When Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang shared the screen in the Disney+ romantic melodrama Call It Love, viewers didn't just see actors playing a script. They saw an intricate, slow-burning emotional landscape built on years of real-life friendship from their early modeling days. The magnetic pull between Shim Woo-joo and Han Dong-jin stands out because it avoids glossy rom-com tropes, grounding itself instead in quiet glances, heavy pauses, and shared isolation.
Understanding why their partnership feels so startlingly authentic requires looking past the standard promotional interviews. Their dynamic relies on a deliberate collision between personal comfort and professional restraint, turning a melancholic revenge story into a masterclass in non-verbal tension.
The Foundation of Real-Life Friendship
Long before they stepped onto the set of Call It Love, Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang worked alongside each other in South Korea's high-fashion modeling industry. That shared background created an immediate shorthand between them. In many co-star pairings, actors spend weeks during early shoots just trying to break the ice. For this duo, the opposite problem occurred.
Because they already knew each other well, their natural default was playfulness and casual banter. However, the characters they played—Woo-joo, a woman nursing a bitter desire for retaliation, and Dong-jin, a deeply lonely workaholic—required an entirely different atmosphere. Their initial rapport had to be actively managed to match the heavy emotional weight of the narrative.
Deliberate Distance on Set
To capture the fragile, hesitant beginnings of their characters' romance, Kim Young-kwang and Lee Sung-kyung made a conscious choice to keep their distance during early filming blocks. Lee noted in interviews that because she naturally acts playful around him, she had to consciously hold herself back.
Similarly, Kim deliberately avoided her on set during the initial shoots. This wasn't due to any off-screen friction, but a mutual strategy to let the awkwardness, caution, and slow curiosity bleed authentically into their performances. When Woo-joo and Dong-jin first cross paths, neither trusts the other. By creating a slight operational divide behind the cameras, the actors allowed that cautious perimeter to translate directly onto the screen.
Non-Verbal Storytelling and Quiet Spaces
Much of the chemistry in Call It Love succeeds because the script and direction lean heavily into silence. Modern romance dramas often rely on grand declarations or constant dialogue to move relationships forward. This series takes the opposite approach.
- Long tracking shots focus on micro-expressions rather than spoken dialogue.
- Physical proximity is handled sparingly, making accidental touches feel monumental.
- Emotional shifts are communicated through posture and eye contact rather than exposition.
Director Lee Kwang-young even admitted that the natural intensity of their gaze made staff members suspect a real-life romance was blooming behind the scenes. That heightened level of focus stems from mutual trust. When actors feel entirely safe with one another, they can drop their guard and hold a steady, unblinking silence that lesser-prepared co-stars might find uncomfortable.
Transitioning from Pain to Comfort
The emotional core of the series rests on two deeply wounded people finding a sanctuary in each other. Dong-jin's life is defined by quiet endurance after a painful betrayal, while Woo-joo's existence is consumed by the friction of family trauma.
Because Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang understood each other's professional work ethics, they could navigate heavy crying scenes and delicate emotional breakdowns without ego. Their chemistry doesn't sparkle with the loud, comedic energy of standard workplace romantic comedies; instead, it glows like a slow-burning ember. It's a chemistry born of shared exhaustion, mutual healing, and the quiet realization that someone else understands what it feels like to be entirely alone in a crowded room.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang date in real life?
No, they are not dating. While the drama's director and many fans humorously suspected a real-life romance due to their intense on-screen chemistry, both actors maintain a strictly professional and friendly bond forged during their years together as fashion models.
What is the primary premise of Call It Love?
The series follows Shim Woo-joo, a woman whose life crumbles due to her father's infidelity. She sets out to exact revenge on the woman's son, Han Dong-jin, but finds her plans derailed when she realizes he is just as lonely and broken as she is, leading to an unexpected romance.
Why did the actors avoid each other during early filming?
To authentically portray characters who are deeply guarded and wary of each other, the actors deliberately dialed back their usual playful off-screen banter during the first weeks of production to build genuine tension on camera.
Where can I watch Call It Love?
The 16-episode romantic melodrama is available for streaming internationally on Disney+ in selected regions.
