Hye-ri Pledges Free Hugs If ENA Drama 'Dream To You' Hits 7% Ratings

Singer and actor Lee Hye-ri has set a bold ratings goal for her new drama. If it hits the mark, she is ready to hug her fans in person.

The press conference for ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama "Dream to You" was held on July 7 at The Saint in D-Cube City in Guro district, Seoul. Actors Lee Hye-ri and Hwang In-youp, along with director Yoo Sun-dong, attended the event.

"Dream to You" is a romantic comedy about the reunion of two former classmates. Woo Su-bin is a genius film director who returned home after achieving her dream. Joo I-jae is a reporter grinding through daily life, having long forgotten the dreams she once held.

Lee Hye-ri plays Joo I-jae, a reporter who has both passion and skill but wobbles under the weight of her regrets.

"In high school, I-jae is a girl whose eyes are full of passion and fire. She would do anything to reach her dream," Lee Hye-ri said. "The present-day I-jae is someone who works incredibly hard to get through life. I tried my best to bring both versions of her to the screen."

Ratings pledges have been a hot topic in Korean drama press events lately. At a recent press conference for the SBS drama "Agent Kim Reactivated," actor Jung Kyung-ho drew attention with a vow of silence tied to ratings. The subject naturally came up again at the "Dream to You" event.

Asked whether she had a target number in mind, Lee Hye-ri answered, "I want to break 7 percent." She then laid out her pledge. "If we hit the goal, I want to watch the drama together with fans at a movie theater and hold a free hug event."

"Dream to You" premieres July 13 at 10 p.m. KST.