'Hometown Cha-cha-cha' hits off with high ratings

MANILA, Philippines — The new romantic comedy drama “Hometown Cha-cha-cha” hit off with high ratings in Korean television as it premiered its first two episodes with the heart-fluttering encounter of the characters of Shin Min-ah and Kim Seon-ho.

The series is a remake of the 2004 film “Mr. Hong,” and it is about a perfectionist and confident dentist, Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-ah), who left the city to start a new life in the seaside village called Gongjin where he met the village chief Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), who is unemployed but serves as the town’s handyman who is willing to lend a hand to anyone.

Aside from the anticipated romance, the drama also served its viewers with heartwarming and comforting scenes and beautiful cinematography that appealed a lot to the fans.

The cast held an online press conference before the release of the drama, and they talked about their chemistry while working together.

“We have such great acting chemistry. Kim Seon-ho has such a great personality and is a type of a person who makes others comfortable. I wanted to have flexibility in acting with this series and Kim was so considerate. I think we clicked very well,” Shin Min-ah said, as translated by Korea Times.

Kim Seon-ho also finds his co-actor helpful and enjoyable to work with. 

“Shin is very open to exchanging opinions and creating the scenes. She would always come up with funny ideas and would show them to us, which were really amusing,” he added.

This is the first leading role for Kim Seon-ho after his breakthrough role in the 2020 Korean drama “Start-up.” He said that he had to learn various skills for the role on this drama as Hong Du-sik.

“I thought it would be so fun to play a multifaceted character. Du-sik does a lot of things. So I took lessons on how to surf, and to brew coffee. As I was studying for the character, I learned different skills,” he said.

For Shin Min-ah, this is her first romantic comedy drama after five years since “Oh My Venus.” She expressed her interest in the drama as she read the script. 

“When I read the script, it was well-composed and the story of people in it was really interesting. And the biggest reason I chose this is because I was drawn to the character Hye-jin. I’ve been doing works across genres to show different acting abilities. Now, I want to do a softhearted, feel-good series, so I’ve decided to join the series,” she said.

The series is directed by Yu Je-won, who took the helm of the dramas “Oh My Ghost” and “Tomorrow with You.”

He said that the drama does not highlight the big events and the dynamic elements of the story, but he wants the drama to give the viewers “small, intimate ‘healing’ moments,” as they enjoy the scenery of the coastal city and the sea.

“Hometown cha-cha-cha” airs every Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m., and can also be streamed on Netflix.