A new KBS medical drama titled Brain is prepping for production and lining up its lead actors: Jung Jin-young (Dong Yi, Kingdom of the Wind) has been cast, and it’s looking likely that both Lee Sang-yoon (The Duo, Life Is Beautiful) and Lee Hyun-jin (You’ve Fallen For Me, Boy Meets Boy, pictured above) will join them.
Lee Sang-yoon’s management confirmed a few days ago that he has yet to sign contracts but is looking favorably at the project, while Lee Hyun-jin has reportedly verbally agreed and is in final contract negotiations.
My first thought upon hearing this news was: Yay, Lee Hyun-jin! He was probably my favorite character in You’ve Fallen For Me, playing stagefright-stricken Ki-young with the amazing voice. Talk about stealing your tiny bits of screentime with powerful onscreen presence and a natural charisma. My second thought after that: Boo, so I guess it’s not about zombies, then? Although in that case, the title would’ve probably been Brains. (Or, as I pronounce it, Braaaaaaaiiinnnns.)
As one article put it: Is Brain only casting brains? That’s because two of its leading men — Jung Jin-young and Lee Sang-yoon — hail from Korea’s elite Seoul National University; the 46-year-old Jung earned a degree in Korean language and literature, while 29-year-old Lee is studying physics. (Since we’re comparing notes, 26-year-old Lee Hyun-jin is currently on leave from studying industrial economics at Joongang University.) Schooling is one of those automatic ajumma-heart-warmers, and goes a long way toward Lee Sang-yoon’s image as an eom-chin-ah (the son you want for your own, see: Lee Seung-gi). Now all Brain needs is to cast Kim Tae-hee to round out its Seoul U cast.
Lee Sang-yoon
Plot-ularly speaking, Lee Sang-yoon will be playing the lead role as an ambitious neurosurgeon who’s obsessed with advancing to the position of university hospital director. However, once he meets his sunbae, the prickly genius doctor played by Jung Jin-young, he turns over a new leaf and becomes a sincere doctor. Lee Hyun-jin will play another doctor and Lee Sang-yoon’s rival.
Brain is a re-teaming of the PD and writer of KBS’s hit drama God of Study, which I suppose is supposed to recommend the drama but makes me a little leery. I found God of Study incredibly cute…about a quarter of the time, and mind-numbingly dull the rest of the time. Based on that series alone, I think pacing and sufficient plot content will be areas to work on, but this IS an entirely different topic/genre, so maybe it’ll work.
Brain plans to follow Poseidon on Mondays and Tuesday nights, which puts its premiere sometime in November.
Jung Jin-young
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lee hyun jin!!!!
i sincerely hoped that his character, kiyoung, had more scenes in You’ve Fallen For Me…
he also had great abs, look forward to seeing it again =)
I agree. I still haven’t finished watching YFFM. I am planning on finishing it solely for Lee Hyun Jin. I feel inclined to watch any drama he’s in in hopes of hearing his amazing voice. But seriously, was he not in some idol band or some ballad duo?! Or was he dubbed?! I keep replaying that bit from episode 3 of him singing with the gukak girls.
Lee Hyun Jin just might steal the show again. I wish he was the main lead though. I generally don’t go for Medical dramas… but if you made LHJ have a love interest… and then incorporated zombies… zombies who want to be neurosurgeons… then I think I could give it a try
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Look at that cast. Excited!
Oooo…think I am having palpitations.And it’s not even to do with the name of the dramas.
Physics,Korean language and industrial economics.Oh boy…wow.If the female lead is like studying Performing Arts or what do most of the young actors/kpop stars study again?Nice cast conversation going there
Oh how I loved Jung Jin-young in Dong Yi! He’s fab!
This could be the beginning of a whole range of medical dramas with startling one-word titles: think EYE….NOSE….EAR….the possiblities are endless!
kekekeke…yup there are soooo maaany possibilities! might as well list all the bones and organs in the body by name lol ^____^
LOL!!!
If BRAIN has brainy actors, what would be the qualities of the actors who would appear in a drama about EYE, NOSE, EAR, etc.?
EYE – actors should be an eyeful? have beautiful/soulful/expressive eyes? intelligent eyes?
NOSE – actors should be nosey? or have big/small/flat (add whatever adjective you want to add) nose? intelligent nose?
EAR – okay, ears beats me…. intelligent ears?
NOSE could be about plastic surgery…. all the lead actors could have famous and/or noticeable nose jobs. /snark
LOL! Oh, boy, I wonder who we could think of casting for those roles? Oh, just the majority of K-Actors/Actresses? I joke
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I nominate Kim Hyun Joong for male lead!
Oh! I loved Jung Jin-young on Dong Yi! Waiting for this drama^^
LOL, i was thinking of BRAIIIIIIIINS too.. kinda disappointed
Lee Sang Yoon, Lee Hyun Jin and Jung Jin-young to lighten up my day, yay!
