Moon Ga-Young look off on My Dearest Nemesis? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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After the teaser and photos of My Dearest Nemesis were released, people were concerned about a miscasting of the male lead. Why? Because viewers thought that Choi Hyun-Wook wouldn’t look good besides Moon Ga-Young, and their age gap would show through the scenes, that could make or break the magic of the K-drama. However, people have been saying otherwise now that the show has premiered. Some even came forward to defend all the speculations that were circulating everywhere.
My Dearest Nemesis is a rom-com K-drama based on a popular webtoon written by Yang Hye-Jin with a storyline revolving around the team leader of a department store who realizes that her new boss is her first love. The two met through an online game, and destiny put them together again in front of each other years later. While Ga-Young plays Baek Su-Jeong (the team leader), Hyun-Wook portrays Ban Joo-Yeon (the chaebol who turned up as her new boss).
Ban Joo-Yeon is the young head of the strategic planning division of Yongseong Department Store. He lost his parents tragically in his childhood and grew up with his grandmother. During the show’s filming, Choi Hyun-Wook, who plays the male lead, was 22 years old, making him a decade younger than the counterpart of his webtoon’s character. This led people to worry whether the actor would be able to pull off his character or not. The age-up photos of the actor with 28-year-old Moon Ga-Young created quite a fuss among the viewers.
Some stated that the age gap between the male and female leads might affect the chemistry between the characters. A few K-drama fans noted their opinion on Reddit. One wrote, “I still can’t get over how Hyun-Wook is 22, and they’re trynna make him look like Park Seo-Joon in Secretary Kim.” Another commented, “She doesn’t look old at all, but Choi Hyun-Wook looks so young that this kind of looks like an adult aunt and her teenage nephew, lol.”
But after releasing the first four episodes of My Dearest Nemesis, the tables have turned. Viewers have praised Choi Hyun-Wook’s acting skills, and people have enjoyed his chemistry with Moon Ga-Young. One of the Reddit users counter-attacked all the miscasting speculations and wrote, “I saw so many people saying that they just can’t buy the ML as a CEO, but….. isn’t that the point? He is playing a role, putting up a facade because he isn’t this cold, tough CEO. He’s a quirky, nerdy, sad marshmallow who likes action figures, comics, and questionable rock n’ roll. He’s not supposed to be a believable CEO because he’s not the real him. So, I think he’s doing a great job! Those moments where his real personality peeks through are so cute and fun. I can’t wait for him to be able to let it out more.”
Another one stated, “I can’t wrap my head around the people who complain about the ML age, saying he is too young for a Chaebol. That’s the whole point. Not only is he too young, but he is immature. That’s going to be his growth journey for this drama. His childhood and associated trauma prevented him from maturing. It’s akin to the recent drama Melo Movie. In that drama, the ML got lost in movies as a way to escape reality.”
What are your thoughts about Choi Hyun-Wook’s casting as the male lead in TVN’s ongoing drama My Dearest Nemesis? Let us know.
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