More Than Friends (TV series) explained

Native Name:
Hangul:경우의 수
Hanja:境遇의 數
Rr:Gyeong-uui Su
Lk:Number of Cases
Genre:Romantic drama
Creator:JTBC
Director:Choi Sung-bum
Country:South Korea
Language:Korean
Num Episodes:16
Runtime:70 minutes
Network:JTBC

More Than Friends is a South Korean television series starring Ong Seong-wu, Shin Ye-eun and Kim Dong-jun. It aired on JTBC from September 25 to November 28, 2020.[1]

Synopsis

Ten years ago, Kyung Woo-yeon was as innocent and carefree as any eighteen year old might be. With dreams and ambitions and a heart ready to love, it was only a matter of time before she fell for her friend, Lee Soo. Little did she know that at the time, Lee Soo also had a crush on her. Unfortunately, a simple misunderstanding kept them from confessing their feelings.

A decade later, Woo-yeon still harbors a crush on Soo. Working as a calligrapher, she still keeps in touch with her friend but has never confessed her feelings for him. Oddly enough, the same could be said for Soo, who is now working as a professional photographer. Though the two have taken turns having a crush on each other for over ten years, misunderstandings and missed timings have continued to keep them from becoming anything more than friends.

With feelings ten years in the making, Woo-yeon and Soo begin to realize their feelings for each other are becoming too strong to keep hidden. Has the time for their confessions finally come or will yet another misunderstanding keep them apart?

Cast

Main

A well-known photographer and Woo-yeon's friend since high school. He used to be very popular in school due to his looks, and he often appeared cold. He later realizes his feelings for Woo-yeon when she starts to date Jun-soo. He despises his parents for neglecting him and focusing on their divorce.

A cheerful person who received awards in school, but now works as a calligraphist and has a part-time job. She had a crush on Lee Soo for over ten years, but got rejected twice. She dates men thinking she will fall for them after dating, but her conflicting feelings for Lee Soo always gets in the way.

The CEO of a huge publishing house. His first love ends up being his sister-in-law. He falls in love with Woo-yeon after a few encounters.

Supporting

A good friend of the group who owns a small restaurant, Tonight, where the friends frequently meet.

A rich prosecutor who has never dated, and Woo-yeon's best friend.

An ordinary office worker who despises her mother, and has been in a relationship with Hyun-jae for over ten years. She avoids marrying Hyun-jae because of her poor family.

Young-hee's boyfriend. He has been wanting to marry her for a long time, but patiently waits till Young-hee is ready.

Lee Soo's father, who still has feelings for his wife even after getting divorced. He is a retired judge.

Lee Soo's mom, who is an artist.

Woo-yeon's mother.

Woo-yeon's father.

Jun-su's good friend and colleague.

Young-hee's mother.

Lee Soo's 'girlfriend.

Special appearance

Original soundtrack

More Than Friends OST
Type:soundtrack
Artist:Various Artists
Genre:Soundtrack

Part 9

Production

Development

Early working title of the series is Number of Cases Friends Become Lovers .[2]

Casting

On February 18, 2020, news outlet Osen reported that Ong Seong-wu would play the lead role of the series.[3] The same day, another news outlet revealed that Shin Ye-eun would be Ong's co-star.[4] Fantagio and Npio Entertainment (Ong and Shin's respective agencies) confirmed that they were both positively reviewing the offer, but nothing had been decided yet.[5] [6] On March 25, Kim Dong-jun's agency confirmed that the actor had joined the main cast.[7] The final lineup was confirmed on April 9.[8]

Filming

Part of filming took place in Jeju Island.[9] [10] Production was halted during the last week of August 2020 after Kim Hee-jung came in contact with Kim Won-hae, who tested positive for COVID-19, on another filming set. Filming resumed after the tests came back negative.[11]

Release

The first trailer for the series was released on August 7, 2020.[12] The second trailer was released in August 20 and revealed that the series would premiere on September 18.[13] On September 4, the premiere was postponed by a week after filming was halted at the end of August.[14]

Ratings

+ Average TV viewership ratings
Original broadcast dateNationwide average
audience share[15]
1September 25, 20201.510%
2September 26, 20201.438%
3October 9, 2020
4October 10, 20201.611%
5October 16, 20201.336%
6October 17, 20201.572%
7October 23, 20201.318%
8October 24, 2020
9October 30, 20201.442%
10October 31, 20201.529%
11November 6, 20201.499%
12November 7, 20201.412%
13November 13, 20201.448%
14November 14, 20201.311%
15November 27, 20201.324%
16November 28, 20201.260%
Average

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kim. Myung-mi. JTBC 측 "'사생활' '18 어게인' 촬영 재개, 편성 논의 중"(종합). September 4, 2020. Newsen. ko. September 6, 2020.
  2. Web site: Son. Bong-seok. 배우 신예은 '친구에서 연인이 되는 경우의 수' 여주인공 배역 제안 받아. February 18, 2020. Sports Kyunghyang. ko. August 7, 2020.
  3. Web site: Choi. Na-young. After "At Eighteen", Ong Seong Wu continues to star in new JTBC romantic drama. February 18, 2020. Osen. V Live. August 7, 2020.
  4. Web site: Jung. Ga-young. [단독] 신예은, '경우의 수'로 열일 행보 잇는다…옹성우와 '첫사랑 호흡']. February 18, 2020. Sports World. ko. August 8, 2020.
  5. Web site: Han. Hye-sun. 옹성우 측 "'경우의 수' 출연 제안 받고 긍정 검토 중"(공식). February 18, 2020. Star News. ko. August 8, 2020.
  6. Web site: Kwon. Mi-sung. 신예은 소속사 측 "드라마 '친구에서 연인이 되는 경우의 수' 긍정 검토中". February 18, 2020. Top Star News. ko. August 8, 2020.
  7. Web site: Kim Dong-jun Confirms Appearance in JTBC's "From Friend to Lover". HanCinema. August 7, 2020. March 26, 2020.
  8. Web site: Ong Seong-wu, Shin Ye-eun and Kim Dong-jun Confirm "From Friend to Lover". HanCinema. August 7, 2020. April 9, 2020.
  9. Web site: Kim. Eun-jung. 옹성우, 자연광에서 더 빛나는 수려한 외모. June 12, 2020. TV Report. ko. August 8, 2020.
  10. Web site: Lee. Kyung-ho. 김동준, '경우의 수' 제주도 촬영 출발~ "출장 느낌" [영상]]. June 26, 2020. Star News. ko. August 8, 2020.
  11. Web site: Kim. Mi-hwa. [단독]김희정, 김원해 접촉→코로나19 검사..'경우의 수' 촬영 중단]. August 20, 2020. Star News. ko. September 4, 2020.
  12. Web site: Yeon. Hwi-sun. Ong Seong Wu and Shin Ye Eun melt fans with sweet moments in "Number of Cases" first trailer. August 7, 2020. Osen. V Live. August 7, 2020.
  13. Web site: Kim. Han-na. '경우의 수', 신예은에 백마 탄 왕자 김동준 등장...옹성우, 질투 폭발?. August 21, 2020. Hankook Ilbo. ko. August 23, 2020.
  14. Web site: Shin. Ji-won. '경우의 수' 옹성우X신예은 설레는 눈맞춤, '우수커플' 2차 포스터 공개. September 4, 2020. The Korea Economic Daily. ko. September 4, 2020.
  15. Web site: Nielsen Korea. AGB Nielsen Media Research. ko. September 25, 2020.