I thought the article said lee sang woo at first and.was a.little disappointed not to see his picture but his Lee Sang Woo works as well… This reminds me that I must get back Duo as soon as possible
ok is this gonna be like NewHeart but it’s more focus on brains and instead of the female (Kim Min Jung) who was ambitious we got the male lead (Lee Sang Yoon).
maybe we can add Nam Sang Mi to be the clumsy female lead (like Ji Sung in Newheart). might as well coz she sure suits Lee Sang Yoon proven by their current status as a couple.
New Heart was my first thought, too. If it’s anything like that I’m willing to give it a chance…
OMG, my man Lee Sang-yoon! I’ve missed those dimples! And he’s nerd too?? He just got to the top of my list! Sorry King Kang…
I’m so happy for Lee Hyun-jin, he was also my fave in YFFM and I knew we would be seeing more of him, and I don’t mean more of his choco abs (although I wouldn’t mind).
Yes, I’ll be waiting for this one. Female leads? What females leads? With these two together, I won’t have time to loose watching anything else.
Looks good, but Kim Tae Hee just signed on to do a drama in Japan.
I hope the female lead’s name is Pinky.
And Lee Hyun-jin’s character should be named Sylar. Très apropos. Man, I am sick. Hehehe.
looks good!
i’ve always love anything neuro
so this will be awesome to watch ;D
OMG… Jung Jin-young was totally awesome in Dong Yi.. even though i did not finish it but watched enough to know that he was awesome in that drama and Lee Hyun-jin was great in Heartstrings even though i did not finish that drama.. However, I will totally watch this drama from the beginning to the end of the actors.. Now, we should see who is the main leading actress and second lead actress…..
OMG. GREAT GREAT CAST. i thought the guy from heartstrings (terrible drama) was realllllly hot. cant wait! is the last guy from the film with Lee joon KI?….he was extraordinary
Brain??! Chopped Liver could be a better title though. ^-^
I love me some Lee Hyun Jin. I first saw him in Family’s Honor, then Boy meets Boy…
I’m happy to see he will have a main role and won’t be wasted like he was in Fallen for You
Let’s all hope we get to see more of Lee Hyun-jin’s abs. Lol. Jk
Lee Hyun Jin got a nose job didn’t he? He was perfect before so why?!!!
Yeah, I think he did too. But I think before and after looks good so I don’t care.
lee sang yoon
he’s great.
OMG! I love Lee Hyun-jin! After listening to his insightful comments on OMS (it was a very serious converstation) and listening to his beautiful voice in You’ve Fallen For Me…. I was hooked and hoped for bigger and better things for him. Excited!! Only wish he was leading
ugh, medical dramas with geniuses only make me feel bad and dont at all allow me to live vicariously through them.
I suppose I’m unsettled enough to admit that haha.
But, it’s LHJ, so it’s a must check out… at least for episode 1
“My first thought upon hearing this news was: Yay, Lee Hyun-jin! He was probably my favorite character in You’ve Fallen For Me…Talk about stealing your tiny bits of screentime with powerful onscreen presence and a natural charisma.”
I wasn’t particularly impressed with his acting skills in Assorted Gems or You’ve Fallen for Me, and I have never sensed any “natural charisma.” However, he does seem to be a genuinely good-natured, upright sort of person. And he’s certainly easy on the eyes~~ Overall, he’s like a lesser known Lee Joongki. Personally, my hopes are riding high on Jung Jinyoung and Lee Sangyoon.
WOW… Lee Sang-yoon studying physics?? for real?? just knew about this… well, i’m quite impressive when an actor/actress studying physics because me too studied physics!! ^^’
eh i think lee hyun jin has a long ways to go. i didn’t follow you’ve fallen for me all that closely but i received the impression that he hadn’t improved at all from previous works (namely, assorted gems). he has a slight lisp when he speaks, and overall i always received the impression that delivering lines, especially quicker paced ones, was extremely laborious for him. so many times i cringed for him.
initially i did find him quite attractive. he first caught my eye in zia’s music video with kim min-ji (the girl from boys over flowers) because he had such a great smile. but then i saw him lisp-act and it went all downhill after that, and the smile lost its charm for me. now when i see him smile he comes across as extremely vapid… as of the moment, he’s one of those attractive people who are simply better off not… saying anything. this casting makes me cringe
lee hyun jin: his lisping doesn’t bother me at all – i love his sunny eye-crinkling smile – and i think he has TONS of charisma – i love him!
medical drama….great….
brain is good, why not “new brain”?^^
Oh yay Lee Hyun Jin!!! Glad he finally got a bigger role than what he done for You’ve Fallen For Me!!!
Guess it’s not a Halloween-theme drama muwhaahaa
Damn, I did not know that Lee Sang Yoon went to Seoul U.
I still have that image of his character in Life Is Beautiful stuck in my head