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Choi Yi Hyun & Choo Young Woo Get Candid About Their Comfortable Chemistry In 'Head Over Heels'
Published on Jun 24, 2025
Choi Yi Hyun deep into shamanism when she was offered the role for Head Over Heels—which, at first, might seem like a small detail. But for her, it made everything feel meant to be.
"First off, the script was so fascinating—I was hooked right away. And the script also came along when I was really into shamanism, so it just felt like it was destiny," Yi Hyun told Cosmopolitan Philippines in a roundtable interview.
Head Over Heels is the newest romance-fantasy K-drama that everyone's about to obsess over. It stars Choi Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo (from Netflix's The Trauma Code: Heroes On Call), and explores the world of shamanism. But it's also a high school drama—just not your typical one.
In the most basic sense, Yi Hyun’s character, Seong-A, is a high school student who also happens to be a shaman. And just in case you were curious, a shaman is a spiritual medium believed to communicate with gods or spirits, often called upon to perform rituals, offer guidance, or heal emotional wounds. It's not your usual K-drama setup—but that's exactly what makes Head Over Heels so intriguing.
The actress mentions how she was intrigued with the character, saying, "Seong-A is a character who has a double life, so I was confident that if I could pull off this character, I would have a lot to learn and take away."
It's not a romance-fantasy without the love aspect, right? Enter: Choo Young Woo playing the role of Gyeon-U. He's Seong-A's first love! As they meet each other as high school students, Seong-A then discovers that Gyeon-U is haunted by his impending death. Now, as a shaman, she'll be out there trying to save her first love.
For Young Woo, the romance is an important part of the show that'll get viewers hooked. After all, it's also what made the project exciting for the actor. He said, "I thought that the original webtoon dealt with a really fascinating subject matter, which is a romance between a girl who is a student by day and a shaman by night, and a boy who only has limited time to live."
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Choi Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo on working together again
While the story is undeniably interesting—and even "therapeutic," as Young Woo described it in the interview—the two lead stars' past experience working together made the process of filming the drama much more seamless.
For Yi Hyun and Young Woo, their chemistry on and off camera was just amazing. The two worked together in another high school drama, School 2021, and as they filmed Head Over Heels, they were in awe of how much growth they had as actors.
Yi Hyun said, "It was so nice to work with a friend because we're the same age, and since we have experience of working together before, it was really reassuring to have him around. We felt really comfortable around each other."
She added, "Personally, I'm quite an introverted person, so usually I need some time in the beginning to get to know people that I meet for the first time. But this time around, there was no need for that because we knew each other all along. So it was really nice," Yi Hyun said.
Young Woo echoes the same sentiment as his co-star, noting how it was easier working around the set with Yi Hyun. "It was so nice to go into production knowing each other, because I know her style of acting. I know what she likes and doesn't like, so I think it was much easier for us to get the hang of it," Young Woo stated.
He added, "I did my best to bring out her charms, and she also tried hard to make sure that I can do what I do best. So while focusing on what we each can do really well, we also looked out for each other."
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Choi Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo on their 'Head Over Heels' roles
Having a comfortable working dynamic with your co-star makes a big difference, especially when there's a lot to dive into for your role. Case in point: Yi Hyun's prep for Seong-A. Well, it's not every day that she gets to portray a shaman-slash-student.
In the roundtable interview, Yi Hyun shared that they had a real-life shaman as an advisor during the filming of the drama. "I practiced a lot [of shamanic rituals], and I watched a lot of videos, and also there are certain spells or phrases that shamans use when they perform these rituals; so I really tried to narrate them and rehearse them again and again so that I would get used to them. Looking back now, I remember them being really tricky," Yi Hyun noted.
As for Young Woo, his character Gyeon-U is a boy haunted by bad luck. But there's a deep sense of motivation within him that Young Woo personally relates with, too.
"[He] still tries his best to live life in an easygoing manner. And I think that quality that he has is quite similar to me, because I also consider myself to have an easygoing personality. I'm not that jumpy, and I don't get flustered easily," Young Woo tells Cosmo during the interview.
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Choi Yi Hyun and Choo Young on what makes 'Head Over Heels' stand out
Choi Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo made it a clear point that Head Over Heels is a standout drama in its own right—starting with the bold choice to explore shamanism through the eyes of a high school student.
It's not just romance or fantasy. "It's a blend of youth, romance, horror, fantasy, and so much more," said Yi Hyun.
Young Woo highlights how the drama blends multiple genres into one charming, heartwarming story. "I just think that the fact that those multiple genres co-exist in this one series brings something new to the table, really," the actor said. "And on top of that, the theme of love that Yi Hyun has kept on highlighting is blended into that. I believe that creates the very fascinating tone that our series has."
Watch the exclusive interview with 'Head Over Heels' stars Choi Yi Hyun and Choo Young Woo here.
Head Over Heels airs via tvN every Monday and Tuesday—and it is available for streaming via Prime Video Philippines starting June 23, 2025.
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