Park Min-young to lead SBS romance drama Nine to Six

Park Min-young will star as a workaholic deputy manager in the new SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama Nine to Six, which is scheduled to premiere on November 25. The series features Park alongside Yook Sung-jae and Go Soo in a story about work-life balance and romance.

Park Min-young has raised expectations for the new SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Nine to Six' by teasing special chemistry with Yook Sung-jae and Go Soo.

Directed by Lee Hyung-min and Oh Song-hui, with a script by Choi Ji-o and produced by Studio S and Samhwa Networks, 'Nine to Six' is an "on-and-off work-life balance romance" about a rational woman who has lived proving herself through work, meeting a kind and emotional man, and rewriting her standards for work, love, and happiness.

Park Min-young, who plays the role of Kang I-ji, a capable and workaholic deputy manager of a legal team, expressed her affection for the project in a written interview. She highlighted the fantastic teamwork with her co-stars, noting that Yook Sung-jae is a "very fun, free, and talented actor." She added that since both she and Yook are quite playful, they created fun scenes together with Yook handling the ad-libs while she provided the reactions.

She also shared a humorous detail regarding the balance between the three leads, stating, "The balance between Go Soo senior, Yook Sung-jae, and me was good. When Yook Sung-jae and I play around, Go Soo senior appears at just the right time to calm us down with his characteristic kindness." She added that both men provided comfortable energy, making it natural to have good chemistry.

Regarding her character, Park explained that while Kang I-ji is not an intense character, she was one that could "brighten up the 'human Park Min-young,' who has been becoming dry lately." She noted that it was interesting to see how I-ji changes as she becomes intertwined with other characters, adding, "I feel like I became a bit brighter while playing I-ji, so she has become a grateful character to me."

Having established herself as a "rom-com queen" through several successful office romances, Park conducted extensive research for this role. Since she has not experienced actual office life, she watched documentaries about workers and sought advice from office workers in her surroundings. To portray the sharp image of a legal team deputy manager, she also underwent a physical transformation with a bold short bob cut.

Park also shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote: while her character, Kang I-ji, relieves stress by eating spicy seafood noodles (jjamppong), the real Park Min-young is not good at eating spicy food. "During the filming of the spicy jjamppong scenes, I acted by imagining I was eating my favorite food," she said. She also mentioned her dedication to maintaining a healthy lifestyle during filming, noting that she tends to lose weight when working on projects, so she focused on eating healthy meals and using stretching and mind control to manage stress to live a "God-saeng" (diligent/productive) life like Kang I-ji.

Finally, Park described 'Nine to Six' as "a story about all of us living intense daily lives, not just special people," adding that the romance is "cutely added" so it can be enjoyed comfortably. She teased the viewers by saying, "I hope you definitely watch episodes 1, 2, and 12. Our drama is an 'ending restaurant' (known for great endings), so there are many things I want to spoil, but I can't." She expressed confidence in the work, stating, "When filming episode 12, I felt truly at peace and happy. I sincerely hope that the happiness I felt can be delivered to you as you watch through to episode 12."

The new SBS Wednesday-Thursday drama 'Nine to Six' is scheduled to premiere on Wednesday, November 25, at 9:00 PM.

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