Miss A's Suzy Bae has not appeared in a drama since she romanced Lee Seung Gi in the fantasy drama "Gu Family Book.
There has been much speculation about roles she might take for her small screen comeback. She was considering the role now being played by Shin Se Kyung in "Sensory Couple" also known as "The Girl Who Sees Smells." But she declined that role, choosing instead to devote time to the release of her group's single, "Only You."
That was a wise choice. Released at the end of March, the song quickly climbed online music charts, increasing the demand for performances and promotional events.
Now Bae is in talks to play the lead in a new Chinese drama.
"Suzy received a casting offer for a new Chinese drama and is currently in the stage of reviewing the role," a JYJ representative told the Korean news site daum.net.
Both the plot and the choice of co-star may have been inspired by the recently disclosed news that the singer-actress was dating actor Lee Min Ho.
The drama producers that offered Suzy a role would like her to co-star with popular Chinese actor Jang Han.
Ironically, Jang Han played the Chinese equivalent of Gun Jun Pyo in the 2009 and 2010 "Meteor Shower" dramas. These dramas were the Chinese remake of the Hana Yori Dango manga series that was adapted as "Boys Over Flowers" in Korea and previously produced in China as "Meteor Garden."
So, Bae is being asked to co-star with a man playing the role that made Lee Min Ho a star.
The proposed Chinese drama would be a fantasy historical drama, which Suzy has some experience acting in. "Gu Family Book" was a fantasy story about a mythological character in a historical setting.
In the proposed Chinese drama one of the characters would travel back in time to the Ming Dynasty. To survive in this strange environment that person must pretend to be an imperial bodyguard. It's a plot not unlike "Faith: The Great Healer." In that drama Lee Min Ho's historical bodyguard character traveled through time.
So, Suzy Bae would act in a drama much like a drama Lee Min Ho was in with an actor that played a role Lee Min Ho once had.
This could all be a coincidence. But it could also be an attempt to make the drama even more appealing to viewers by evoking the relationship between Suzy and Lee Min Ho.
If Suzy does take the role, it will be the first time she acts in China, but she would not be the first popular Korean artist to do so. In the last few years, Kim Tae Hee, Rain, Song Hye Kyo, Song Seung Hoon and Kim Bum have all filmed productions in China.