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| Photo=SBS |
SBS Special My Heart Is Fluttering — Mongle Counseling Center (hereafter Mongle Counseling Center) is a new venture from producer Go Hye-rin, who won a Baeksang Arts Award for the documentary Hakjeon and Then, Kim Min-ki. The series follows an eight-week journey in which young adults with developmental disabilities (hereafter “Mongle participants”) who have longed for love but lacked opportunities receive dating coaching from counselors Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon as they search for their first love.
In episode 1, which aired on the 8th, counselors Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon met three Mongle participants — Oh Ji-hyun, Yoo Ji-hoon, and Jung Ji-won — each with distinct charms. The couple listened to the participants’ challenges and helped arrange their first blind dates.
Viewers found the trio’s individual personalities deeply moving: their pure, open-hearted natures and the awkward but sincere ways they showed consideration for others felt healing to audiences. The show’s honest portrait succeeded in softening prejudices about disability.
Social media responses poured in right after the premiere: “Seeing the Mongle participants felt like seeing angels,” “They broke out of their shells — it was so inspiring,” “They spoke so beautifully; I want to learn their way of talking,” “The concept is brilliant. It felt warm and genuine,” “I can’t wait for the next episode,” “I realized how little I knew about developmental disabilities,” “I hope more programs like this are made,” and “As a social worker, this touched on issues I’ve been thinking about. I’m so grateful this series exists thanks to Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon’s support. It was even more moving than many dating shows featuring non-disabled people — a villain-free romance that warmed my heart.”
By portraying the dating lives and growth of young people with developmental disabilities with sincerity, Mongle Counseling Center demonstrated strong audience interest: it ranked No. 10 on Netflix Korea’s “Top 10 Today” list in its first week.
A clip of cast member Oh Ji-hyun’s first blind date, released on SBS’s official social media channels, surpassed 1.3 million views within 24 hours, creating a buzz. As the series begins to generate viral momentum, observers are watching how far its wave of candidness and warmth will spread.
Touted as an even more tender, heartwarming real-life dating and coming-of-age story about young people with developmental disabilities than Extraordinary Attorney Woo, SBS Special My Heart Is Fluttering — Mongle Counseling Center will air its second episode on the 15th at 11:05 p.m. KST.
[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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