Make Me Tingle: Kang Tae Joo and Park So Jin Shake Up the Romance

“Make Me Tingle” arrives as a new romantic comedy series premiering on TVING, centered on exploring what happens when someone who believes in love finally encounters it in a complex, unexpected form. Nam Ji Hyun anchors the story as Gong Yeon Su, a woman whose conviction that love exists does not extend to understanding what it means on a personal level. Kim Jae Yeong plays Dokgo Dal, a sex-toy startup CEO whose professional world creates the perfect conditions for Gong Yeon Su’s self-discovery.

The Central Story

Belief Without Understanding

Gong Yeon Su has lived with a paradox: she trusts in love as a concept, yet she has never grasped what love actually means when it appears in her own life. This gap between intellectual conviction and lived experience defines her character. The drama opens when this contradiction can no longer sustain itself, primarily through her professional intersection with Dokgo Dal. His startup focuses on a market most people discuss only in private, which means his worldview and his business operate without the shame and hesitation that shape Gong Yeon Su’s approach to desire and intimacy.

The Transformative Meeting

Dokgo Dal’s entry into Gong Yeon Su’s world functions as more than romantic interest. The drama frames him as a guide to a dimension of herself and her sexuality that her previous convictions kept hidden. His role as a startup CEO in the intimacy space allows him to approach these conversations with directness and without judgment. Through him, Gong Yeon Su begins to explore what want means, what physical attraction feels like, and how desire connects to the romantic love she has always theoretically believed in. Their connection becomes the catalyst for a broader awakening.

Kang Tae Joo and the Unexpected Rival

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What prevents “Make Me Tingle” from becoming a straightforward love story is the introduction of Yoon Ji Oh, the character brought to life by Kang Tae Joo. Yoon Ji Oh serves as vice CEO alongside Dokgo Dal at the startup, meaning he operates at the center of the company’s daily life and strategy. He carries a natural warmth and sociability that draws people toward him easily: he is friendly, approachable, and plays well with everyone around him. The friendship between Yoon Ji Oh and Dokgo Dal has sustained their professional partnership until Gong Yeon Su appears. When she enters through business channels, specifically as a marketer with professional reasons to interact with the startup, Yoon Ji Oh’s emotional distance collapses. He develops genuine romantic feelings for her, transforming what had been a comfortable working relationship with his friend into a rivalry. Suddenly, both men are competing for the same woman, and Gong Yeon Su becomes the unwitting center of a contest between two people from the same world who approach her very differently.

Park So Jin’s Role—The Contrasting Voice

Gong Yeon Su does not make her choices in isolation, shaped only by the two men pursuing her attention. Park So Jin’s character Jin Se Ra occupies a position of significant influence in her life, combining professional authority with personal relationship history. As both Gong Yeon Su’s former college classmate and current boss at the marketing firm SR Planning, Jin Se Ra bridges multiple spheres of influence. Her worldview on love and relationships differs markedly from Gong Yeon Su’s more conservative stance. Where Gong Yeon Su views romance in all-or-nothing terms, Jin Se Ra separates the decision to pause dating from the decision to withdraw from social connection entirely. She sees possibility in taking space from romantic relationships without rejecting all human intimacy. When Gong Yeon Su becomes confused and overwhelmed by Dokgo Dal’s presence, Jin Se Ra offers practical advice born from her own dating history. The friction between their philosophies, and the way Jin Se Ra’s guidance influences Gong Yeon Su’s response to the men around her, will drive crucial emotional developments across the series.

Family Perspective

The Aunt’s Cautionary Tale

Beyond her boss and the men in pursuit, Gong Yeon Su has family members offering their own forms of protection and perspective. Jeong In Ji plays Gong Mi Young, Gong Yeon Su’s aunt, whose own romantic history reads as a cautionary tale for where her niece might head. Gong Mi Young was once pressured into marriage by those around her, only to later divorce, a painful process that taught her costly lessons about love and commitment. She and her niece maintain a relationship more like friendship than typical family hierarchy, sharing thoughts and feelings openly. Watching Gong Yeon Su navigate unfamiliar romantic territory, Gong Mi Young offers advice rooted in lived experience and regret. Her perspective adds realism to the drama, grounding it in actual consequences.

The Mother’s Unconditional Support

Woo Mi Hwa portrays Seo Baek Hee, Gong Yeon Su’s mother, embodying a warmth that complements and contrasts with the aunt’s caution. Twelve years ago, Gong Yeon Su’s father died from illness. In the years following that loss, Seo Baek Hee became both mother and sole caregiver, raising her daughter alone while also caring for her late husband’s family. Despite these challenges, she watched Gong Yeon Su grow into a kind and principled person. That history informs how Seo Baek Hee approaches her daughter now: she offers unwavering support for whatever choices Gong Yeon Su makes, without judgment or pressure. Her devotion provides emotional grounding as Gong Yeon Su navigates romantic confusion.

Where and When

“Make Me Tingle” premieres on October 15 on TVING. The series will also stream on Viki, making it available to international audiences who want to follow Gong Yeon Su’s journey toward understanding desire and love.

Source: Soompi