More Than Friends (Korean: 경우의 수) is a South Korean television series starring Ong Seong-wu, Shin Ye-eun and Kim Dong-jun. It aired on JTBC from September 25 to November 28, 2020.
Contents
Synopsis
Ten years ago, Kyung Woo-yeon was as innocent and carefree as any eighteen year old might be. With dreams and ambitions and a heart ready to love, it was only a matter of time before she fell for her friend, Lee Soo. Little did she know that at the time, Lee Soo also had a crush on her. Unfortunately, a simple misunderstanding kept them from confessing their feelings.
A decade later, Woo-yeon still harbors a crush on Soo. Working as a calligrapher, she still keeps in touch with her friend but has never confessed her feelings for him. Oddly enough, the same could be said for Soo, who is now working as a professional photographer. Though the two have taken turns having a crush on each other for over ten years, misunderstandings and missed timings have continued to keep them from becoming anything more than friends.
With feelings ten years in the making, Woo-yeon and Soo begin to realize their feelings for each other are becoming too strong to keep hidden. Has the time for their confessions finally come or will yet another misunderstanding keep them apart?
Cast
Main
Ong Seong-wu as Lee Soo
Ha Yi-an as young Lee Soo
A well-known photographer and Woo-yeon's friend since high school. He used to be very popular in school due to his looks, and he often appeared cold. He later realizes his feelings for Woo-yeon when she starts to date Jun-soo. He despises his parents for neglecting him and focusing on their divorce.
Shin Ye-eun as Kyung Woo-yeon
Shim Hye-yeon as young Woo-yeon
A cheerful person who received awards in school, but now works as a calligraphist and has a part-time job. She had a crush on Lee Soo for over ten years, but got rejected twice. She dates men thinking she will fall for them after dating, but her conflicting feelings for Lee Soo always gets in the way.
Kim Dong-jun as On Joon-soo
The CEO of a huge publishing house. His first love ends up being his sister-in-law. He falls in love with Woo-yeon after a few encounters.
Supporting
Pyo Ji-hoon as Jin Sang-hyuk
A good friend of the group who owns a small restaurant, Tonight, where the friends frequently meet.
Baek Soo-min as Han Jin-Joo
A rich prosecutor who has never dated, and Woo-yeon's best friend.
Ahn Eun-jin as Kim Young-hee
Ahn Se Bin as young Young-hee
An ordinary office worker who despises her mother, and has been in a relationship with Hyun-jae for over ten years. She avoids marrying Hyun-jae because of her poor family.
Choi Chan-ho as Shin Hyun-jae
Young-hee's boyfriend. He has been wanting to marry her for a long time, but patiently waits till Young-hee is ready.
Ahn Nae-sang as Lee Young-hwan
Lee Soo's father, who still has feelings for his wife even after getting divorced. He is a retired judge.
Kim Hee-jung as Choi Won-jung
Lee Soo's mom, who is an artist.
Jo Ryun as Park Mi-sook
Woo-yeon's mother.
Seo Sang-won as Kyung Man-ho
Woo-yeon's father.
Yang Hee-jae as Chul-soo
Kang Yoon-je as Joon-young
Special appearance
Woo Hyun as Mr. Han (ep. 2)
Original soundtrack
Production
Development
Early working title of the series is Number of Cases Friends Become Lovers (친구에서 연인이 되는 경우의 수; Chingueseo yeonini doeneun gyeonguui su).
Casting
On February 18, 2020, news outlet Osen reported that Ong Seong-wu would play the lead role of the series. The same day, another news outlet revealed that Shin Ye-eun would be Ong's co-star. Fantagio and Npio Entertainment (Ong and Shin's respective agencies) confirmed that they were both positively reviewing the offer, but nothing had been decided yet. On March 25, Kim Dong-jun's agency confirmed that the actor had joined the main cast. The final lineup was confirmed on April 9.
Filming
Part of the filming took place on Jeju Island. Production was halted during the last week of August 2020 after Kim Hee-jung came in contact with Kim Won-hae, who tested positive for COVID-19, on another filming set. Filming resumed after the tests came back negative.
Release
The first trailer for the series was released on August 7, 2020. The second trailer was released in August 20 and revealed that the series would premiere on September 18. On September 4, the premiere was postponed by a week after filming was halted at the end of August.
Ratings
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
This drama aired 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).