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SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- Actress Yeom Jung-ah has expressed heartfelt empathy for her role as a single mother in the upcoming tvN family drama For My First, Love, saying her character’s emotional struggles resonated with her personally as a parent.
“(In the drama) the daughter does everything her mother tells her not to, speaks harshly, and that naturally hurts the mother,” Yeom said during an online press conference held Tuesday. “As someone raising a child myself, I found those moments very relatable and upsetting.”
In For My First, Love, Yeom takes on the role of Lee Ji-an, a hardworking single mom who manages a construction site while raising her daughter alone. “She laughs and cries every day because of her one and only beloved daughter,” Yeom explained.
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She shared that her on-screen daughter, Lee Hyo-ri, had been obedient until entering university, but now constantly rebels. “It’s like her adolescence came late,” she said.
Praising actress Choi Yoon-ji, who plays her daughter, Yeom added, “I reached out to her often and made time for meals together so she’d feel more comfortable with me as her mother. She’s such a lovely person and made our mother-daughter scenes much easier.”
The drama follows the story of Ji-an, who unexpectedly reunites with her first love from youth, Ryu Jeong-seok, played by Park Hae-joon—himself a single father. The series is directed by Yoo Je-won, known for Crash Course in Romance and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
Director Yoo described the series as “a heartwarming and humorous story of a mother-daughter duo who fight constantly, but end up starting anew in a countryside village.” There, they encounter Jeong-seok and his son Ryu Bo-yeon, as well as a variety of colorful villagers.
“There’s romance, plenty of mishaps, and each character goes through meaningful growth,” he said. “It’s a drama with a lot to show and enjoy.”
Park Hae-joon, who plays Jeong-seok, described his character as “a bit prickly but ultimately warmhearted,” adding, “I personally wanted to work on something comforting to cleanse my mind.”
Reflecting on the differences between his previous role as Yang Gwan-sik in My Name is Loh Kiwan and Ryu Jeong-seok, Park said, “While Gwan-sik is straightforward from the start, Jeong-seok begins with a closed-off heart, and the drama focuses on the process of him opening up.”
Joking about his back-to-back melodrama roles, he said with a laugh, “Maybe it’s time I start wielding a sword or something.”
For My First, Love premieres on August 4.
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