Seoul: The upcoming romantic comedy "Can This Love Be Translated" brings together a powerhouse team: a hit-making writing duo, an acclaimed director, and two young stars -- Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung. The 12-part Netflix series is written by Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran, who use Hong Sisters as their collective pen name and have numerous hit series, including "Master's Sun" (2013), "Hotel del Luna" (2019), and "Alchemy of Souls" (2022-23).
According to Yonhap News Agency, director Yoo Young-eun expressed her excitement at a press conference in Seoul, highlighting that this is the sisters' first romantic comedy in a while. "The script had such warmth and loveliness in how the characters interact," she said. "As a director, it was a joy to realize the writers' fairytale-like, innocent vision on screen. It was truly an honor to be part of the team."
The story centers on the budding romance between Cha Mu-hee (Go Youn-jung), an actress who catapults to global fame overnight, and Ju Ho-jin (Kim Seon-ho), a multilingual translator fluent in six languages, including Italian, English, and Japanese, yet struggling to comprehend the language of emotions. Speaking about the demands of acting in multiple languages, Kim mentioned he spent more than four months preparing -- practicing pronunciation, memorizing dialogue, and finding the right emotional tone for each scene.
Kim shared, "I practiced the lines over and over to get the emotions right, and studied grammar whenever I had spare time." Go Youn-jung focused on portraying the emotional complexity of her character, who oscillates between anxiety, excitement, nervousness, and doubt. "Mu-hee lives in constant anxiety about losing her fame as quickly as she gained it," she noted.
The director, known for her series "Queen of Mystery" (2017) and "Bloody Heart" (2022), praised the compelling chemistry between the two main leads, who present contrasting personalities -- one composed and analytical and the other emotionally transparent and charming. Filmed across four countries -- South Korea, Japan, Canada, and Italy -- the series treats each location as its own character, the director explained, while teasing special cameos throughout the episodes.
"Can This Love Be Translated" is set for release Friday.