No matter how many shows are on your watchlist, satisfying your K-drama fix is just impossible. Thankfully, the months leading up to the holidays are teeming with star-studded K-dramas, one of which is the most anticipated Tale of Gumiho (alternately called Tale of the Nine-Tailed) starring Goblin’s charming grim reaper Lee Dong-Wook and Boys Over Flowers’ resident scene-stealer Kim Bum.
The fantasy drama, which also stars Jo Bo-Ah (Forest) as the main female lead, finally dropped a series of trailers in line with its official release in October. But apart from the very stunning cast, what else should you expect from this drama? Here’s everything we know so far.
It adds a spin to an old East Asian myth we’ve seen in K-dramas before
If you’ve been a fan of K-dramas for at least the past decade, then the term gumiho or nine-tailed fox might be familiar because of the 2010 TV series My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho starring Lee Seung-gi and Shin Min-Ah. The creature itself is a common motif in East Asian mythology, where mystical foxes often disguise themselves as beautiful women to play mischievous tricks on unknowing strangers.
This is where Lee Dong-Wook’s role in Tale of Gumiho comes in. His character Lee Yeon is a nine-tailed fox who transforms himself into human form as he settles into the city. He then meets TV producer Nam Ji-Ah (Jo Bo-Ah) whose current project revolves around urban myths. While we’re still not sure about Lee Yeon’s true intentions or how his true nature will affect his relationship with Nam Ji-Ah, what’s making the plot interesting is that it’s the first time for a male actor to portray a gumiho. Bonus: Kim Bum will play a nine-tailed fox, too. Will this add another layer to the plot? We’re excited to know!
It’s Kim Bum’s big comeback to the small screen
Speaking of Kim Bum, the actor was last seen in 2016 drama Mrs. Cop 2 and 2018 movie Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead, which makes this his comeback project after two years. And it seems like he’s eager not to disappoint given the devious nature of his character in Tale of Gumiho. Kim Bum’s role, Lee Yeon's stepbrother Lee Rang, is described as “the most dangerous of all gumihos living among humans” and is pegged to be the main villain of the story. The actor already proved he can play villainous roles in his past projects, but we’re still curious how he’ll give this mythic character more depth and charm.
Lee Yeon and Nam Ji Ah’s characters are tied by fate
Okay, we’re simply pitching in guesses here. But by the looks of the trailer, it seems like there’s more to Lee Yeon and Nam Ji Ah’s characters than just having a fateful meet-cute. We all know that K-dramas love to play around with their backstories so what if the reason why Nam Ji Ah’s character became a TV producer working on urban myths is that she’s already met Lee Yeon earlier in life?
The cinematography is going to be stunning
The visuals of this K-drama are already giving us a sure win given the main cast. But with the fantasy theme, we’re also expecting the series to kick things up a notch when it comes to cinematography. The trailer definitely delivers well on the aesthetics so far, but we can’t wait to see how else they’re going to make use of CGI and great camerawork on the more intense fight scenes.
The NGs are going to be interesting to watch
On-screen chemistry in K-dramas is fun to watch especially with this interesting ensemble. But we all know that it’s the NG (no good) scenes and series promos that make every K-drama project a lot more exhilarating to watch. We can’t wait to see the behind-the-scenes of the main cast flubbing their lines or their expressions in between takes, especially if it’s in between our two oppas Wookie and Kim Bum.
(Cover photo from: @tvndrama.official)
Looking for another drama to watch while waiting for this one? Here are five reasons to watch Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam's Record Of Youth.
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