Following the success of Dear X, the main cast members are moving on to highly anticipated, large-scale projects that showcase strikingly different career paths. While Kim Yoo Jung continues to challenge herself with dark psychological thrillers, her “princes” and “guards” appear to be gravitating toward lighter genres such as rom-coms and bromance-driven narratives.
Kim Yoo Jung is once again pushing her limits with the action-psychological thriller 100 Days of Lies, a 16-episode series produced by Studio Dragon. Scheduled to air in 2026 as a weekend drama on tvN and simultaneously stream on TVING and Netflix, the drama is set in Gyeongseong (modern-day Seoul). She takes on the lead role of a notorious pickpocket boss who becomes an undercover spy for the Korean independence movement by infiltrating the Japanese Governor-General’s Office. In addition, Kim Yoo Jung has received an offer to star in the film Revenger, directed by Hong Eui Jung (Voice of Silence), alongside Cho Yeo Jeong. Although casting news surfaced in October 2025, both actresses’ agencies have stated that the offer is still under review.
Kim Do Hoon has been offered the lead role in Retired Agent Management Team (working title), a tvN drama slated for summer 2026. The action-thriller bromance centers on an unlikely partnership between a Gen X retired agent and a Gen Z operative as they hunt down a traitor who has been hiding within the organization for 25 years. For one, it is a chance to reclaim past glory; for the other, it is a long-awaited opportunity to become a true agent. Veteran actor Cha Seung Won is reportedly in talks to play Kim Chul Soo, a former legendary NIS agent now living quietly as a car wash owner. Kim Do Hoon is offered the role of Go Yo Han, a talented but impulsive member of the NIS Retired Agent Management Team whose bravado masks deep insecurity and a hunger for recognition.
After appearing in four projects throughout 2025 both leading and cameo roles Kim Ji Hoon has successfully shed his villain image with a string of morally upright characters. In 2026, however, he is set to return to darker territory in Affairs Not the Only Secret, an eight-episode thriller for Coupang Play directed by Lee Chang Hee (A Killer Paradox, Strangers from Hell). Kim Ji Hoon plays Jae Hyeong, the husband of Gyeong Hui (played by Kim Hye Soo). When she suspects him of infidelity and follows him, she instead discovers him disposing of a corpse. He claims their daughter is responsible, leading the couple to bury the body in their garden and spiral into a series of unimaginable consequences.
Hwang In Yeop is set to heal viewers’ hearts with the romantic comedy Dream To You, which has already begun filming. He stars as Woo Soobin, a man who once dreamed of becoming a director alongside his first love Joo Yi Jae (played by Hyeri). After a painful separation, Soobin achieves success in his 30s with an internationally acclaimed debut film and returns to Korea to reunite with Yi Jae only to find that she has changed. The drama also marks Hwang In Yeop’s reunion with Lee Yeol Eum, his former on-screen girlfriend in Dear X, who plays a top actress in Dream To You. Lee Yeol Eum is also set to lead the 2026 drama Paradise.
Hong Jong Hyun returns with Channel A’s rom-com Positively Yours, based on the popular webtoon. The story revolves around two people who vowed never to marry but are unexpectedly entangled, played by Choi Jin Hyuk and Oh Yeon Seo. Hong Jong Hyun takes on the role of Lee Min Wook, the female lead’s childhood friend, forming a classic love triangle. Originally cast to Yoon Ji On, the role was recast after his withdrawal due to a DUI scandal, leading Hong Jong Hyun to reshoot the character’s scenes.
Sources: hht
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