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Promotional K-drama posters \/ Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment, SLL, MBC and TVing<\/p>\n
From first love to contract marriage, four of South Korea\u2019s biggest actresses are leading a wave of romance dramas this spring \u2014 and the buzz is already spreading across global streaming audiences.<\/p>\n
Actors under Kakao Entertainment are returning with distinctly different love stories, as IU, Han Ji-min, Kim Go-eun and Kim Min-ju headline a slate of highly anticipated dramas.<\/p>\n
First love, realism and viral buzz<\/p>\n
Kim Min-ju is drawing attention for her portrayal of first love in JTBC\u2019s Friday series, \u201cStill Shining,\u201d a coming-of-age romance that follows young people growing into each other\u2019s emotional anchor.<\/p>\n
She plays a character navigating love, ambition and grief after losing family, delivering what viewers have described as a delicate and relatable performance. Clips of her emotional scenes have been circulating online, fueling early buzz among younger viewers.<\/p>\n
A dating reality many recognize<\/p>\n
Han Ji-min, long known for her warm and relatable screen presence, returns with a more grounded romance in JTBC\u2019s weekend drama, \u201cThe Practical Guide to Love.\u201d<\/p>\n
She plays a woman who turns to so-called \u201cengineered dating\u201d \u2014 a growing trend in Korea where people actively seek introductions rather than waiting for chance encounters. The character\u2019s struggle to balance career and relationships has resonated strongly with female viewers, reflecting real-life pressures in modern dating culture.<\/p>\n
A contract marriage with a twist<\/p>\n
IU is set to headline MBC\u2019s upcoming Friday-Saturday drama, \u201cPerfect Crown,\u201d premiering April 10.<\/p>\n
In the series, she plays a bold and ambitious woman who enters a contract marriage with a royal figure in order to shape her own destiny. The story blends classic romance tropes with modern ambition, as her character evolves from a strategic partner into someone experiencing genuine love.<\/p>\n
Playing a wealthy business leader in the drama, IU is also expected to showcase a more assertive and glamorous side, adding to anticipation among global fans.<\/p>\n
\u2018Yumi\u2019s Cells\u2019 returns with new love<\/p>\n
Kim Go-eun will return on April 13 with \u201cYumi\u2019s Cells Season 3,\u201d a TVING original series that continues the story of Yumi, now a successful writer.<\/p>\n
The show, based on a popular webtoon, is known for visualizing emotions through animated \u201ccells\u201d inside the protagonist\u2019s mind \u2014 a concept that has attracted international viewers.<\/p>\n
This season introduces a new romance with a producer she meets through work, described as a \u201clove-hate relationship,\u201d a popular trope in Korean dramas that often drives strong fan engagement online.<\/p>\n
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Promotional K-drama posters \/ Courtesy of Kakao Entertainment, SLL, MBC and TVing From first love to contract marriage,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":373185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[93,61,60,282],"class_list":{"0":"post-373184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tv","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-tv"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/373184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=373184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=373184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}