[Dispatch=Yuha Sky Reporter] "This is an encouragement and gift from Director An Pan-seok to those who are hesitant because they are afraid and anxious." (EP Kim Hyun-jung)

Late Director An Pan-seok pursued human emotions rather than special incidents in his previous works. He did not choose sensational material or rapid developments. This time too, he slowly observed the love and growth of imperfect youth.

ENA's new Monday-Tuesday drama "Love Doctor" held a production presentation on the afternoon of the 2nd at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. Choo Young-woo, Kim So-hyun, Kim Min-seok, Lee Chang-hoon, Lim Jin-hyo, and EP Kim Hyun-jung attended.

Prior to the production presentation, a tribute video for Director An Pan-seok was screened. It included condolence messages from the cast and footage of the late director in life. The affection and passion of Director An Pan-seok for the work was evident.

"Love Doctor" is a romance drama set in a robotics research lab. It depicts the spicy, bitter, and sweet stories that graduate students experience between love and reality.

Choo Young-woo plays doctoral candidate "Min-jae." He is a character who was a swimmer in high school but lost one leg due to illness. After that, he finds a new life through robotics.

Choo Young-woo said, "Min-jae is someone who is always anxious about cancer recurrence," and "He thinks about a bucket list and wants to experience love. He learns that emotion by meeting people in the lab."

Director An initially projected the image of youth that the older generation remembers onto Min-jae. However, after seeing Choo Young-woo's performance, he changed his mind.

EP Kim Hyun-jung recalled, "While editing, the director said, 'I was wrong, and you were right. You expressed a 2026 graduate student very realistically,' and praised him."

Kim So-hyun plays "Yujin," who joins the research lab. When the path to graduate school is blocked as she is about to graduate from her undergraduate studies in fashion design, she makes a new choice.

Kim So-hyun said, "Yujin is a person who tries to express her feelings honestly," and "She is firm about where she wants to go. She also has a tendency to go straight ahead (toward Min-jae)."

Choo Young-woo and Kim So-hyun are the same age. However, in the early stages of filming, there was distance in their actual relationship. Choo Young-woo said, "At first we used formal speech. Rather, that distance helped express the initial relationship between Min-jae and Yujin."

The two's strength lies in natural chemistry. Choo Young-woo said, "The tension matched well. Our comedy code was similar too," and laughed as he continued, "When acting, the back-and-forth was good, and I think our face chemistry matched quite well."

Kim So-hyun cited unpredictability as a point of differentiation from existing melodramas. "'Since they're college students in their 20s, they must love this way,' it transcends such expectations," she said confidently, "You'll be able to see our own new sensibility."

"Love Doctor" is Director An Pan-seok's final work. Director An passed away on August 12. At that time, filming was completed and editing was underway.

The cast agreed that "Director An was a director who opened up freedom even within thorough calculation." Lee Chang-hoon recalled, "He knew exactly what was needed and what was not needed in his head."

He continued, "Before setting up, he would ask, 'Where would you like to sit?', 'Which door would you like to enter?'" and said, "He was someone who allowed actors to complete the scene on their own."

Kim So-hyun shared a similar memory. "The director calculated very meticulously how it would appear to viewers. But within that, he emphasized the actor's freedom," she explained.

In particular, he was cautious of acting that relied on predetermined answers. Kim So-hyun recalled, "When I thought, 'I can just do this much in this scene,' the director was aware of it," and said, "It was an experience of re-laying the foundation of acting."

What Director An wanted to convey through "Love Doctor" was not a grandiose incident. Rather, it was the emotion of ordinary people. Kim Min-seok said, "He said, 'Does only a strange incident make a work?'" and pointed out, "There is no strange incident, but each character is strange."

Choo Young-woo also has a memorable statement from the director. Director An emphasized during his lifetime that "you must take responsibility for the time viewers chose 'Love Doctor' among numerous contents."

"When you go home, there's really so much you can watch on your phone and TV. If you chose our drama among them, you must take responsibility for that time, he said. Rather than sensational incidents, when you feel 'this character's emotion resembles me,' that's when it can have the greatest impact," said Choo Young-woo.

That message runs through the entire work. Min-jae and Yujin, who have strayed from the planned path, find a new way even amid anxiety. Kim So-hyun said, "Viewers will also be able to project themselves," and added, "I hope it becomes an opportunity to reflect on life."

Meanwhile, "Love Doctor" will air on ENA at 10 p.m. on the 5th. It will also be released on KT Genie TV and Disney+.

<Photo=Reporter Song Hyo-jin>