The year 2016 featured a slew of South Korean dramas that tackled various genres from romance, suspense, horror and action. Two of the most popular series were from Kim Eun Sook who penned Song Joong Ki's "Descendants of the Sun" and Gong Yoo's "Goblin."
Kim is known as one of the most successful writers in the South Korean entertainment industry. Many of her drama projects became popular not only in Asia but in other countries as well.
Apart from writing interesting storylines and creating memorable characters, Kim's success is also attributed to her ability to choose the perfect male actor to play the lead role, according to Korea Herald. Her earlier projects featured Hallyu celebrities such as Hyun Bin who portrayed the protagonist in "Secret Garden," as well as Lee Min Ho who starred in the 2013 drama "Heirs."
For the KBS drama "Descendants of the Sun," Kim and showrunners cast former "Running Man" member Song. The actor's participation in the said series became one of Song's most memorable roles given his character's romantic yet tough guy behavior.
Recently, Kim chose Gong to play the titular role in her new drama "Goblin." With the "Coffee Prince" actor's handsome looks and his portrayal of a powerful yet timid goblin, many viewers became avid fans of the tvN series.
Meanwhile, it appears that Kim has always had her eye on Gong to play a role in one of her projects. During the press conference for the said tvN series held in November, she revealed that the actor has been rejecting her drama offers for the past five years, All Kpop quoted Kim as saying.
However, Gong finally relented and joined "Goblin" after he met with Kim. Upon learning more about the said production, the actor agreed to play the titular role provided that his version of a goblin would be a "timid and fearful" being, according to the writer.
"Goblin" airs every Friday and Saturday on tvN. Watch one of the drama's funny scenes below: