The Intangible Called Chemistry: When K-drama Couples Swap Onscreen Partners
In the musical chairs game of K-drama casting, the pool is so deep that rarely do onscreen couplings get to work together again. It’s also not common to have two sets of onscreen couples switching OTPs for subsequent dramas. The A-listers age out of leading men roles or grow too big for dramas and head for the movies exclusively, and there is always a deep pool of young and eager newbies ready to jump on any opportunity to headline any project. Sometimes I wonder if the recent trend towards younger men-older women pairings (whether the drama calls for it in the age difference of the characters or merely a casting leap of faith wanting us to accept the two are close in age onscreen) is because there are so many promising young actors ready to tackle being a leading man and not nearly as many same-age actresses of the same name recognition or caliber? Whatever the reason, unlike TW-dramas or C-dramas, there isn’t a lot of repeat. Which is why Jang Hyuk and Lee Da Hae having a THIRD go a it right now in IRIS II is groundbreaking and not likely to happen again. With that said, currently there are two airing K-dramas where the onscreen OTP literally swapped partners for their previous dramas. Song Seung Heon and Kim Tae Hee made magic in My Princess, while Yoo Ah In and Shin Se Kyung were……indescribable in positive terms in Fashion King. Like two couples swinging, now Song Seung Heon is romancing the much younger Shin Se Kyung in When a Man Loves while Kim Tae Hee re-writes history with Yoo Ah In in Jang Ok Jung, Live in Love. I’ve watched both dramas and right now which new pairing has better chemistry is debatable. My gut tells me neither will match what Kim Tae Hee and Song Seung Heon created in MP, which is fine by me, but if I had to guess I’ll give the edge to Yoo Ah In and Kim Tae Hee because I enjoyed their frisson of chemistry in the first meeting scene. I got around to thinking of what other rare instances have two couples swapped and which pairings ended up being the best? I found another two couples below, but tell me if you recollect any other direct swaps that would be interesting to mull over.
The other famous four-way switch is Hyun Bin–Ha Ji Won–Jo In Sung–Song Hye Kyo. First came Ha Ji Won and Jo In Sung in What Happened in Bali. Next was Hyun Bin and Song Hye Kyo in World’s Within. Followed up everyone’s love-hate Secret Garden with Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin. And finally Jo In Sung just romanced Song Hye Kyo in That Winter, The Wind Blows.
I’ve watched all four dramas from beginning-to-end so at least I have the right to render an opinion on chemistry. Here is how I would rank them (from best to……not the best – all four pairing combos are actually qualitatively good, but some are merely better than others).
1. Ha Ji Won and Jo In Sung in What Happened in Bali – So good. So so good. So good they turn wrong into right. So good I needed to take a cold shower after watching them together.
2. Hyun Bin and Song Hye Kyo in World’s Within – This one is kinda cheating since they ended up dating for nearly two years in real life after doing this drama. Their chemistry was palpable yet realistic, tender yet powerful.
3. Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin in Secret Garden – Their acting styles meshed well, but the chemistry was tempered by having truly incompatible characters so the romance was like a negative sinkhole for me. There was a lot of heated stares and sexiness, but the terrible romance EQ of this pairing takes away from the actors’ ability to sell it convincingly.
4. Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo in That Winter, The Wind Blows – The whole fauxcest bit made their chemistry icky, and Jo In Sung overacted as glaringly as his colorful tight pants while Song Hye Kyo was lovely and believably blind but rather felt like she was acting in her own one-woman show. Sometimes they had chemistry, but it was intermittent.
wow…..great post…
I didn’t pay attention to this swap (Song Seung Heon, Kim Tae Hee, Yoo Ah In and Shin Se Kyung) until now…but it’s so interesting 🙂
let me think some more examples (if I can)…
me too..,i really never though SSH.,KTH.,SSK and YAI have related with this swap..If there another one that maybe Moon Chae Won,Park Shi Hoo,and Moon Geun Young..isn’t they also swap…?hahahha
Can we complete the swap by having song joong ki pair up with moon geun young in their next drama? Pls. make it happen…
Won’t happen until at least he finished military
FK? Lets not go there. As otp? Could have worked if it wasn’t soo bad.
