Park Jinyoung and Kim Minju Portray Youthful Romance in ‘Still Shining’

JTBC’s upcoming Friday drama ‘Still Shining’ is already setting hearts fluttering, thanks to a newly released pictorial featuring leads Park Jinyoung and Kim Minju.

The two stars recently posed for Arena Homme Plus, capturing the tender chemistry of young lovers much like their characters in the drama, who become each other’s guiding light. Framed in soft lighting and warm tones, the pictorial evokes the feeling of a coming of age romance straight out of a youth comic book.

“A Project Even Nature Helped”

In an accompanying interview, Park Jinyoung described Still Shining as a production “blessed by nature.”

“The hometown setting of our teenage years in the drama was so beautiful that it made you think, ‘They must have shared such a pure and pretty love here,’” he said. “There were dazzling forests, uniquely slanted trees, and even a wetland that becomes an important place for our characters. The scenes filmed there turned out especially poignant.”

His comments hint at the visual richness the series promises where scenery and storytelling intertwine.

A Youth Romance at the Right Time

For Kim Minju, the script felt like fate. “Reading the script felt like reading a novel,” she shared. “I had been wanting to try a youth melodrama for my next project, so I was grateful for the opportunity. I’ve always loved romance, and since there aren’t many warm, heartfelt stories these days, I wanted to portray a pure and youthful love.” Now transitioning from her 20s into her 30s, Minju added that she felt an even stronger desire to take on the challenge.

Love Through the Four Seasons

Both actors emphasized that Still Shining aims to portray love through the metaphor of the four seasons.

“We talked a lot with Minju and the director about capturing the four seasons of love,” Park explained. “There are warm moments like spring, passionate moments like summer, chilly moments like autumn, even painful winters where love fades but eventually, spring comes again. We want to naturally convey the emotions everyone experiences in love.”

Minju echoed the sentiment, noting that the drama follows characters as they move from youthful innocence through realistic hardships before finding love again. “Viewers of different ages can relate. I hope it brings back memories and stirs various emotions,” she said.