With all the amazing webtoons-based dramas that have been released in the past couple of years, we have only become more excited about upcoming K-Dramas linked with webtoons.

The webtoon "The Mermaid I Loved" is a special case because the story was first written as a script for a drama production. The drama production is on its way and the webtoon was pre-released. The drama's production company, Group Eight, thought that in releasing it first as a webtoon they could showcase some of the various deep sea adventures of the story and also help garner attention for the drama.

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

The romance fantasy adventure webtoon “The Mermaid I Loved” ("내가 사랑한 물고기," literal translation, “The Fish I Loved”), written by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal (우주봄봄 and 부발), tells the story of a man whose intermittent transformations into a mermaid become increasingly uncontrollable as he experiences the emotion of love and spends time with a woman who he finds himself more and more attracted to. The season 1 of the webtoon ended on March 13th with 31 episodes.

Given the webtoon’s popularity, Group Eight is looking forward the positive effect the webtoon will have on the upcoming drama’s viewership. They have built a solid portfolio with dramas based on webtoons like "Taxi Driver", "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" and "A Good Day To Be A Dog". Among their awaited projects is the reboot of the popular drama "Princess Hours" (2006).

Currently, there are no actors cast for “The Mermaid I Loved”. Fans of the webtoon are waiting for the announcement of the cast. We can already think of actors and actresses who would be perfect for the roles!

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

We at Kpopmap have thought up a cast of actors who would suit this drama amazingly.

1. Sim Kai (심카이), a mermaid and 3rd generation chaebol

Sim Kai is the lead male character. He discovered he was a mermaid 12 years ago and he pretends to be a human.

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

When he shares physical touch with a woman, his fish scales begin to appear and he transforms back into his mermaid form. Because of this, he avoids all contact with women and has been single his whole life.

But due to his handsome looks, he has a lot of girls chasing after him, so he hired YaNa to pretend to be his girlfriend. However, he can’t help himself from having physical contact with YaNa even if it means he won’t be able breathe.

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

Kai is the son of the jewelry brand Inoroo, or 3rd generation chaebol, but he is not interested in the family business and instead prefers performing as a mermaid at the aquarium.

The actor must possess features suitable for long hair and a muscular physique to be able to portray a mermaid. He should exude charm and look dazzling in a suit, while also being capable of conveying a mix of cynicism, cuteness, and panic in his expressions. Comfort with underwater filming is also mandatory.

Moon SangMin, WEi's Kim YoHan, Baek SungChul, Kim MyungSoo (INFINITE's L), and Chae JongHyeop could be a good match.

LOOKMEDIA / Awesome Entertainment / WEi Official / Chae JongHyeop Instagram / KEYEAST

Not only would they look stunning with long hair and looks amazing in suits, but their facial features would perfectly match the character's. Beyond their physical attributes, all five actors possess the talent and ability to convey Kai through the right facial expressions. The genre of fantasy romance suits them impeccably. Each actor would bring their unique colors and charms to the character, making him stand out on screen. Additionally, we can anticipate excellent chemistry with the lead actress.

Vote for your pick in the poll below!

2. Jung YaNa (정야나), an easy-going part-time student

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

Jung YaNa (24 years old) is the lead female character. She is a student who works a part-time job and has an easy-going personality.

She accidentally kisses Kai when she meets him for the first time, and shocked to see him suddenly fall very sick, she calls the ambulance. She ends up more shocked when she sees him put his face into a dirty bucket of water used for cleaning.

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

The actress should possess a mix of cuteness and strength, capable of expressing a wide range of emotions, and especially comedy. The character experiences rapid and extreme changes in emotions, so the actress should be able to show these transitions convincingly. Additionally, she should look just like a regular student, but be able to become a stunning lady with expensive clothes.

Kang MinAh, WJSN's Bona (Kim JiYeon), Chae SooBin, Girl's Day's HyeRi, and Seor InA could be a good match.

H& Entertainment / King Kong by Starship / Creative Group Ing / GOLDMEDALIST

All five actresses have demonstrated their talented acting and are well-suited for a character like YaNa. Each of them possesses the ability to portray the youthful, cute, and fiery vibes of the female lead character. Comedy and expressive acting would not be an issue for any of them, so it would be a smooth portrayal of the character without overdoing it and making viewers laugh. No need to mention that they would all bring great chemistry with the lead actor! Being a romance, it is crucial.

Vote for your pick in the poll below!

The webtoon is not available in English officially yet, but you can read it in Korean here.

"The Mermaid I Loved" by Cosmic Bom Bom and Bubal on NAVER

Let us know who you want to see cast!

Note: The aim of the vote is for Kpopmap readers to share their opinion about their preference for the cast. It is not affecting the cast of the production team.

Any and every K-Pop fan knows just how important dancing is nowadays to an idol's career. Idols will train for years to improve their dance skills to debut. With the rise of social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, dance challenges have increased for K-Pop idols.

