Serendipity's Embrace

Serendipity's Embrace
Promotional poster
Hangul
우연일까?
Hanja
偶然일까?
Literal meaningIs It Fate?
Revised RomanizationUyeonilkka?
McCune–ReischauerUyŏnilkka?
GenreRomantic comedy
Based on
Is It Fate?
by
  • Nam Ji-eun
  • Kim In-ho
Written byPark Geu-ro
Directed bySong Hyun-wook
Starring
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes8
Production
Production companyBase Story[1]
Original release
NetworktvN
ReleaseJuly 22 (2024-07-22) –
August 13, 2024 (2024-08-13)

Serendipity's Embrace (Korean우연일까?) is a 2024 South Korean television series written by Park Geu-ro, directed by Song Hyun-wook, and starring Kim So-hyun, Chae Jong-hyeop, Yoon Ji-on, and Kim Da-som. It is based on Naver webtoon of the same name by writer Nam Ji-eun and illustrated by Kim In-ho, which was published in 2011. It aired on tvN from July 22, 2024 till August 13, 2024 every Monday and Tuesday at 20:40 (KST). It is available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, Disney+ in Japan,[2] and on Viki and Viu in selected regions.

Synopsis

[edit]

The story of young people who meet their first love after 10 years by chance and go on to find true love and dreams.

Cast and characters

[edit]

Main

[edit]
An animation production producer who is afraid of love due to a wound from her past love.[3]
A financial planner whose heart began to fluctuate again after reuniting with his first love after 10 years.[4]
Hoo- yeong's high school close friend. He later becomes close friends with Lee Hong Ju and Kim Hye Ji. He runs a restaurant where Hong Ju and Hye Ji are regular customers.[5]
An English teacher at Ohbok High School and Lee Hong-joo's best friend.[6]

Supporting

[edit]
  • Hwang Seong-bin as Gyeong-taek
A physical education teacher at Ohbok High School who has had a crush on Kim Hye-ji for a long time.[7]
A popular writer full of narcissism who was Hong-joo's first love, she was his number 1 fan. They met while publishing his first novel.[8]
  • Yoon Joon-won as Joseph Oh
Hoo-yeong's close friend and important client, who comes from a wealthy family and immigrated to the United States. He graduated from law school and has excellent English skills.[9]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

The series is based on the 2011 webtoon Is It Fate? written by Nam Ji-eun and illustrated by Kim In-ho. This representative romance webtoon that marked the beginning of Naver's webtoon popularity.[1] It is directed by Song Hyun-wook, who directed other works such as Another Miss Oh (2016), Revolutionary Love (2017), The Beauty Inside (2018) and The King's Affection (2021) among others and penned by Park Geu-ro.[3][1] South Korean online news Xports News, reported that the drama is being discussed to release on tvN.[4]

Casting

[edit]

On August 8, 2022, it was reported that Kim So-hyun was in talks to star in the series for her next work since her drama River Where the Moon Rises ended in 2021.[10] She then confirmed for the role in November 2022.[3] On October 6, it was reported that Chae Jong-hyeop had received an offer for the role of the male protagonist in the drama,[11] and was later confirmed for it.[4] Yoon Ji-on's respective agency announced that he would also star in the show.[8]

Filming

[edit]

Principal photography began in the second half of 2022.[3]

Release

[edit]

tvN confirmed that the series would be broadcast on July 22, 2024, every Monday and Tuesday at 20:40 (KST).[12][13] It is also available to stream on OTT platforms such as TVING, Viki, and Viu.[14][15][16]

