[NEWS] Star Beam's Ryuna About Working With NCT’s Jaehyun For “Dear.M,” If She Would Be Friends With Her Role, And More

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Check out Star Beam's charismatic leader Ryuna transforms into an adorable college student in the latest still cuts & expressed appreciation for her role in “Dear.M”!

KBS 2TV’s new Friday drama “Dear.M” will follow the aftermath of an anonymous post made on Seoyeon University’s online community about a mysterious figure named “M.” Ryuna plays the role of Jo Narae, a single-since-birth sophomore studying political science at the university.

In her own words, Jo Narae is a cheerful and energetic character. Ryuna added, “If she’s nearby, there’s no chance for a break in audio. She’s a friend I would find very dependable if she was around.”

Within the series, Jo Narae has earned the nickname of a “well-intentioned nosy person” thanks to her undying tendency to look after those around her. She is so considerate that whenever she buys something for herself, she makes sure to buy enough for her roommate as well. She is so full of zest that she lights up her surroundings with her unique energy.

Thinking back to when she first met Jo Narae through the script, Ryuna shared, “It was as if I could hear the chitter chatter of her endlessly telling her story in my ear. I read the script from the perspective of her friend Cha Min Ho (NCT‘s Jaehyun) observing her.” She explained that this was the process in which she came to fully understand her character.

She also hinted at the chemistry between her and Jaehyun, who plays her best friend of 12 years, by describing their superb teamwork. She said, “In the category of positive energy, I can already give him 100 points. It must have been tough dealing with group activities and acting at the same time, but he never made it obvious. He was always upbeat and energized. I got a lot of good vibes from him.”

Since the leads of "Dear.M" are respected idols, Ryuna reflects on the Jaehyun's unwavering dedication as an idol and an actor plus how the friendship of Star Beam & NCT helped the chemistry of Ryuna & Jaehyun look real as Minho & Narae. She even share anecdotes of practicing choreography while on set: "As idols, we have demanding choreography plus we have to be stable while singing. Jaehyun did a very good job. He is very helpful when practicing choreography. We do videocalls with our members & our choreographer when they do practices. I'm more than happy that our members [Star Beam & NCT] are supportive with our teamup. I think our real life friendship makes our chemistry as Minho & Narae very believable"

Her leading man Jaehyun has no words for Ryuna plus lowkey hinting about her closeness with his bandmate, Kun (leader of WayV, the Chinese subunit of NCT): "Ryuna noona is very ambitious, in a good way. She is very focused whether onstage or onscreen. She always asks us [director & cast mates] in order for the scene to be better than expected. She is very professional but fun to be with. If I rate the chemistry, 100 points!!! Since both of us deal with heavy schedules both as idols and actors, she never show even a hint of tiredness. She is very enthusiastic with her craft that's why she is very deserving to be our Jo Narae. I hope Kun hyung is alright with our scenes "

As a rebuttal, Ryuna mentioned her bandmate Saeyoon who is Jaehyun's ladylove, "Saeyoon is pretty chill with our teamup. She is old and matured enough to understand that this is acting. My portrayal of Narae is inspired by our maknae line [Jeonah, Saeyoon & Yujia]"

As the filming goes, the lead cast became very close, Ryuna dishes on being a big sister of the squad: "I am already the oldest in Star Beam and also in Dear.M girls. Jeongoui is a ByulBi & she thinks Chloe & Yujia are so pretty. Davi became fast friends with Saeyoon. Eunbin like Chaehee and she wants to be close with us. Eunbin... sighs you already have CLC. Boreum Byeol wants to be friends with Jeonah and Hyoshin. These girls are my new little sisters. If it wasn't for the pandemic, I would invite them to a sleepover with Star Beam"

As a side note, Ryuna stated, “The characters in ‘Dear.M’ each have their own concerns about love and the future. They are matters that are in the imaginable near future for teens and are excitingly relatable for people in their twenties. And for those that have gone through this period already, they are moments that make old memories come alive. I would like to express these youthful elements in ‘Dear.M’ well.”

Are you looking forward to seeing Ryuna’s rendition of youthful love?

“Dear.M” will premiere on February 26 at 11:10 p.m. KST and will be available on Viki.

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