Yoona and Junho decided to join lighthearted rom-com King the Land after each starred in heavy dramas

If you're craving for a classic romantic comedy drama, King the Land might just be the one for you.

This was the case for Girls Generation's Yoona and 2PM's Lee Jun-ho as well, who both expressed that they wanted a lighthearted project after starring in heavy dramas.

"My past work (Big Mouth) was something that's more deep and heavy so I wanted to try something that's more cheerful, fun and exciting," said Yoona in a press conference for the show on Thursday (June 15).

The idol-actress went on to add that people seem to like it when she plays "bubbly roles".

After briefly talking about his previous project The Red Sleeve which he recalled being "heart-wrenching", Jun-ho said: "I wanted to do something that's more fun, easygoing and heartwarming so that's why I chose this project."

While King The Land is a drama with a lot of fun and laughter, Jun-ho had to stop himself from smiling as his character Gu Won in that drama dislikes smiling due to a painful memory from his childhood. 

Playing the role of chaebol heir Gu Won proved to be a "challenge" for this actor who said he's always grinning.

"I am usually the positive and smiley guy around, so it was so hard to keep myself together for shoots. The moment the director said cut, I burst into laughter. I think everyone did, actually," recalled Jun-ho as he smiled.

Contrary to Gu Won, Yoona's character Cheon Sa-rang is the opposite. Known as the "queen of smiles", Sa-rang has a cheerful personality. Best of all, her name literally means "love".

She is thrilled to start her job at the King Hotel, which is owned by Gu Won's family. 

And from the trailer, it seems that what starts from annoyance between the two eventually blossoms to love.

[embed]https://youtu.be/7WhO_qF0Q2Q[/embed]

Being K-pop idols that debuted during the second generation of K-pop, Yoona and Jun-ho have known each other for a long time, and have even performed together previously. 

They went viral for their chemistry after their MBC Gayo Daejejeon performance in 2021, and fans have been dying to see the duo as leads in a romance drama.

Director Lim Hyun-ook was no exception, joking that he probably needed "three generations of good karma" to see the two stars in his drama.

Now that the long-awaited dream has come true, don't forget to catch the first episode of King the Land, premiering June 17 on Netflix.

ALSO READ: Not just Yoona and Junho: K-dramas coming up in June besides King the Land, from durians to demon possession

syarifahsn@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.