The 'Squid Game' protagonist plays a popular, typecast actor who clashes with a seasoned reporter, sparking quirky romance
Lee Jung-jae in a still from 'Nice to Not Meet You.' Photo: TVN, courtesy of Han Cinema.
Lee Jung-jae returns to the drama scene with Nice to Not Meet You, a rom-com slated for release in November.
After the final season of Squid Game, the show that turned the Korean star into a global sensation, this new series flips the script, swapping survival stakes for breezy romance set amid Korea’s demanding entertainment industry. If anything, it’s the perfect, heartwarming follow-up that reveals the softer side of the man who nailed 456 players in Squid Game’s bloody battle.
The story centers on actor Lim Hyun-joon (Lee Jung-jae), who’s typecast as a detective and longs to branch out into new roles. He meets Wi Jeong-sook (Lim Ji-yeon), a political journalist who finds herself unexpectedly reassigned to entertainment news due to a major controversy. Their worlds clash when Jeong‑Sook’s investigative instincts collide with Hyun‑joon’s star image and ego, sparking a quirky romance. According to an official press release, the drama “explores the friction between a justice-driven reporter and an actor stuck in his own script.”
Hyun-joon and Jeong-sook’s opposite rhythms force them to see beyond the stereotypes: she learns that behind the actor lies a performer yearning for depth, while he discovers that a reporter’s tough exterior can hide a soft spot for drama-free honesty. And the push‑and‑pull between them, the constant “you’re not listening” versus “you’re not acting,” gradually morphs into a deeper chemistry.
As reported by Maeil Business Newspaper (매일경제), the show producers said, “You can look forward to Lee Jung‑jae and Lim Ji‑yeon’s passionate performances, who will complete the annoyingly volatile relationship between national actor Lim Hyun‑joon and entertainment reporter Wi Jeong‑sook with cheerful tiki‑taka.”
Directed by Kim Ga‑ram, the drama skewers the cut‑throat Korean entertainment industry. Lee Jung‑jae’s character is pigeonholed as a detective, and that stereotype becomes a punchline for the whole industry’s obsession with formulas. His struggle to break free mirrors Lim Ji‑yeon’s character’s own pressure to deliver when she’s forced out of her comfort zone—both are fighting rigid expectations, and that shared battle pulls them onto the same page, forging a bond that feels more like an opposites-attract love story.
Nice to Not Meet You also features Kim Ji‑hoon and Seo Ji‑hye in pivotal roles, and premieres on Nov. 3.
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