Watch: Im Soo Jung, Lee Do Hyun, And More Test Their Chemistry At "Melancholia" Script Reading

Oct 03, 2021

tvN revealed a video of the script reading for upcoming drama “Melancholia”!

Set in a private school that is rife with corruption, “Melancholia” will tell the story of a passionate math teacher named Ji Yoon Soo (played by Im Soo Jung) and a former math prodigy named Baek Seung Yoo (played by Lee Do Hyun), who fight to overcome social conventions and prejudices together.

The video starts with Im Soo Jung saying, “Math, it has caused many South Korean students to feel devastation and fear.” Later, she raises her voice and says, “Nonsense!” She then tells Lee Do Hyun’s character, “It’s special that you look at the world with the eye of math, and I like that.”

When the table read officially begins, director Kim Sang Hyuk of “Extraordinary You” and “True Beauty” greets the actors.

Im Soo Jung delivers her line, “I’m Ji Yoon Soo, nice to meet you. And thank you for taking the Advanced Mathematics class despite the scary name.” Her character Ji Yoon Soo is described as a teacher who loves math in her own way.

Lee Do Hyun makes his appearance with the line, “Teacher, I’ll prove it.” His character Baek Seung Yoo is introduced as a math genius who avoids math after a trauma. Im Soo Jung asks him, “Do you like math?” and he coldly responds, “No.” She then tells him to solve a math problem, and he says, “Why should I?”

The video gives a peek of Baek Seung Yoo’s trauma as the actor playing his father yells, “Sometimes, I just considered you dead.” Ji Yoon Soo tells the father, “You have to free him in order for him to spread his wings.” Lee Do Hyun asks viewers to watch the broadcast to see what happens to Baek Seung Yoo after he meets his teacher Ji Yoon Soo.

As her character Noh Jung Ah, Jin Kyung says, “We Ahsung High School will create an Advanced Mathematics class that is unlike any other.” Noh Jung Ah is the head of the school administration at Ahsung High School who aims to make the school one for only the most elite students.

Choi Dae Hoon plays the role of Ryu Sung Jae, Ji Yoon Soo’s fiancé and a policy advisor at the Office of Education. He’s sweet towards Ji Yoon Soo and a perfectionist at work.

Byun Jung Soo, playing the top actress Yoo Hye Mi and the mother of Sung Ye Rin (Woo Davi), says, “At the Mathematical World Cup.” Woo Davi responds, “It’s the Olympiad, not the World Cup.” Sung Ye Rin’s father and National Assembly member Sung Min Joon is played by Jang Hyun Sung, who says, “I, as a National Assembly member, will get the president’s seal on Ye Rin’s portfolio.”

Lee Do Hyun explains in an interview, “The word ‘melancholia’ may feel unfamiliar, but there is a hidden meaning behind it. I also found out about the meaning while studying this project. I think it’s a really great meaning, and I want it to be my motto in life. I’ll work hard to create the drama so that it can be conveyed well. You’ll find out what it means when you watch the broadcast.”

In between Lee Do Hyun’s interview, Im Soo Jung is shown delivering her lines, “That moment when you focus on math and can’t hear or feel anything. Let’s not give up on that freedom, Seung Yoo.”

“Melancholia” will air on November 3 at 10:30 p.m. KST.

Watch the video of the script reading below!