IU and Byun Woo-seok will play a royal couple in MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama, "21st Century Grand Royal Consort." Before the drama airs, the two actors revealed wedding concept photo shoots and interviews in the April issue of the fashion magazine Elle.

"21st Century Grand Royal Consort" is set in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy in South Korea and depicts the entangled relationship between Seong Hee-joo (played by IU), a commoner who has everything, and Grand Prince Ian (played by Byun Woo-seok), the king's son who is excluded from power, through a contract marriage. The two characters choose a contract marriage to change their given fate, and the story portrays their growth as they join hands out of mutual necessity.

IU described the character Seong Hee-joo as "an interesting figure who does not hide her desires and struggles hard for her goals." Byun Woo-seok spoke about Grand Prince Ian, saying, "Despite his high status, he is a character with a rich emotional line who longs for true happiness," sharing the charm of the acting process.

This is the first time the two actors have performed as full-fledged partners in a project. IU said, "Byun Woo-seok and I briefly worked together about 10 years ago on another project, but this is the first time we are doing proper partner acting," adding, "We felt comfortable from the reading stage and created chemistry by sharing many ideas on set." Byun Woo-seok also said, "Every time we filmed, IU and the staff showed great consideration and support, so our chemistry was really good."

Regarding their relationship, IU described the two characters as "each other's saviors," and Byun Woo-seok defined it as "a bond that cannot be broken." About the comradeship in the drama, Byun Woo-seok explained, "They clearly tell each other right and wrong and trust each other infinitely." IU added, "Viewers will find diverse enjoyment in seeing how the two characters move forward toward the world in their own ways."

The drama "21st Century Grand Royal Consort" consists of 12 episodes and will premiere on the 10th at 9:40 PM. The photo shoots and interviews can be found in the April issue of Elle and on its official SNS channels.