Once a promising novelist, Ho-jin works as a multilingual interpreter, preferring to deal with other people’s thoughts and emotions rather than his own. Reserved and introspective, he lives in his maternal grandfather’s house, surrounded by history — antique books and old memories. In more ways than one, he’s stuck in the past.

When Ho-jin becomes the interpreter for a reality show, Romantic Trip, he’s tasked with translating interactions between superstar Mu-hee and her Japanese co-star, Hiro. When he met Mu-hee once before, he thought she was unusual. After all, their personalities couldn’t be more different. “Since the series is a throwback to old-school romance, I thought that externally [Mu-hee and I] would have to be very different,” Kim Seon-ho tells Tudum. “If [she] is the grass swaying in the wind, I have to be the tree that doesn’t sway.” But as Ho-jin works with Mu-hee and becomes accustomed to her way of speaking, it helps him see things from her point of view. “[As] Ho-jin gets to know Mu-hee, their colors mix and dye each other.”

The Childe

Mu-hee first meets Ho-jin in Japan after the most humiliating moment of her life — her boyfriend cheated on her, validating her long-held belief that she’s unworthy of love.

Later, she lands a breakthrough role as killer zombie Do Ra-mi in the horror film The Quiet Woman and becomes a global sensation. She begins filming Romantic Trip with heartthrob Hiro and Ho-jin (as their interpreter), but she finds herself again at the mercy of her darkest emotions — while also developing romantic feelings.

“Mu-hee seems very honest with her emotions, but I think she’s also the least honest,” Go Youn-jung tells Tudum. “[Her emotions] show on her face, but she tries so hard not to show them. … [As Mu-hee] I wanted to show a character who is always wearing a complicated expression, not in a scheming type of way but in the sense that her anxieties and traumas are always informing her thoughts.”

Moving

A Japanese actor once celebrated for his charming romantic image, Hiro is now fading from the spotlight. Beneath his polished facade, he secretly resents the relentless performance required to maintain his carefully curated public persona. Hiro reluctantly joins Romantic Trip to reignite his career, expecting to work alongside the incorrigible Do Ra-mi he saw onscreen. But over time, the once defensive and guarded Hiro is charmed by the sweet and genuine woman beneath the larger-than-life character. 

Goodbye Ghosts!

Ji-sun is a hotshot reality TV producer often regarded as an alpha female who’s beautiful, intelligent, and effortlessly charismatic. Ji-sun first met Ho-jin in Japan but later dated Ho-jin’s half-brother Jin-suk, unaware that they were related. 

The Queen Who Crowns

Once an aspiring professional athlete whose career ended due to injury, Yong-u became Mu-hee’s manager just as she was beginning to act. Because he has been by her side from the start, Yong-u knows Mu-hee better than anyone and supports her like a devoted younger brother with unwavering loyalty. 

Room Sharing, Chief Detective 1958