Please Don't Date Him

Lore & Background

The series revolves around Seo Ji-seong (Song Ha-yoon), a household appliances developer at Pelican Electronics who dreams of living a perfect life like a well-designed algorithm. While working on an AI refrigerator with voice-activated features, she inserts a super sensor chip lost by the National Intelligence Service into the refrigerator. This creates an 'Ancestral Spirit' program that identifies scummy people instead of checking vegetable freshness, leading Ji-seong to discover that her seemingly perfect fiancé Jeong-han is not her Prince Charming.

Jung Kook-hee (Lee Jun-young), a firefighter with no social media record, appears and cannot be analyzed by the program. Ji-seong becomes skeptical of him due to the lack of digital traces of his past. The series also follows supporting characters including Moon Ye-seul (Yoon Bo-mi), Ji-seong's friend and a Pelican quarantine staff member, and Tak Ki-hyun (Gong Min-jeung), owner of an organic cafe near Pelican Electronics.

Casting began in June 2020 with Song Ha-yoon and Lee Jun-young, followed by Yoon Bo-mi and Gong Min-jung in October. The script reading occurred in October 2020, and the first teaser was released in the last week of that month.

Reader's Guide

Please Don't Date Him is notable for its blend of romantic comedy with science fiction elements, centering on an AI refrigerator that exposes relationship flaws. The series explores themes of digital privacy and the contrast between online personas and real character, as the protagonist's algorithm-based worldview is challenged by a man with no internet footprint. Its significance lies in its commentary on modern dating in the age of social media, using a fantastical device to reveal uncomfortable truths. The show aired on MBC Every 1, a cable channel, and ran for approximately two months. While ratings are not detailed in the source, the series contributed to the careers of its cast, particularly Song Ha-yoon's return to television and Lee Jun-young's leading role. The production process, including casting announcements and teaser releases, followed typical Korean drama promotion cycles. The series remains a representative example of early-2020s Korean romantic comedies that incorporate technology-driven plots.

Did You Know?

• The series was directed by Oh Mi-kyeong.
• Song Ha-yoon was cast in June 2020 for her comeback series.
• The AI refrigerator program is called 'Ancestral Spirit' and identifies scummy people instead of checking vegetable freshness.
• Jung Kook-hee, played by Lee Jun-young, is a firefighter with no social media record.