Apink's Eunji & Lee Sunbin made their way to Cannes with their drama 'Work Later, Drink Now' (hereafter referred to as WLDN), which was released on TVING in October 2021. 

On the afternoon of the April 5 KST, both actresses participated in a video interview with 'The JoongAng News' and shared their thoughts on the drama's popularity, their invitation to Cannes, and more.

'WLDN' was invited to the 'Cannes International Series Festival' (Canneseries) held from the 1st to the 6th of April. The Canneseries, which marks its 5th anniversary this year, is an international event that selects and screens outstanding works from all over the world. This year is the first time that Korean OTT content has been invited to the Cannes series.

When they first heard the news that the WLDN was invited to Cannes, Eunji said she thought the following, "Are you talking about the 'Cannes' I know? I thought it was another event of the same name" She further said, "I was too shy to tell people around me that I was invited to Cannes because I kept thinking, ‘Is it right for me to go?" Sunbin said, "I couldn't believe it." 

The drama 'WLDN', depicts the daily lives of three women who like alcohol. It was a work that received great love in Korea last year, ranking first in the number of weekly paid subscribers in TVING history. Sunbin and Eunji, who played the roles of Ahn So-hee and Kang Ji-gu, respectively, in the drama, first talked about their excitement about overseas schedules after a long absence.

Sunbin said, "When I heard the story of being invited to the Cannes series, I was stunned, so I looked for other examples and found out that it was the first time that Korean OTT content was invited. I was so excited,” she said. Eunji said, "It's been a long time since I've been out of the country, so everything from baggage search to the scenery of walking around without a mask was very nice."

When asked what why 'WLDN' was invited to such an event, the two laughed, saying in reverse, "We're curious about it too." The two said that they became 'real friends' after playing a deep friendship in the drama. They soon gave their respective answers in a serious voice. Eunji said, “First of all, I think it was thanks to the increased interest in Korea. Also, I think that in a gloomy state where the words 'coronavirus' and 'covid-19' are being heard around the world, more attention has been paid to the pleasant genre."

Then, adding a simple and clear answer, "Isn't alcohol common to all countries?" She also made a joke with a wish, "I hope words like 'Three-drinks', 'Let's drink/ Let's get wild' become popular." 'Let's get wild' is a phrase the three friends shout every time they clash with drinks, and in Episode 1, Kang Ji-gu (Eunji) tells the story of 'Three-drinks' (having three drinks to a person who arrives late for a drink). It is a scene that made people laugh by recommending it to a blind date.

Sunbin picked the sympathy created by the 'WLDN' as an attractive point. She said, "Our drama seems to be a predictable work based on the title alone, but when you see it, it is a work that deeply solves the problems of life that are universally encountered in any culture. I think they would have liked the fact that we could portray it well,” she said.

In this regard, when introducing 'WLDN' to overseas audiences, they agreed that they wanted to say, "For now, watch it without thinking about it." Sunbin said, "If you look at it that way, it's a drama that we get immersed in it at some point and then 'tak' (emotions) hits." Eunji said, "It's difficult to describe our lives in words. Like that, I recommend watching 'WLDN' which pursued 'hyper-realism' without thinking about it with someone you love rather than listening to a lengthy explanation."

They also pointed out that 'WLDN' releasing through OTT rather than terrestrial or cable channels was a strength. Sunbin said, "It's true that I was a little scared when I first started doing OTT works from an actor's point of view.” she said. Eunji said, "If 'WLDN' had been aired on terrestrial or cable channels, I wonder if it would have received the same love it did now."

The two said, “We hope that the participation of ‘WLDN’ in the Cannes will be an opportunity to promote Korean OTT content and Korean culture” (Sunbin), “I hope that more K-dramas will participate in the Cannes in the future.” (Eunji) expressing their wishes.

On the other hand, after finishing the 'Pink Carpet' event on April 5th and the screening on the 6th, they return to Korea and continue their activities with their next film, 'Air Murder' (Sunbin), and the OCN drama 'Blind' (Jung Eunji). 

Regarding the foreign press interview and event held in the area, a TVING official said, "I could confirm that foreigners who watched 'WLDN' were highly interested in Korea's drinking culture and snacks" and "K-content of various genres and the female narrative drawn by 'WLDN' was also high," he said. 

The three actors, including Han Sunhwa, who was not able to attend Cannes due to schedule, are planning to reunite in the second half of this year filming season 2 of 'Work Later, Drink Now.'