The press conference for tvN's new drama "Captivating the King" (written by Kim Sun-deok, directed by Jo Nam-guk) was held on the 16th afternoon at the Ramada Seoul Sindorim Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul. 

The event was attended by writer Kim Sun-deok, actors Jo Jung Suk, Shin Se Kyung, Lee Shin-young, Park Ye-young, Jang Young-nam, and Lee Kyu-hoi.

"Captivating the King" is a melodramatic historical drama that depicts the cruel fate of a woman who becomes a spy to overthrow King Lee In, who is in a high position but with a lowly heart. Jo Jung-suk plays King Lee In, and Shin Se-kyung portrays both Kang Hee-soo and her male disguise, Kang Mong-woo.

Kim Sun-deok, the writer of the drama, commented, "I didn't think of it as a fusion while writing. It's based on the Joseon era, and although the characters are fictional, I tried to create a story with various variations of the Joseon era history that I like. For those who like historical dramas, they can enjoy watching and thinking, 'This episode is from this era, and that one is from another era.' It will be a great drama for them."

Jo Jung-suk, returning to historical drama after a while, even takes on the role of a king, offering a different kind of performance. He said, "I think it's an advantage and a privilege for an actor. In the movie 'The Face Reader,' I appear in rags at the beginning, and now, wearing these clothes and acting feels very honorable. I think 'Captivating the King' will be the most memorable work for me."

The romance between the two actors is a key element of "Captivating the King." In the early stages, they experience a fresh love, which evolves into a fatal love full of doubt in the latter half. Shin Se-kyung said, "In the early part, when Hee-soo falls in love, there are relatively light and soft scenes. I've always mentioned such scenes as memorable when shooting other videos. The overall atmosphere of the scenes seems bright. In the middle and later parts, Hee-soo's emotional conflict deepens. There's always conflict, and she often has a different expression and thoughts. The thoughtful atmosphere on set allowed me to focus solely on acting, making it very enjoyable. It was always fun with Jo Jung-suk."

Jo Jung-suk added, "It was difficult to act as Lee In. The story of love isn't about expressing it with all my heart and soul, but it's about doubting each other and a love story with an edge. We both worked hard on those parts, and I hope it will be well received."

The two actors discussed their chemistry in the melodrama. Jo Jung-suk rated their romantic chemistry as "11 out of 10," while Shin Se-kyung said, "It's a thousand out of a thousand points."

Writer Kim Sun-deok, known for stories like "The King's Man" that focus on heavy love stories, has high expectations for "Captivating the King," which will be completed with the actors' performances. She stated, "I visited the set after finishing the script, and although I wrote it and knew the story, it was very interesting and made me happy. I hope viewers will feel the same happiness. I consider myself the first fan of this drama because the actors performed so well, and I have high expectations. The endings of the first and second episodes will be particularly good. I think viewers will enjoy them if they expect a sweet love story."

"Captivating the King" is set to premiere on the 21st at 9:20 PM KST.