'Honey Sweet' brings a touch of the literal to 'saccharine' rom-coms

Romantic comedies often involve “sweet” characters — but what if the character himself is an actual sweets manufacturer? That is the premise of the upcoming rom-com “Honey Sweet,” starring Yoo Hae-jin in his first turn as a romantic lead...

From left, actors Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Hee-seon, Cha In-pyo, Han Sun-hwa and Jin Seon-kyu pose for a photo during a press conference for ″Honey Sweet″ at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University branch in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

Romantic comedies often involve “sweet” characters — but what if the character himself is an actual sweets manufacturer? That is the premise of the upcoming rom-com “Honey Sweet,” starring Yoo Hae-jin in his first turn as a romantic lead.

Yoo plays Chi-ho, a researcher at a confectionary company who knows nothing but how to make the next big candy.

Yoo is a veteran actor and household name in Korea for roles in hit films such as “Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard” (2009), “The Pirates,” (2014) and “Veteran” (2015).

Main poster for ″Honey Sweet″ [MIND MARK]

“I was drawn to the script of ‘Honey Sweet’ and firstly wanted to work with director Lee Han,” Yoo said during a press conference at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University branch in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Friday.

Lee's previous films include “Innocent Witness” (2019) and “Punch” (2011).

“My character Chi-ho is a sweets researcher, and only cares about his job and being at home. When he meets Il-young, he changes this routine, and I thought hard about how to express this,” Yoo added.

Il-young is Chi-ho’s love interest, played by Kim Hee-seon. “Honey Sweet” is Kim’s first silver screen role in 20 years, the actor having appeared exclusively in dramas for the past two decades, including “Faith” (2012), “Angry Mom” (2015) and “The Lady in Dignity” (2017).

Yoo Hae-jin plays Chi-ho, a confectionary company researcher, in the upcoming romantic comedy film ″Honey Sweet″ [MIND MARK]

“When I heard that the actor playing opposite me would be Yoo, I was instantly hooked,” said Kim during the press conference. “Not as an actor but as a fan, I was curious about how Yoo’s first romantic comedy would turn out. So, I was drawn to the role of Il-young because of the opportunity to play the love interest in this unique film.”

Cha In-pyo, Jin Seon-kyu and Han Sun-hwa play supporting roles in “Honey Sweet,” with the most notable character being Cha’s Seok-ho, who is Chi-ho’s half-brother.

“My character Seok-ho is someone who lacks a lot of things,” said Cha during the press conference. “He lacks manners, tact and sense. I hope that my character will bring even more comedic relief to ‘Honey Sweet.’”

Being a romantic comedy, “Honey Sweet” is particularly character-focused, director Lee said, stressing how he tried to develop Chi-ho's character as much as possible.

A scene from ″Honey Sweet″ [MIND MARK]

“To ensure continuation of the characters' emotions, especially that of Chi-ho, I trimmed cuts that I liked and made other sacrifices,” said Lee. “I really put a lot of attention and effort into the emotional characterization of the leads.”

Lee added that “Honey Sweet” is an “un-blockbuster” sort of film, which is the very thing that will draw moviegoers to the cinema.

“'Honey Sweet' has an entirely different vibe than those other blockbusters,” said Lee. “I think that our film will be the only one in the summer lineup that will make viewers feel bright and warm.”

“Honey Sweet” opens in theaters on Aug. 15.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]