Viewership

[edit]
Serendipity's Embrace : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
SeasonEpisode numberAverage
12345678
1862738582606606656658719678
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[17]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[17]
Nationwide Seoul
1 July 22, 2024 3.877% (1st) 4.752% (1st)
2 July 23, 2024 3.338% (1st) 4.029% (1st)
3 July 29, 2024 2.679% (1st) 2.848% (1st)
4 July 30, 2024 2.661% (1st) 3.007% (1st)
5 August 5, 2024 2.694% (1st) 3.047% (1st)
6 August 6, 2024 2.988% (1st) 3.537% (1st)
7 August 12, 2024 3.068% (1st) 3.315% (1st)
8 August 13, 2024 3.096% (1st) 3.097% (1st)
Average 3.050% 3.454%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
  • This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Kim, Ji-young (September 27, 2022). 김소현, 웹툰 원작 '우연일까' 출연…인생 캐릭터 탄생 예감 [Kim So-hyun, appeared in the original webtoon 'Is it a coincidence'... Premonition of the birth of a character in life] (in Korean). JoyNews24. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "チェ・ジョンヒョプ主演最新作!韓国恋愛ドラマ『偶然かな。』ディズニープラス「スター」にて7月30日(火)より独占配信!". Disney+ Japan (in Japanese). July 10, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Park, Ji-hyun (September 27, 2022). 김소현, 웹툰 원작 '우연일까' 출연...평범한 직장인으로 변신 [Kim So-hyun, appeared in the original webtoon 'Is it a coincidence'... Transformed into an ordinary office worker] (in Korean). The Fact. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Hasuna (October 18, 2022). 채종협, '우연일까' 출연 확정...김소현과 청춘 로맨스 [공식] [Chae Jong-hyeop confirmed to appear in 'Is it a coincidence'... Youth romance with Kim So-hyun [Official]] (in Korean). TV Report. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Lee, Joon-hyeon (June 12, 2024). "Lee Won Jung, Hwang Sung Bin, Yoon Jung Hee, And More Add Excitement, Humor, And Tension In "Serendipity's Embrace"". Soompi. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  6. ^ Lee, Min-ji (November 28, 2022). 김다솜, 김소현 절친 된다…'우연일까' 캐스팅 [공식] [Dasom Kim and Sohyun Kim become best friends... 'Is it a coincidence' casting [Official]]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Lee, Joon-hyeon (January 2, 2023). 황성빈, 드라마 '우연일까' 합류…다솜 오랫동안 짝사랑 중 [Hwang Seong-bin joins the drama 'Is it a coincidence'... Dasom has been in one-sided love for a long time]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via Naver.
  8. ^ a b Ahn, Tae-hyun (November 22, 2022). 윤지온, '우연일까' 캐스팅 확정…김소현과 호흡 예고 [Yoon Ji-on, 'Is it a coincidence' casting confirmed... Notice of breathing with Kim So-hyun] (in Korean). Xports News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Ahn, Byung-gil (January 5, 2023). 윤준원, 새 드라마 '우연일까' 출연 [Yoon Joon-won appears in the new drama 'Is it a coincidence']. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2023 – via Naver.
  10. ^ Choi, Jeong-ah (August 8, 2022). [단독] 배우 김소현, 웹툰 원작 드라마 '우연일까?' 출연 [[Exclusive] Actress Kim So-hyun, webtoon-based drama 'Is it a coincidence?' appearance]. Sports World. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  11. ^ Kim, Hyun-jung (October 6, 2022). 김소현, 웹툰 원작 '우연일까' 출연...평범한 직장인으로 변신 [[Exclusive] Chae Jong-hyeop, 'Is it a coincidence' male lead... Romance breathing with Kim So-hyun] (in Korean). Xports News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  12. ^ Kim, Na-yeon (June 12, 2024). 채종협X김소현 '우연일까', '플레이어2' 후속 확정..7월 중 방송 [공식] [Chae Jong-hyeop and Kim So-hyun's 'Is It a Coincidence' confirmed as follow-up to 'Player 2'..broadcast in July [Official]] (in Korean). Star News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024 – via Naver.
  13. ^ Kim, Ji-hye (July 3, 2024). '우연일까?' 김소현-채종협, 첫사랑 기억 해동한다..깊은 눈맞춤 ['Is It Fate?' Kim So-hyun and Chae Jong-hyeop, memories of first love thaw...Deep eye contact] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024 – via Naver.
  14. ^ Hong, Ji-hoon (July 22, 2024). 웹툰 원작 드라마 '우연일까?' 김소현X채종협, 등장 인물 관계도 본격 전개…OTT 재방송 다시보기 티빙 [Webtoon-based drama 'Is it a Coincidence?' Kim So-hyun X Chae Jong-hyeop, the character relationships are also developing in earnest...OTT rerun replay TVING] (in Korean). Biz Enter. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024 – via Nate.
  15. ^ Koh, Lydia (July 4, 2024). "Serendipity's Embrace poster: Kim So Hyun and Chae Jong Hyeop melting one another's hearts". The Independent Singapore. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Salma, Nisrina (July 18, 2024). "Sinopsis Serendipity's Embrace" [Synopsis of Serendipity's Embrace]. Viu (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Nielsen Korea ratings:
[edit]