One thing k-drama does well is the noona romance between an older woman and a younger man but usually the age difference between the characters is less than a decade. Consider Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young in "I Hear Your Voice" or Lee Chung Ah and Jung Il Woo in "Flower Boy Ramen Shop." Or how about Kim Bum and Park Jin Hee in "The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry?"
But Yoo Ah In's upcoming JTBC drama adds another decade to that age difference between the younger man and the woman he loves. In this drama the actor will play a 20-something pianist in love with a 40-something woman.
That's generally considered a scandalous and unworkable age difference.
In the drama Secret Love Affair," 27-year-old Yoo Ah In will play Lee Sun Jae, the talented pianist who falls in love with Oh Hye Won, a sophisticated beautiful woman who is the assistant director at the Seo Han Arts Foundation. She's accomplished and influential. She also helps her boss hide secret documents.
The two fall into a passionate love affair that they try to keep secret. But anyone who has seen a k-drama knows how difficult it is to keep a secret beyond a few episodes.
The character Oh Hye Won will be played by 46-year-old actress Kim Hee Ae.
Kim Hee Ae currently appears on the tvN show "Noonas Over Flowers" with Lee Seung Gi. Her most recent drama roles were in the 2012 drama "A Wife's Credentials" and the 2011 drama "Midas." The award-winning actress is also due to appear in the film "Elegant Lies" this year. She is usually cast as a calm and collected mother, so it will be interesting to see her in a role that calls on her to defy convention.
Yoo Ah In is best known playing the fashionable scholar Moon Jae Shin in the historical drama "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and also for playing King Sukjong in "Jang Ok Jung." He also appeared in the film "Tough As Iron" last year. He also had a role in the drama "Fashion King" and will contribute a cameo appearance to the film "Elegant Lies."
"Secret Love Affair" will air in March. Director An Pak Seok also directed "A Wife's Credentials" and "The End of the World." Writer Jung Sung Joo was the screenwriter for "A Wife's Credentials," so the upcoming drama will reunite the actress-director-writer team from that drama.
