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We knew the story and the characters, but « GIFT »Finally shows what its world will really look like. tvN's upcoming sports and fantasy drama has just unveiled its very first teaser and its air date, along with Kim Woo-bin as Jung Min-yong, a former professional coach who agrees to take charge of a high school baseball team at the very bottom of the standings.
Directed by Kim Kyu-tae, «GIFT» follows Jung Min-yong after an unexpected accident that completely turns his life upside down. A former pitching coach in professional baseball, he develops an extraordinary ability that allows him to determine a person’s talent for the sport simply by looking at them.
But rather than continuing his career at the highest level, he will now use his skills to help young players who still have a lot to prove.
«Do you want to play baseball? Then let's give it a try.»
The first teaser mainly gives us a glimpse of Kim Woo-bin in his new surroundings. Facing the high school students he has just taken charge of, Jung Min-yong immediately shows his coaching spirit and tells them, «Do you want to play baseball? Then let’s give it a try.»
What follows offers a first glimpse of the approach that awaits the players. The team is going through a series of intensive training sessions under Min-yong’s guidance, who seems determined to gradually turn this struggling group around.
But these early images aren't limited to the grueling training sessions in the field. They also show the bonds that are beginning to form within the team.
The players celebrate a victory together, gather around a bowl of ramen, and even end up lying side by side on the field. Beyond the athletic competition, «GIFT» seems to place a strong emphasis on team building and the relationship between the coach and his young players.
Kim Woo-bin won't just have to find the most talented
This first video takes on a special significance because of Jung Min-yong's ability. After his accident, he gains the ability to instantly recognize a person's talent for baseball.
A talent that might seem like the ideal «gift» for a coach. Yet the drama should, in fact, question the true value of this gift by regularly contrasting natural talent with hard work.
Since he’s taking over a high school team at the very bottom of the standings, Min-yong won’t be able to simply identify the most talented players. He’ll have to coach them, help them improve, and, above all, learn how to build a real team with them.
A journey that is also expected to transform him. tvN had previously explained that Kim Woo-bin would depict his character’s evolution as he grows alongside the players and is constantly confronted with this question: How far can talent really take someone without the effort that goes along with it?
Seo Eun-soo will play Yoon Seo-jin, a physical education teacher determined to ensure the team's survival and to help the students continue to enjoy playing baseball. Lim Su-bin, Seo Hyeon-woo, and Han Jae-hun are also part of the cast.
With this very first teaser, «GIFT» begins to reveal what is likely to be at the heart of its story: not so much Jung Min-yong’s extraordinary power as what he will discover while working with a team that no one expects to be at the top.
«GIFT,» consisting of 12 episodes, will begin on December 5 at 9:10 p.m. on tvN (No international platform has been announced yet.).
