The biting cold weather still lingers, but the spring season is inevitable. Soon, the warm spring breeze will come, bringing the season of romance.
Warming up the small screen amid the chill, a lineup of romance dramas is set to arrive, offering everything from fresh, youthful love stories to deeply grounded, realistic romances that promise to stir viewers’ hearts.
The first to premiere is MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama 'In Your Radiant Season,' which airs its first episode on February 20. The series tells the story of a man who lives each day like an endless summer vacation and a woman who has confined herself to winter, as the two meet by fate and awaken a time long frozen. Lee Sung Kyung and Chae Jong Hyeop star as the leads.
Lee Sung Kyung plays Song Ha Ran, the chief designer at Korea’s top high-end fashion house. Though she appears flawless on the outside, she is a woman burdened by deep emotional scars from her past. Chae Jong Hyeop portrays Sun Woo Chan, an animator with a bright and positive outlook who, like Song Ha Ran, hides painful memories beneath his cheerful exterior.
Brought together through a single project, the two soon realize they share a connection that dates back seven years, when they first crossed paths while both were lost in darkness. As their intertwined past and present unfold, the story heightens intrigue and emotional engagement. Anticipation is also high for the pairing of Lee Sung Kyung, known for hit dramas such as 'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo' and 'Dr. Romantic,' and Chae Jong Hyeop, who has carved out a strong presence in the romance genre through works like 'Serendipity's Embrace' and the Japanese drama 'Eye Love You.'
Next up is JTBC’s first weekend drama of the year, 'The Practical Guide to Love.' Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, the series follows Lee Ui Young, a woman in her 30s who decides to pursue love and finds herself meeting two very different men through blind dates, ultimately searching for the true meaning of love.
Bolstered by the original webtoon’s popularity and led by Han Ji Min, who starred in last year’s highest-rated SBS drama 'Love Scout,' the series is already being viewed as a strong contender for success. Han Ji Min, playing Lee Ui Young, is set to showcase contrasting romantic chemistry with Park Sung Hoon as Song Tae Seop and Lee Ki Taek as Shin Ji Soo, delivering a multifaceted romance.
The drama humorously depicts Lee Ui Young’s deeply realistic dilemma as she weighs her choice between two men with opposing charms: the honest and composed Song Tae Seop and the free-spirited, rough-edged Shin Ji Soo. The production team teased, “The story will reflect the hearts of modern people who have postponed love due to work, offering relatable empathy and warm comfort.”
Rounding out the lineup is JTBC’s Friday series 'Shining,' set to premiere on March 6. The drama portrays the journey of young people who once shared a world of their own and gradually become one another’s source of trust and guiding light in life. Park Jin Young, who built a solid fan base through last year’s Unknown Seoul, stars opposite Kim Min Ju, whose acting has been praised in works such as Undercover High School.
Park Jin Young takes on the role of Yeon Tae Seo, a subway train operator, while Kim Min Ju plays Mo Eun A, a former hotelier now working as a manager at a traditional Seoul guesthouse. The two actors will portray a wide span of time, from their innocent teenage years at 19 to their lives in their 30s more than a decade later, capturing the many emotional shades of youth. With direction by Kim Yoon Jin, the director behind the beloved youth drama Our Beloved Summer, the series is raising expectations for a finely crafted, emotionally rich romance.
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