[News] Lee So-yeon turns little mom in 'My Love By My Side'.

[News] Lee So-yeon turns little mom in 'My Love By My Side'.
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Lee So-yeon transforms into a nice character (for once!) for her new drama, after playing a few notable villains: She was the calculating Jang hee-bin out to undermine Han Hyo-joo in Dong Yi, and the vengeful daughter out to destroy her husband Bae Soo-bin’s family in Angel’s Temptation. Now she’s the lead in the upcoming weekend drama Nice To Meet You — or, as it has just been renamed, My Love By My Side (not to be confused with the Kim Myung-min/Ha Ji-won melodrama film of the same name).

In the SBS drama, Lee So-yeon plays a young single mother (often called “little mom”) who becomes pregnant as a teenager by boyfriend Ohn Joo-wan, who then ditches her to raise the baby alone. And talk about a transformation; I get that she’s playing nicer than her usual femme fatale-y types, but she’s almost unrecognizable from the usual polished, chic image that we’re all used to.


The drama is described as “cheerful young mom Do Mi-sol’s project to make the world a warmer place.” Aw, that’s cute. The series is directed by PD Han Jung-hwan, who worked on the comedic Please Come Back, Soon-ae, and written by Kim Sa-kyung of the tearjerker Loving You A Thousand Times. Sounds like My Love By My Side is a heartwarmer, so hopefully we get lots more of the former style, less of the latter.

Ohn Joo-wan (Chosun Police, My Mighty Princess), wearing the hat below, is newly discharged from military service, and is making this his comeback project. He plays the lead role of a guy who falls in “an immature love” with Mi-sol in his high school days, but is too young and weak at that age. Hence, the running away.

Lee Jae-yoon (in denim jacket) plays a clean-cut eom-chin-ah, aka the nice guy every mom loves. He’s got a positive outlook and normal family background, but romantically, his pickiness has prevented him from being attracted to very many women. Enter the bumbling Mi-sol, who steals his heart and revs up the main love triangle.

I actually like the old title better, which makes me think of the two exes meeting up as adults and being so different that they’re like strangers. Which, hopefully, is a turn for the better for our immature hero. I don’t get the spate of generic-sounding titles that are so popular in K-dramaland right now, but I do wish producers would kick it up a notch and get creative, or cute, or even weird and bizarre. Just no more of the plain, un-descriptive Best Loves and Romance Towns and Smiles and Smile, Moms and Smile, Donghaes, yeah?

My Love By My Side premieres on May 7, and takes up the slot currently occupied by Smile, Mom.