I did a little digging aka dramawiki and it looks like What Happened in Bali and Fashion King had the same screenwriter and PD… so where did Fashion King go wrong? Man, even Yoo Ah-in couldn’t save that drama for me.
it’s obvious,,WHIB was a really ‘what-the-heck’ drama in the end of the episodes,,eventhough the beginning was quite endearing,,
WHIB is in a league of its own – hotter than fire. The other 3 were about equal for me in terms of blazing intensity tho, I had to pause to catch my breath several times, so hot.
Lets never discuss fashion king
TVB Dramas (HK Dramas) always use the same actors and actresses. I’ve seen so many of the same OTP in different dramas. Now watching those dramas, I basically recognize everyone from the small roles to the main characters. I can listen to the voice and know who is talking.
I don’t feel anything watching TWTWB..the otp doesn’t work for me….
I agree with Jo In Sung – Ha Ji Won pairing!!it’s BEYOND GOOD! I really can’t wait for their scene when I watched that drama. I wish they could work together again and sure my screen will be burnt with their chemistry.LOL.
lol, his role in Frozen Flower with the King thats the only one that I can see. cannot watch him anymore.
Me too!!! Frozen Flower — not relevant to this post — is my favorite JIS outing… his scenes with the king were so sexy!
Maybe it’s due to my bias towards So Ji Sub or because in wook is my fav. Character in what happen in bali… But in that drama… I actually love the chemistry between HJW and SJS a lot more. I felt their connection is resonated with me more. They live in the same place, seeing each other more often…. And I felt. HJW char is more comfortable around him. But it just me lol
As for the chemistry between jo in sung and song hye kyo
I agree with you. But one of the reason I can’t feel It’s due to the directing. That overuse close up face scene is too much for me to handle.
I have to agree with you that I always felt there was much more chemistry between Ha Ji Won and Soh Ji Sub in It Happened in Bali. I also did not like Hyun Bin with Son Hye Gyo in World Within. Hard to believe that they were really dating at the time. Goes to show that on screen chemistry is quite different from real chemistry. BUT I mus confess that Kim Tae Hee and Song Seung Heon were truly the hottest on screen couple in that year – 2011? That long alrready?
me too…count me in…SJS and HJW just awesome to be together
I like SSH & KTH so much at “My Princess” and HB & HJW on “Secret Garden”. These are the best romantic paired ACTORS with a very good & beautiful love stories I’d ever seen on Korean Drama. Best & Perfect! Congrats! Thanks KOALA for the views and comments!
I like shin hye n yong hwa chemistry, they will together again in heirs, it’s their 3rd time, bet they have strong chemistry, I heard shin hye luv cnblue music too, can’t wait
but yong hwa will be the second lead again,,just like in you’re beautifull
Park Shin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa are going to act in the same show AGAIN. Like seriously?!
Dramabeans discussed this issue from a different perspective today.
http://www.dramabeans.com/2013/04/jung-yong-hwa-cast-opposite-park-shin-hye-again-seriously/
Well i can of several OTPs who have been interchanged.
First we have Song Seung Hun- Song Hye Kyo – Lee Byung Hun – Kin Tae Hee
Autumn in my heart – Song Seung Hun and Song Hye Kyo
All In – Song Hye Kyo and Lee Byung Hun
Iris – Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee
My Princess – Kim Tae Hee and Song Seung Hun
Second we have Song Seung Hun – Son Ye Jin – Lee Min Ho – Park Min Young
Summer Scent – Song Seung Hun and Son Ye Jin
Personal Taste – Son Ye Jin and Lee Min Ho
City Hunter – Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young
Dr. Jin – Park Min Young and Song Seung Hun
Well that would be all for now
LBH wasn’t in Autumn in my heart. It was Won Bin.
she didn’t say LBH was in autumn in my heart though.(just for clarification)
that would be three-couples-way swap
Daniel Choi x Jang Nara may probably catch up with Jang Hyuk x Lee Da Hae. The latter paired twice i think within a year or so in Baby Face Beauty & School.
another example~~~
Lee Jun Ki – Han Hyo Joo (iljimae)
Lee Seunggi – Han Hyo Joo (Brilliant Legacy)
Lee Seunggi – Shin Min Ah (My Girlfriend is a Gumiho)
Lee Jun Ki – Shin Min Ah (Arang & the Magistrate)
I love the chemistry in the HJW-HB-JIS-SHK switch. I think all four work really well together, though I do remember What Happened in Bali burning up my screen.
I’ve got another, based on Song Seung Heon again. Maybe we should play six degrees?
1. Song Seung Heon and Son Ye Jin in Summer Scent. Ugh, this annoyed me so much I can’t remember if they even had chemistry.
