Lee Se-young is challenging herself with back-to-back hits.

She will emerge as a ‘viewer ratings maker’ through her new lead drama ‘Motel California’. After her previous works ‘Red Sleeves’, ‘Mrs. Park‘s Contract Marriage Story’, and ‘What Comes After Love’ were all box office hits at home and abroad, she is set to show off her ‘star power’ once again.

‘Motel California’, which will be aired for the first time on the 10th, tells the story of a female protagonist who was born and raised in a rural motel, returns to her hometown she ran away to 12 years ago, and reunites with her first love. It is based on the popular novel ‘Home, Bitter Home’ by Sim Yoon-seo in 2019.

This drama is drawing attention for the perfect combination of a drama about first love and romance, living up to the nickname ‘First Love Icon’ that Lee Se-young has earned through her appearances in romance dramas so far.

In the drama, Lee Se-young plays Ji Kang-hee, an interior designer who lives with an unusual background of ‘A country motel as her home’ but harbors inner wounds due to her flashy appearance. Na In-woo plays Cheon Yeon-soo, who falls in love with Lee Se-young through a fateful first love.

She shows a new side of herself that we haven’t seen in previous romance dramas, going back and forth between the image of a bitter youth with thorns growing due to his inner wounds and the image of a cheeky first love that controls a man‘s pure innocence.

Lee Se-young expressed her confidence, saying, “You will be able to find comfort in seeing the characters with shortcomings help and care for each other and overcome difficulties.”

The production team also said, “Thanks to Lee Se-young having been acting for 23 years since she was a child, her depth of skill, including her delicate emotional acting, is extraordinary,” adding, “You can look forward to Lee Se-young’s signature first love romance.”



Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com