I wish that Hello Monster didn’t have to air in June (around the same time as The Time That I loved You, 7000 Days) and instead, later in the year so that Lee Jin Wook didn’t have to turn it down, giving him an immediate chance to star opposite Jang Nara. Nothing against Seo In Guk, whose casting felt a bit out of left field, but I got myself all happy and looking forward to the show with the idea of a Nara and Jin Wook pairing, which also was unexpected to me—obviously, in a good way. Maybe it’s the age thing. I enjoy noona romances, but since we’ve been getting plenty of those, I have more appreciation for pairs that share the same age. Maybe that’s why I’m not quite feeling the chemistry (yet) between Nara and In Guk in these photos from their script reading … and it is just a table read. They do charm onscreen, so, the spark between them might be more tangible in a one-hour episode.

Hello Monster is about a brainy yet ornery criminal profiler and a passionate elite detective who eventually fall for each other as they solve criminal cases together. In Guk and Nara met last April for the drama’s script reading, and they were joined by co-stars Lee Chun Hee, Choi Won Young, Kim Jae Young, Son Seung Won, Min Seon Guk, Do Kyung Soo, and Im Ji Eun. It is said that the leads (and the others) fully penetrated their characters during the gathering while maintaining a friendly atmosphere.

We’ll soon see all that synergy between the actors when Hello Monster premieres on June 22 on KBS.

Sources | Korea Star Daily | Soompi, c/o hankitae42 & mingmangming