The most interesting and audience-astonishing episodes in the history of Korean dramas

The most interesting and audience-surprising episodes in the history of Korean dramas

In Korean dramas, sometimes a scene of just a few minutes can become the most memorable moment of the entire series. The unexpected appearance of a famous actor on screen, portraying their character from another drama in that exact image, or making a hidden reference to a previous project, gives viewers a special pleasure.

In the final episode of the romantic drama "Secret Garden," famous Korean actress Son Ye-jin appears on screen in a small two-minute episode. At first glance, this seems like a typical example of a short star cameo that surprises viewers and slightly affects the main plot. But in the case of "Secret Garden," there are several interesting aspects. First of all, the actress plays herself, not a fictional character, which is a very rare occurrence. Son Ye-jin comes to a meeting with Im Jong-soo, the director of a stunt school who dreams of making a film based on his own script. She says she is aware of the difficulties in finding an actor for the film and offers herself for the lead female role. For Im Jong-soo, this is an absolute surprise.

Secondly, over time, this episode became a sign of fate. The lead male role in the drama "Secret Garden" was played by Korean actor Hyun Bin, who married Son Ye-jin 11 years later. They became one of Korea's most compatible star couples.

In the drama "Queen of Tears," actor Kim Soo-hyun played the lead role, portraying Baek Hyun-woo, the director of the Queens Group conglomerate. He was once an ordinary office worker, but his meeting with Hong Hae-in — played by actress Kim Ji-won, the daughter of the head of Queens Group — completely changes his life. Despite the difference in their social status, they fall in love and get married. However, the difficulties of married life and pressure from influential relatives force Baek Hyun-woo to think about divorce, but an unexpected event messes up all his plans.

The eighth episode of the drama connects the worlds of the dramas "Queen of Tears" and "Vincenzo." Vincenzo Cassano, the main character of the crime black comedy played by actor Song Joong-ki, appears as a divorce lawyer hired by Hong Hae-in. This scene is not just a brief appearance of a famous character, but is full of numerous references to other characters of Song Joong-ki. One of Baek Hyun-woo's colleagues tells him that, according to rumors, Vincenzo is not only a consigliere of the Italian mafia, but also the youngest heir of a conglomerate, a former military man who served abroad, an alien from space, and even a werewolf. All of this points the viewer to the dramas "Reborn Rich," "Descendants of the Sun," and the films "Space Sweepers" and "A Werewolf Boy."

The Korean drama "Resident Playbook" is a spin-off of the famous drama "Hospital Playlist," which tells the story of five professors and close friends working in the same hospital. Viewers loved the main characters of the drama so much that when it ended with its second season, many began to hope to see a sequel one day. But instead, the spin-off "Resident Playbook" was announced, focusing on four young residents working in the obstetrics and gynecology department. New characters, new settings, but a single universe — which is why fans of the original drama still held onto the hope of seeing their favorite characters.

The creators of "Resident Playbook" did not miss the opportunity to make good use of this, and most episodes of the drama feature cameos by characters from "Hospital Playlist." Professors Lee Ik-jun, Ahn Jeong-won, Kim Jun-wan, Yang Seok-hyeong, Chae Song-hwa, and other important characters appear briefly in the frame. The spin-off continues their story and allows viewers to see how the characters are living after the original drama ended.

After the release of the drama "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," starring Lee Joon-gi and IU (Lee Ji-eun), many fans waited for years for the continuation of the story of Hae Soo, who fell into another world, and Wang So, the fourth prince of Goryeo. However, time passed, and although an alternative ending to the drama could be found on the internet, a full-fledged sequel was not made. The lead actors became busy with other projects. For example, in 2019, viewers had the opportunity to visit the unusual "Hotel Del Luna." This place is a haven for restless ghosts, run by the mysterious and cold beauty Jang Man-wol, who has been living under a curse for 1,000 years because of her past. IU brilliantly played the role of Jang Man-wol, proving once again that she is not only a famous singer but also an excellent actress.

The creators of "Hotel Del Luna" decided not to miss the opportunity to make a bright cameo and invited actor Lee Joon-gi to make a brief appearance in the drama. In the third episode, he played the role of a charismatic priest-exorcist who could have been Man-wol's assistant but declined because he wanted to focus on exorcising demons. Since Lee Joon-gi and Lee Ji-eun are close friends, the actor gladly agreed to make a brief appearance in her drama. For many viewers, this episode was both a pleasant gift and salt on a wound, as it reminded them once again of the absence of a sequel to "Scarlet Heart Ryeo."

Although the sequel to this famous Korean drama was not released, in 2027, the streaming service Netflix plans to release a sequel to "Hotel Del Luna" titled "Grand Galaxy Hotel." The drama will tell the story of events that take place after Jang Man-wol's departure and the appearance of the hotel's new owner, Eun Ha, played by actor Lee Do-hyun.

In 2021, the action comedy drama "One the Woman," starring Lee Ha-nee, premiered. According to the plot, Cho Yeon-joo, the only daughter of a gang leader and a corrupt prosecutor, gets into a car accident, and when she wakes up from a coma, everyone thinks she is the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. "One the Woman" is a light and slightly absurd action comedy in which actress Lee Ha-nee played a role similar to her character in another action comedy, "The Fiery Priest."

While the main character Cho Yeon-joo is in a coma, she ends up in a place resembling the afterlife. Familiar music begins to play there, and actor Kim Nam-gil appears in the image of Father Michael from the drama "The Fiery Priest." He offers to escort Cho Yeon-joo to the right place, and they slowly begin to recognize each other. At that moment, a courier (actor Jin Seon-kyu) carrying a bag of fried chicken suddenly appears. This is the second cameo in the same scene, referencing the 2019 film "Extreme Job," in which Lee Ha-nee and Jin Seon-kyu starred together. The funny scene in the afterlife ends with Cho Yeon-joo hitting both "The Fiery Priest" and the courier on the nose, saying, "I still have a lot of things to do," and leaving. Kim Nam-gil's cameo allowed viewers to see their favorite character again for a short time, and three years later, "The Fiery Priest" returned to screens with a second season.