Dance challenges are probably one of the most popular challenges on social media. Users can perform songs that their favorite idols release and sometimes they even get noticed! The trend originated when soloist ZICO started doing short-form video dances for his song 'Any Song'.  Since then, dance challenges have skyrocketed and almost every group participates in them for the enjoyment of their fans. The beauty of dance challenges is that many idols love to collaborate with others when they do them. You could see your favorite boy groups, girl groups, and even soloists come together to do these challenges.

1. P1Harmony - 'Killin It'

From the rocking streetwear fashion and catchy beat, P1Harmony's 'Killin It' is one of the latest trends on K-Pop TikTok. The members of the group have taken to TikTok dance challenges to promote their latest comeback. It has been a massive hit with fans and many other idols have joined in the challenge. They've even danced with members of ATEEZ, NCT, and many other K-Pop groups! It's a fun, energetic dance that isn't too challenging so we can see why it became such a popular trend for the dance challenges. The group even won their first win with 'Killin It' recently!

@p1harmony

dancEAR Vibe🎧 #P1Harmony #피원하모니 #P1H #때깔 #Killin_It #Killin_It_Challenge #때깔챌린지 #NewMusic

♬ 때깔 (Killin’ It) (Challenge Ver.) - P1Harmony

2. LE SSERAFIM - 'Smart'

A song so addictive you can't help but dance along, LE SSERAFIM's 'Smart' dance challenge is sweeping the app and stealing the hearts of many, even non-K-Pop fans are invested! The dance challenge for this song is very entertaining and it is probably one of the most popular ones that is currently out. Fans love the outfits and expressions that people wear when dancing. They even get creative and wear outfits that are similar to the group's comeback concept when participating in the challenge.

@le_sserafim

📣With the cheers of FEARNOT💙 #LE_SSERAFIM #르세라핌 #LE_SSERAFIM_EASY #LE_SSERAFIM_Smart

♬ Smart - LE SSERAFIM

3. TWS - 'Plot Twist'

TWS's 'Plot Twist' quickly stole the hearts of K-Pop fans with its refreshing, lively vibe. Not only that, the dance challenge has been a recent trend, especially in Korea! From the vibrant moves to the cheerful tenderness of the song, TWS’s dance challenge was quick to become viral in the K-Pop dance challenge community.

@tws_pledis

#첫만남챌린지 🫧 with #TWS #투어스 #첫만남은계획대로되지않아 #plot_twist #NewMusic

♬ plot twist - TWS

4. HORI7ON - 'Lucky'

Not only is this group unique with a lineup of Filipino members, their dance challenge and song become viral on TikTok. HORI7ON’s song ‘Lucky’ is another vibrant song that’s been trending with the K-Pop community. The challenge is easy to follow which is why many are eager to participate in it.

@hori7onofficial

'LUCKY' Challenge🍀 🐲🐱🐶🐼🦊🐯🐰 #HORI7ON #호라이즌

♬ LUCKY - HORI7ON

5. (G)I-DLE - 'Super Lady'

Coming from some of the queens of K-Pop themselves, (G)I-DLE’s ‘Super Lady’ took over the K-Pop dance challenge community. Fierce and powerful, the dance is fun to do and the moves are so smooth it’s pleasing to look at. Not only that, the girl group’s other song ‘Wife’ also trended with its dance challenge  !

@official_gidle

I am the top #Super_LadyChallenge #여자아이들 #GIDLE #Two #Super_Lady #NewMusic

♬ Super Lady - (G)I-DLE

If you're a K-Pop fan, you know that the dieting culture in South Korea can be quite toxic.

In particular, dieting is rampant in the K-Pop industry, and because of the status that idols enjoy, the general public tends to follow them and can often go to extreme lengths to achieve what they consider to be the "ideal body".

However, there's another saying, often mentioned by many K-Pop idols, that goes against this dieting culture.

The number 1, most popular, and most beloved dieting tip in Korea is actually an endearing saying that can be quite healthy!

This Korean dieting tip is:

If it's delicious, it's 0 calories!

That's right! This dieting tip is not a tip at all but a philosophy!

The original Korean saying is: "맛있게 먹으면 '0' 칼로리" (masitge meogeumyeon '0' kalori).

Of course, this is not based on any scientific fact whatsoever, holds no actual truth, and is not medical advice, but it is the sentiment behind it that has made it so popular.

Rather than a tip for physical dieting, it is a tip for preserving your mental health.

One should not feel guilty and stressed about calories while eating.

If you enjoy the food, that's all that matters!

Eating happily can be healthier than dieting sadly.

This kind of attitude can help prevent mental health issues like eating disorders that associate eating and food with negative emotions like guilt.

Now, this is not to say that if there are foods that are life-threatening to you, you should eat it just because you enjoy it.

It's more for people who force themselves to not eat food that they enjoy because they are feeling pressured by societal standards of beauty.

This saying became popular among BTS ARMY when Jin mentioned it 7 years ago in an "Eat Jin" video.

The saying continues to be popular among Koreans today and is quite comforting, isn't it?

So, if you're feeling some type of way about having that cupcake or the last slice of pizza, remember, if it's delicious and you enjoy it, it's 0 calories!

Want to know more such popular Korean words and phrases? Kpopmap will be your Korea tutor! Stay tuned for more!