Don't Dare to Dream (Korean: 질투의 화신), also known by its literal title Jealousy Incarnate, is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Gong Hyo-jin, Jo Jung-suk, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Mi-sook, Park Ji-young, Lee Sung-jae, and Seo Ji-hye. It aired on SBS every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST) from August 24 to November 10, 2016, for a total of 24 episodes.
Contents
Synopsis
Weather caster Pyo Na-ri (Gong Hyo-jin) and news anchor Lee Hwa-shin (Jo Jung-suk) work at the same broadcasting station, with a complicated history between them. Na-ri once harbored feelings for Hwa-shin, but when she crosses paths with the wealthy and well-mannered Go Jung-won (Go Kyung-pyo) — a close friend of Hwa-shin — tensions and romantic dilemmas emerge. Meanwhile, rivalries in both love and career between other characters (e.g., Lee Mi-sook, Park Ji-young, Lee Sung-jae) further complicate relationships.
Cast
Main
Gong Hyo-jin as Pyo Na-ri
Na-ri is a weather broadcaster with an optimistic personality. Graduating from a third-rate college and having no money or connections, Na-ri is full of insecurities, but continues to persevere and work hard to keep her place at the station. She used to have a crush on Hwa-shin for 3 years.
Jo Jung-suk as Lee Hwa-shin
Hwa-shin is a star reporter and news anchor with a great education and family background. He has a proud, competitive and macho personality; and gets jealous when Na-ri is with Jung-won as he starts developing feelings for her.
Go Kyung-pyo as Go Jung-won
A polite, friendly man who is serious when it comes to love. Jung-won is the boss of a publishing company, and a chaebol heir of a large corporation that manages several luxury clothing brands. He falls for Na-ri at first sight.
Lee Mi-sook as Kye Sung-sook
A reporter-turned-anchorwoman. Jong-shin's first wife and Ppal-gang's mother.
Park Ji-young as Bang Ja-young
Department head of SBC station and announcer. Jong-shin's second wife.
Lee Sung-jae as Kim Rak
Chef and owner of a restaurant, and landlord to Nari and her family. A kind and caring man who cares for his tenants like family. Jung-won's uncle.
Seo Ji-hye as Hong Hye-won
The daughter of the Senior Secretary to the President for Public Affairs and a news anchor for the 7PM news. She's intelligent and capable in her career. However, in her 29 years of life, she hasn't had one ordeal to deal with and she doesn't believe people are equal, making her conceited.
Broadcast rights bidding
KBS 2TV and SBS both expressed interest in broadcast rights for Don't Dare to Dream. When the casting was first announced in February 2016, the drama was then in talks to air on KBS 2TV, but SBS decided to join the bidding war. In April 2016, it was announced that SBS won the drama's broadcast rights.
Original soundtrack
Miscelleanous
The show has been analyzed as "a case study of the application of the Tie-Up Theory to a romantic narrative as a form of simulation of human mating processes with social cognition valence".