2. Lee Min Ho and Park Min Young in City Hunter. Loved these two together. Probably my favourite pairing for both of them.
3. Lee Min Ho and Son Ye Jin in Personal Taste. I thought they were a cute couple and worked wello together, although the plot was completely meh.
4. Song Seung Heon and Park Min Young in Dr Jin. Awful, awful, awful. They had sub-zero chemistry which didn’t help a terrible script and mostly abysmal acting. The least said the better.
Okay, I’m totally blowing off work now to think of pairings:
1. Lee Seung Gi and Shin Min Ah in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. Totally adorable. Loved, loved, loved this pairing.
2. Lee Jun Ki and Han Hyo Joo in Iljimae. Hmm, not sure about this one. The pairing didn’t do anything for me. Han Hyo Joo is one of those actresses where I can love her in one drama but barely notice her in another.
3. Lee Seung Gi and Han Hyo Joo in Shining Inheritance. The quintessential bickering pair. This didn’t set me on fire, but they fed really well off each other, and sparks flew.
4. Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah in Arang and the Magistrate. I didn’t get that invested in the actual plot but watched it for these two. Really enjoyed them together.
Never mind, looks like while I was posting, other commenters came up with the same combos.
haha~~~we have same mind ^^
ah ! shin se kyung I haven’t watched any other dramas with her apart when a man loves but she is so bland I can’t even start talking about whether she has chemistry with Song seung hun or not (the drama itself though turned out to be better than expected) it’s like her facial expressions are frozen.
yeah, she has the SAME expression on both the posters… her expression on the WAML poster makes me uncomfortable. :/
Yong hwa-Shin hye pairing is beating da hae and jang hyuk pairing! Yong hwa has just been confirmed to join Heirs alongside shin hye and lee min ho. that’ll make it three times they’ll be in a drama together 🙂
Yes, this just goes to show that some repeat pairings can be interesting and exciting, while others can be horrible. Repeat pairings work when:
– the actor and actress are talented enough be play different sorts of characters every time
– the actor and actress are old enough and talented enough to portray a range of romantic emotion, including sexual desire, jealous rage, or resignation to the inevitable
– the projects cover a range of genres, character types, and story lines.
Sorry, but the Jong Hwa/Shin Hye pairing fails all three of these criteria.
Worked extremely well for me at that time! No reasons or logic……just. And it’s not that I am a shipper etc. . Don’t believe in that…..maybe too old for that. Just two young artists with different acting abilities that are enjoyable to watch not necessarily together only. Maybe, its because everyone is looking for different things to satisfy them when watching something? ….am I too easily satisfied?
Thanks for this Miss Koala! Hm, HeonHee couple (SSH & KTH) is still my OTP to beat. But there’s also the promising pair of Lee Jin Wook and Jo Yoon Hee in Nine – my newest crack drama. <3
Well, I can see some potential for Yoo Ah in and KTH to have a passionate onscreen blowup.
Honestly this is an interesting post, along with the subsequent answers. JIS-HJW-HB-SGH, were actually the couples I thought of. And it seems that SSH is pretty good at musical chairs. LOL. He always wins (sort of). I also agree that KTH-YAI win out in the chemistry department. Haven’t watched JOJ but I did see WAML and all I do is laugh. Nothing about that drama can be taken seriously. Absolutely nothing!
The fauxcest in TWWB was never an issue for me, therefore I loved their chemistry, but Bali wins hands down. However, the heat between those two was more dangerous, unhealthy and unsettling in my book. Therefore, I’d give the win to Worlds for the simple fact that out of all the dramas, their interaction was what could be deemed more “realistic” or “rational.”
Interesting to me how so many folks find the HJW-JIS pairing in What Happened in Bali so intense. I saw this drama more recently and have to say that it did not really set my screen on fire. I thought HJW acted so realistically but JIS was so over the top that I could not feel the balance though the storyline definitely revolved around this chemistry. I really liked the drama in many, many respects but not so much the HJW-JIS pairing.
Can you tell us please, what kind of pairing that you think the best? Just curious to know which pairing is more intense than JIS-HJW in WHIB.
all other pairing so lame compare to jis and sjh in frozen flower which bold and realistic.
uhm tae-woong + han ji-min = rebirth
han ji-min + jung woo-sung = padam padam
jun woo-sung + soo-ae = athena
soo-ae + uhm tae-woong = sunny