The character posters of Lee Se-young, Na In-woo, Choi Min-soo, Kim Tae-hyung, and Choi Hee-jin, the main characters who will lead MBC‘s first drama in 2025, ‘Motel California’, have been revealed, drawing attention.

MBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama ‘Motel California’ (planned by Jang Jae-hoon/directed by Kim Hyung-min, Lee Jae-jin/written by Lee Seo-yoon/produced by HB Entertainment), which is scheduled to premiere on Friday, January 10, is a first love remodeling romance about a woman who was born and raised in a motel in the countryside and experiences the twists and turns of a first love remodeling romance as she reunites with her first love in her hometown she ran away from 12 years ago. Based on the popular novel ‘Home, Bitter Home’ by Sim Yoon-seo in 2019, the drama has garnered much attention with a solid lineup that boasts both reliability and freshness, including Lee Se-young (as Ji Kang-hee), Na In-woo (as Cheon Yeon-soo), Choi Min-soo (as Ji Chun-pil), Kim Tae-hyung (as Geum Seok-kyung), and Choi Hee-jin (as Yoon Nan-woo).

In the drama, Lee Se-young plays ‘Ji Kang-hee’, an interior designer who has lived a difficult life due to her unusual background of ‘a country motel is home’ and Na In-woo plays ‘Chun Yeon-soo’, a large animal veterinarian in Hana-eup who is turned upside down by her first love, Kang-hee, whom she reunites with after 12 years. Choi Min-soo plays ‘Ji Chun-pil’, the free-spirited romantic and father of Kang-hee, the owner of a country motel. In addition, Kim Tae-hyung plays the role of ‘Geum Seok-kyung’, a young and rich businessman who pushes forward a motel remodeling project in Hana-eup with Ji Kang-hee, and Choi Hee-jin plays the role of ‘Yoon Nan-woo’, a junior veterinarian who gets caught up in a marriage scandal with Cheon Yeon-su. These two characters will increase the immersion in the first love remodeling romance surrounding Hana-eup and Motel California. Among them, the five character posters released by ‘Motel California’ fully reveal the unique faces and charms that these characters will show, raising viewers‘ expectations.



First of all, Kang-hee exudes an exotic charm with her bright brown hair, mysterious eyes, and freckles covering both cheeks. “I wish you were my first. The line, “The first time is the purest,” and the lovely visuals and eyes that seem to hold a story are the very definition of “unforgettable first love.” On the other hand, Yeon-soo purely shows the pure and honest side of a “pure man” who only looks at Kang-hee. Standing alone on the rooftop where the snow is falling, his expression as if lost in vague memories and the line, “You are my first. That’s why I said I’ll wait,” give the viewer a fuzzy healing feeling. Accordingly, curiosity is rising about the traces of first love that Kang-hee and Yeon-soo will reveal after 23 years and the story they will create when they meet again.

On the other hand, Chun-pil, who shows a different presence while sitting in the lobby of Motel California, attracts attention. Breaking the stereotype that country motels are shabby and dark, and with the colorful Christmas tree and romantic motel atmosphere, Chunpil also shows off his appearance more like a ‘mind poet’ rather than a ‘boss’, adding to the specialness. Furthermore, Chunpil’s line, “When people are hungry for sleep, they go to a motel. Why? They need to rest comfortably”, which reflects the operating philosophy of Motel California, makes us look forward to the warm stories that will unfold here.



Meanwhile, Seok-kyung shows off the charm of a stylish city man who is far from the rural village of Hana-eup with his stylish suit and hip sunglasses. Furthermore, in the line, “‘I almost said, ‘You‘re the first woman to be this mean to me’ ... On the other hand, Nan-woo catches the eye with his fresh and innocent visuals that stimulate the protective instinct. Along with this, the line, “Senior Yeon-soo, what are you doing for Christmas?” makes the heart of pure Yeon-soo, who has only looked at Kang-hee for 23 years, flutter. Accordingly, they are drawing attention as the main characters of the square scandal that will shake up ‘Hana-eup’ along with Kang-hee and Yeon-soo.

While curiosity is rising about what will happen in ‘Hana-eup’ where characters with different charms have gathered, expectations are also skyrocketing for the performances of Lee Se-young, Na In-woo, Choi Min-soo, Kim Tae-hyung, and Choi Hee-jin who have taken on attractive characters and challenged unique acting transformations.

MBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama ‘Motel California’ will first air on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM.

Choi Yun-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com