Amidst all the busyness of Netflix series and films and the action-packed, often high-emotion stories these deliver, new Korean drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a breath of fresh air, in every sense of the word.
Directed by Yu Je-won, it’s a story of Seoul city-girl Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) who moves to the seaside village of Gongjin for a new start, and discovers the beauty of living a quiet life away from the city. There, she meets Hong Du-Sik (Kim Seon-ho), who the village refers to as the trusty handyman Chief Ho, along with a band of characters who open a new chapter of peace and comfort in her life.
At a time where so many of us are stuck indoors and feeling the burdens of weekday stress, this particular drama aims to add a sprinkle of light in our weekend routines. With new episodes coming out every Saturday and Sunday, the series aims to offer viewers a reprieve from their usual scenery and problems with a story that’s almost entirely set amidst ocean breezes, and clear blue skies. A welcome distraction from the same four walls in our homes.
Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho.
Photography by Shin Sun-hye
Photos courtesy of Netflix
It is also this very reason of comfort and mellowness that the main cast wanted to take part in this project. For Kim Seon-ho, the script exuded such warmth that he was instantly drawn to it. “I felt it was really human”, he remarked at the regional press conference for the show.
He noted that his character adds a particularly interesting dynamic to the quiet seaside life, as a technically unemployed man who makes a living out of doing everything. From deliveries to repairs, and even to interior design. He felt intrigued to see what he could bring to the character of Hong Du-Sik, or the village’s Chief Hong, with the quiet warmth of the seaside around him.
Kim Seon-ho.
Photography by Shin Sun-hye
Photos courtesy of Netflix
Shin Min-a, fondly known as the rom-com queen of K-Dramas, is making her much-anticipated return to the genre with this series. For her, this script offered just the solid storyline and wonderful characters she was searching for to make her comeback, and wanted to bring the character of Hye-jin to life.
“I want to show my fans as many sides of me as possible, so I try to venture into other genres as well. I wanted to do a heart-fluttering rom-com as well,” she shared.
Shin Min-a
Photography by Shin Sun-hye
Photos courtesy of Netflix
Completing the main cast is Lee Sang-yi, who plays aspiring TV producer Ji Sung-Hyun. Taking on the role, he believes that a lot of people are bound to relate to the story of “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” with the growing trend of moving out of the city and into more peaceful neighborhoods.
He mused, “I know a lot of people are going to live in Jeju Island and that is the trend right now. That’s exactly how I felt when I read the script. I felt like I was transported to this village. Of course, being able to act alongside Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a was also amazing.”
Lee Sang-yi
Photography by Shin Sun-hye
Photos courtesy of Netflix
As someone who is fairly new to the industry compared to his co-stars, Lee Sang-yi also stressed how the drama has left such a lasting impression on him with the meaningful memories and lessons he learned throughout the experience. Doing scenes with acting seniors Kim Seon-ho and Shin Min-a also gave him the encouragement to comfortably and confidently deliver his lines, he opened up.
The actor furthered, “I’ve been in a couple of dramas and movies and I think the people you work with are always really important. This experience was really special. I learned a lot from working with Kim Seon-ho, he’s much more experienced than me. I learned a lot from Shin Min-a as well. She is really considerate and thinks about the people around her. I haven’t had a very long experience in the industry yet, but these more experienced actors as well as the director helped me a lot.”
Photography by Shin Sun-hye
Photos courtesy of Netflix
Returning the compliment, Kim Seon-ho is all praise for his junior actor: “I say this to Sang-yi, but I am often amazed by him on set. I think he is really gifted in acting and I always learn a lot from him actually. He’s an actor with great potential and is recognized by everyone on set. He has a lot of ideas and we have a lot of fun filming the drama on set.” He teased that viewers should look forward to seeing his role grow throughout the series as well.
With this undeniable chemistry among the lead characters, Director Yu recognized this dynamic as one of the key factors that allowed the whole series to flow more organically. Having worked with Shin Min-a prior to this project, he noted that her acting has since become more mature and deep, highlighted exceptionally well in the way she and the rest of the cast complement one another in-between scenes.
Production stills courtesy of Netflix
The scenery of being outside Seoul also played a big part in the drama’s overall vibe and character. So much so that even the actors emphasized the impact of doing a drama by the sea to their performance and mood. “Sometimes while I’m on set I would be exhausted, but I would look at the ocean and hear the waves and feel comforted. There are some challenges, of course, in the process of filming. But the scenery is very soothing and gives us energy,” Shin Min-a recalled.
Kim Seon-ho also added that filming in the village made them feel like they’re really part of the community there. “We would wake up, go to bed at the same time, and spend the whole day together shooting. I felt like we blended in and became a part of [it]. My mind is still there as a part of the village, in a way,” he opened up.
And among all the characters, it’s definitely Kim Seon-ho’s role who spent the most amount of time going around the village and bonding with the whole neighborhood as the resident go-to help for anything. As an all-rounded neighbor, Shin Min-a pointed out that Kim Seon-ho’s arguably the one out of all of them who had to prepare the most for his role.
Photography by Shin Sun-hye
Photos courtesy of Netflix
“Because Chief Hong does so many different things, I had to set apart some time to learn all of his abilities. I had to learn how to surf and how to make coffee as a barista. I had to maintain a certain balance since he’s unemployed but he has a lot of handy talents,” he confirmed. That being said, Kim Seon-ho jests in hopes that his character would be the type of man viewers would wish was their boyfriend, instead of being referred to as the “rom-com king” beside the known queen of the genre.
Ultimately, the core story of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha trails a young woman restarting her life and career away from the noise of everything she once knew and held dear. But more than that, it spotlights different stories of life happening all around us, and the simple beauty of our daily lives.
Production stills courtesy of Netflix
Director Yu emphasized, “This drama is not about big events, it’s about the small stories in our daily lives and emotional changes. It’s about healing and warmth. I hope that is the message we can send to our audience. It’s entertaining and the scenery is breathtaking.”
Kim Seon-ho added that he hopes viewers would experience healing while exploring the village and villagers of Gongjin. That even though the incidents are not particularly special, in the traditional sense of the word, these events could still happen to any of us, and it’s also worth celebrating and appreciating.
Event photos courtesy of Netflix
Since its premiere on Netflix, the drama has immediately gathered a solid group of viewers, boosting it as one of the most popular series on the platform in the past few days. It has also already received a lot of praise online for the characters’ undeniable chemistry, and the breathtaking scenery in the background of each scene. Just from the first two episodes alone, its goal of providing comfort in these chaotic times has certainly been met with positive reactions from viewers around the world already.
On what to expect with the upcoming episodes of “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” and the unfolding of each characters’ stories and relationships, Lee Sang-yi teased it best: “On Saturday and Sunday, after you’ve had a long week and you’re ready to relax, I think our drama will be fun to watch and can feel like a retreat. There are elements that will look like a documentary and there are elements that have a dramatic side. I am sure you’ll be able to get good sleep after watching this comfortable drama.”
Discover the charm and beauty of seaside village Gongjin in “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”, now streaming on Netflix.