Local media company The Smart Local (TSL) is dipping its toes into the fast-growing world of microdramas with a new K-drama-style series set to premiere next week.
The company has partnered with microfilm production house COL Group to launch One Year Love, which will debut on Flareflow on 9 April.
The series centres on a marriage of convenience between a Korean expat and a Singaporean workaholic.
The duo convincingly fooled everyone into believing they’re the perfect couple, themselves included.
When real feelings surface and their dynamic begins to shift, the man’s glamorous ex — a former Miss Korea — arrives and threatens to unravel everything.
With its cross-border cast and familiar K-drama tropes, the production aims to appeal to both local and regional audiences.
To anchor the show, TSL brought in Park MinKyu from Seoul.
For the uninitiated, Park gained popularity in the reality show Single’s Inferno.
Source: @ssrt_mk on Instagram
MS News had a chance to talk to the creator of One Year Love, Mr Bryan Choo.
He noted that casting an “authentic Korean oppa” was important, particularly to elevate the series’ appeal.
They added that Park lived up to expectations and more.
“He turned out to be every bit the green flag in real life as he was known to be on screen, and he was an absolute joy to work with,” the team noted.
Park stars alongside Nicole Lee and Regina Tan, who round out the main cast.
One Year Love marks TSL’s first foray into microfilm production, a format known for its rapid turnaround and mobile-first storytelling.
Filming the entire microdrama took 14 days, and the TSL team credits COL for guiding them through the process.
Bryan even visited China to learn more about microfilms. He discovered that it’s common for microfilm-makers to complete filming in just seven days.
This is the gold standard that he aims to achieve in future
The series also features an original soundtrack titled “Stay Baby Stay”.
Produced with GRYD Studios, the track is already available on Spotify.
Describing the tune as “very catchy”, he believes the song will do well on Spotify. As of writing, the top three songs on TSL’s artist page have an average of 1 million plays.
Bryan, who is also the CEO of TSL Media Group, said the company chose to fully fund the project independently.
“This project was entirely self-funded because I’ve always believed that if we want the local media industry to move forward, companies like ours have to be willing to take the risk,” he told MS News.
He pointed to earlier efforts, including a self-funded reality show that was picked up by Netflix, as proof that local companies in the industry can create commercially viable Singaporean content that appeals to a regional audience.
However, Mr Choo noted that private companies have very limited resources and can only do so much. He hopes that funding in this space spreads out more meritocratically, rather than being given mostly to one incumbent.
“If One Year Love succeeds, I hope it shows that companies like ours are worth supporting, and the innovation in the industry happens much faster, and Singapore doesn’t always lose out to global opportunities.”
“With stronger support, we can help grow the industry and create jobs in a way that is more diverse, innovative, and future-ready,” he added.
COL (China Online Literature, 中文在线) Group, TSL’s partner on this microdrama project, is a digital publisher and IP management company based in Beijing.
The organisation has since expanded into microdramas by converting its extensive library of web novels into vertical dramas. COL has expanded globally and even has its international headquarters based in Singapore.
Last year, they launched another micro-drama platform called FlareFlow. The platform has surged to the Top 5 Entertainment Apps in the US as of Sep 2025, with over 10 million downloads.
MS News also spoke with COL Singapore’s General Manager, Timothy Oh, who said microdramas are still new in Singapore.
He mentioned that they’ve “already taken off” in China and the US.
Mr Oh said that One Year Love represents a step forward for the local scene.
“As mobile becomes the main screen for many viewers, this shows that local productions can play on the global stage.”
One Year Love will be available on COL’s platform, FlareFlow, and on TheSmartLocal’s YouTube channel on 9th April at 8pm.
Head to TSL’s YouTube channel to watch all the episodes.
As with most microdramas, the first 10 episodes are free, while unlocking all episodes costs $1 (on TSL).
Also Read: Popular S’pore Reality Dating Show ‘One Week Love’ Is Coming To Netflix On 14 Feb
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Featured image courtesy of The Smart Local.