Kim Myung-soo leads romantic comedy 'Empathy Cells,' premiering July 4 on Lifetime and Disney+

Empathy Cells (공감세포) holds its production presentation June 30 at The Saint in Sindorim, Seoul. The show airs July 4 at 10:50 PM on Lifetime, U+tv mobile, and Disney+.

Kim Myung-soo plays Cha Eun-hwan, a psychologist with 100% empathy ability. His reputation rests on an "Imaginative Revenge Counseling Method" until social controversy threatens his credentials. Kang Min-ah is Yu Ji-an, a top star who denies empathy entirely. Kwon So-hyun rounds out the cast as Han Yi-jin, Yu Ji-an's rival and a rising actress. The collision between a woman who rejects empathy and a man who absorbs it triggers a surreal phenomenon called "emotional transfer" — and forces them both to relearn what emotions mean.

Director Kim Chil-bong previously worked with Kim Myung-soo on MBC's Numbers: Watchers of the Building Forest and directed Second Husband. At the presser he was direct: "He gets more handsome as time goes by. I was surprised every time the camera captured him." The shift between projects mattered. Numbers required genre-specific work. Empathy Cells demanded emotionally delicate performance. He said he was "very satisfied" with filming.

Kim Myung-soo's prep ran deeper than usual. His MBTI skews over 90% T in daily life, while Cha Eun-hwan runs heavily F. He logged more script readings on this project than any drama he's done before. He now puts his sync rate with the character at 99.9%.

On set chemistry with his co-stars, Kim Myung-soo held back from giving advice to Kang Min-ah and Kwon So-hyun. Boy groups and girl groups operate differently, he explained. (His read on them: "I thought they do well without me.") Kwon So-hyun credited Kang Min-ah's long acting career for setting the pace between them.

The drama is written by Jung Yeon and Kim Sung-rae, produced by Wemade, LG U+, and MBC C&I, and provided by A+E Global Media. Distribution across Japan and Asia is already locked in.