Shin Min-a, left, and Kim Young-dae in 'No Gain No Love.' Photos courtesy of Prime VideoMANILA — For Kim Young-dae, playing the love interest of Shin Min-a is practically a dream come true. After all, the actor has been a longtime fan of hers, particularly after her portrayal of a mythical nine-tailed fox in the hit 2010 series “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.”

“I grew up watching ‘My Girlfriend is a Gumiho’ in high school, you know. I remember being captivated by Min-a’s beauty as much as the plotline,” Young-dae said in an interview with ABS-CBN News for the romantic-comedy series “No Gain No Love.”

“So it was such an honor for me to work alongside her in this show. I think I mentioned to her when we first met that I’ve been her fan since then (‘Gumiho’). That said, the entire filming experience was super fun, exciting and a true blessing for me," the actor added.

“No Gain No Love,” which premiered last August 26 on Prime Video and is heading to its finale next week, follows Son Hae-young (played by Min-a), a woman who fakes her own marriage to avoid a financial loss. To pull off the deception, she recruits convenience store worker Kim Ji-uk (Young-dae) to become her husband.

Min-a recalled that she felt initially awkward with her leading man. However, as filming progressed, the two eventually developed a comfortable rapport.

“Before meeting Young-dae, I was curious about what kind of person he would be because I’ve never met him before. At first, it was a little awkward because I’m a pretty shy person and Young-dae is, too,” the 40-year-old actress said.

“But I loved how he tried to adapt to my style of acting, and of course, I tried to do the same,” Min-a said of the 28-year-old actor, whom she also praised as someone who looked like a manhwa or comic book character.

“No Gain No Love” also served as a reunion project for the main cast, which includes Lee Sang-yi and Han Ji-hyun. 

Lee Sang-yi

Han Ji-hyunSang-yi previously shared the screen with Min-a in the 2021 romance series “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha,” while Ji-hyun co-starred with Young-dae in the 2020 suspense melodrama “The Penthouse: War in Life.”

In “No Gain No Love,” Sang-yi plays Bok Gyu-hyun, the head of an education company who is skeptical of love and marriage, while Ji-hyun plays Nam Ja-yeon, a writer of R-rated web novels. The two actors are also set to lead the spin-off series “Spice Up Our Love,” according to a report.

In the interview, Sang-yi revealed that Min-a was a factor in his decision to join the series. “I really wanted in because I heard that Min-a was joining. I wanted to work with her again,” he said.

In addition to reuniting with Min-a, Sang-yi said he was drawn to “No Gain No Love” because of its compelling narrative, which delves into various forms of relationships.

“I saw various forms of relationships and love. There were dating couples, married couples, families, parents and children — different types of relationships and the unique ways they love each other,” he said.

“The story struck me as much more honest and straightforward than other shows. It really resonated with me. I also think people bring their own color and personality when expressing affection so it was fascinating to see the characters ask themselves ‘Will I gain or lose something here?’ or ‘How should I react in this situation?’” he added.

Marriage before love

For Min-a, a unique selling point of “No Gain No Love” is the unconventional romance between the lead characters, who only begin to develop feelings for each other after tying the knot.

“They start feeling romantic emotions and developing feelings for each other only after they get married. So, in a way, it’s the other way around, with their feelings deepening gradually over time,” she said.

Young-dae, meanwhile, found the romance to be grounded in reality. “It’s not superficial or overdramatic. Instead, it captures the essence of genuine emotions,” he said, adding that the authenticity made the show relatable to viewers.

In fact, Min-a said she immediately found Hae-young relatable when she first read the script, but grew even more like the character as filming progressed.

“I found her strangely relatable and cathartic when I first read the script. As we continued filming, I felt that I increasingly matched her, so I believe there is now a significant resemblance between us,” she said.

For his part, Young-dae shared that playing Ji-uk “taught me a lot and helped me reflect on how considerate I have been towards others.”

“Sacrificing yourself for the sake of others is no easy feat, so I worked hard to understand this aspect of the character deeply,” he said.

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