"She Would Never Know" Cast Shares Why They Joined The Drama, What To Look Forward To, And More

Jan 18, 2021

The cast of JTBC’s “She Would Never Know” spoke about their characters, what drew them to the drama, and more!

On January 18, Won Jin Ah, SF9’s Rowoon, Lee Hyun Wook, Lee Joo Bin, and director Lee Dong Yoon participated in an online press conference ahead of the drama’s premiere.

An adaptation of a popular web novel, “She Would Never Know” tells the complicated office love story of two workers on a marketing team for a cosmetics brand. Won Jin Ah stars as perfectionist Yoon Song Ah, while Rowoon plays her dashing younger colleague Chae Hyun Seung. Lee Hyun Wook takes on the role of ambitious marketing team director Lee Jae Shin, and Lee Joo Bin plays Lee Hyo Joo, the granddaughter of the cosmetics company’s founder and a rising star in the photography world.

Director Lee Dong Yoon introduced the drama as one that consists of “the bubbly charm and chemistry of a couple with an age difference” but is also at its core a serious story about one couple’s romance.

Making a reference to the drama’s Korean title, which literally translates to, “Sunbae, Don’t Put on That Lipstick,” Lee Dong Yoon shared, “As the setting is a cosmetics company, there are scenes related to lipstick. However, it’s not just the lipstick but also the symbolism that it holds. She has lipstick that she put on whenever she met the man she used to love, but the younger colleague who finds out about the thing she couldn’t say tells her, ‘I wish you wouldn’t put it on.'”

Won Jin Ah also shared her thoughts on the unique title. “When I first heard the title over the phone, I had to ask again,” she said. “The image that the title evokes gave off a really strong and bold feeling, so it was unexpected.”

Continuing, she added, “I wondered if the drama would be really intense, but the way that the emotions develop in the story is steady and realistic. Although I haven’t had the same experiences, I was able to sympathize with the story and was drawn in by the realistic way that the emotions unfold.”

Rowoon chimed in, “The title is unique and has a sexy air. The character of Chae Hyun Seung is somewhat of a fantasy character so when I first heard the title I thought it was sexy.”

Lee Dong Yoon then spoke about how he came to cast Won Jin Ah in the role of professional marketer Yoon Song Ah. “I frequently watched Won Jin Ah’s previous works. She’s a good actor and she has her own style,” he noted. “When I thought about casting someone for the role, I hoped that the role would be portrayed in a realistic manner instead of like something from a fantasy novel, since she’s stuck in the middle of two men. I wanted an actress with a genuine side. When I met Won Jin Ah for the first time she was great, and she also understands her character at a deep level.”

Won Jin Ah revealed that she worked at an office job in her early twenties before she became an actress, noting that even though she didn’t have many memories about that time, her muscle memory seemed to kick in when she sat in front of the keyboard and mouse.

Sharing how she prepared for her role, Won Jin Ah explained, “Since the drama is set at a cosmetics company, we have to run a lot of tests, and we were given the opportunity to meet and learn from real employees in the field. I also watched marketers’ vlogs on YouTube.”

Won Jin Ah also gave more insight into her character. “Yoon Song Ah might seem like a workaholic, but she’s always in relationships,” she said. “I think she’s passionate in every way. She’s an intelligent character who can take on both work and love.”

Lee Dong Yoon said about Rowoon, “He’s tall, handsome, and has a good voice. When I met him in person, he had a very serious attitude toward acting. He thought very seriously about how to bridge the gap between him and his character of Chae Hyun Seung. I wondered if it was possible for someone in their twenties to look like he does and be so serious. I really liked it.”

Rowoon’s role as an office worker marks a departure from his previous high school romance drama “Extraordinary You.” Hoping to give viewers a glimpse at a completely opposite side of him, Rowoon added, “Fundamentally, I don’t think there’s a big difference between school and office romance, but there will be differences based on the situation and the setting.”

Sharing why he cast Lee Hyun Wook in the role of marketing director Lee Jae Shin, the director said, “Lee Jae Shin is a character who experiences pain but doesn’t outwardly express much. Lee Hyun Wook expresses his role’s feelings in a short moment using his gaze and his voice. I thought he did well.”

The romance drama is notably different from many of Lee Hyun Wook’s previous roles in thriller dramas such as OCN’s “Search.” The actor said that rather than attempting to take up the challenge of a new genre, he was drawn to the drama for other reasons. “In my previous productions I played cynical and antisocial characters who were out to harm others, but in this drama I can smile warmly,” he shared. “Because of that, instead of trying to make a special change I just tried to act out exactly what was in the script.”

Lee Joo Bin also spoke about her role as Lee Hyo Joo, the granddaughter of the cosmetics company’s founder who hides a soft heart under a hard exterior. “It’s my first time playing someone from a rich family, so I was able to experience that life indirectly,” she revealed. “I wanted to make ‘young and rich’ one of the descriptors of my character.”

Won Jin Ah then let viewers know what to look out for in the drama. “Since it’s a story about an older woman and a younger man, I think viewers will enjoy watching over the process of how they progress from colleagues into a couple,” she shared. “There’s going to be a difference before and after they fall in love, so that will be interesting to watch as well.”

Rowoon piqued viewers’ curiosity by concluding, “I think the drama’s title is about finding oneself. If you watch the drama, you’ll see what kind of meaning this message holds.”