Ji Chang-wook falls in love in a strawberry field with Imada Mio after 3 years

South Korean actor Ji Chang-wook is set to return to the romantic comedy genre after approximately three years. His co-star for this upcoming project is the prominent Japanese actress Imada Mio. The story follows a Korean space planner and a Japanese female farmer who meet on a remote island, where they comfort each other's wounds and rediscover their direction in life. The project is garnering significant attention as a global romance resulting from the combined production systems of South Korea and Japan.

On the 2nd, Disney+ released the main poster and trailer for the new original series 'Merry Berry Love.' The production depicts the process of relationship building between Lee Yu-bin, a Korean space planner who loses everything overnight, and Shirahama Karin, a Japanese female farmer living a life dedicated to strawberry cultivation, as they meet on a beautiful island. The premise explores how two individuals from entirely different environments can heal their wounds and seek new lives through their encounter with one another.

Ji Chang-wook plays the role of Lee Yu-bin, a highly successful space planner once hailed as a 'god of space,' who heads to a remote Japanese island after losing everything. Once there, he faces physical labor he has never experienced before while working in the strawberry fields, and his perfectionist nature is constantly tested within this new environment.

The released trailer captures Lee Yu-bin's clumsy attempts at farming in the strawberry field and the process of him gradually opening his heart to Karin despite their initial bickering. The setting, in which a man pushed out of the urban order of success and failure discovers new relationships in a space of nature and labor, combines a growth narrative with the classic shell of a romantic comedy. In particular, the scenes where the two rely on and support each other directly showcase the core emotion of the work: 'healing and growth.'

Imada Mio takes on the role of Karin. Having built a solid reputation as an actress in Japan, she will portray a character who has staked most of her life on strawberry farming. Ji Chang-wook and Imada Mio are expected to create romantic tension and excitement through characters who stand in stark contrast not only in nationality between Korea and Japan but also in their professions and lifestyles.

Nam Yoon-su will also join the cast, adding vitality to the drama. He plays Park Gu-nam, a working holiday participant who stays on the island for the sake of love, creating another layer of relationship between Lee Yu-bin and Karin. Given the initial setting where individuals from diverse backgrounds—a Korean space planner, a Japanese farmer, and a working holiday participant—gather in one space, the work is expected to deal with cultural differences and the lives of outsiders alongside romance.

Another reason 'Merry Berry Love' is drawing attention is its production structure. This series is a joint production project between the South Korean content giant CJ ENM and the Japanese terrestrial broadcaster Nippon TV. Unlike Korean dramas that simply use Japan as a setting, this is a case where the content planning expertise of a Korean production company combines with the local production and distribution base of a Japanese broadcaster, making it a project aimed at the Korean, Japanese, and global markets from the very beginning.

This also marks a significant genre shift for Ji Chang-wook. He has demonstrated versatile acting skills ranging from romance to action in works such as 'Healer,' 'Suspicious Partner,' and 'Melting Me Softly,' and has since expanded his genre spectrum with 'The Uncanny Counter,' 'Anna,' 'The Worst of Evil,' and 'Welcome to Samdal-ri.' His return to romantic comedy after about three years since 'Welcome to Samdal-ri' raises expectations that he will meet a character with a different tone from his recent intense and dark roles.

Above all, this work is significant as Ji Chang-wook's first challenge with a Japanese series. During a Disney+ original preview event last year, Ji expressed his desire to work in Japan and showed anticipation for a project created by a joint Korean-Japanese production team. This serves as an example of how the collaboration methods in the Asian content industry are evolving, expanding the entry of Korean actors into the Japanese market from simple local appearances to a form of co-production.

'Merry Berry Love' will be released worldwide through Disney+ on October 7. In Japan, it will be broadcast weekly on Wednesdays via Nippon TV starting on the same day. Interest is focused on how the premise—a man fallen from urban success and a woman who has sustained her life on an island farm meeting in the everyday space of a strawberry field to plant love—will create resonance across borders.