Summary
K-dramasare often full of cameos from famous actors, but some ofthe best ones are direct references to other K-dramas. With so manynew K-dramas being releasedeach month, and a backlog of great content to catch up on, the K-drama universe is vast and ever-expanding. However, by watching more K-dramas, easter eggs and cameo appearances make more sense, especially when they revive old characters or see couples reunite on screen once again.
From relationships with the writers or directors, or friendships between actors, there are many reasons why cameo appearances happen. Some link together K-dramas in the same universe while others simply give viewers the thrill of seeingK-drama couples with great chemistryreunite on-screen again. No matter the reasoning,cameo appearances are always a big hitand makes watching so many K-dramas seem worth it.
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12Kim Seul-gi In Hi, Bye Mama (2020)
She Played Shin Soon-ae In Oh My Ghost (2015)
As a K-drama that focuses heavily on the theme of death,Hi, Bye Mama!is a tragi-comedy that makes crying seem a given, as Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hee) has to choose between her own happiness or her newly remarried husband’s happiness following her tragic death. Despite the morbid and emotional premise,Hi, Bye Mama!has some incredibly funny momentsthat showcase the highs and lows of life. One of the best comes from Kim Seul-gi’s cameo as she reprises the role of virgin ghost Shin Soon-ae fromOh My Ghost.
Kim Seul-gi’s cameo is nothing short of hilarious as she attempts to find a new host to allow her to achieve her goal of losing her virginity. Shin Soon-ae’s similarly devious nature that caused so much trouble inOh My Ghostcomes back in a flash asKim Seul-gi effortlessly slips into the role of Shin Soon-aethat it makes it hard to believe thatOh My Ghosthad ended five years beforeHi, Bye Mama!.
11Choi Moo-sung & Kim Sun-young In Hospital Playlist
They Played Choi Moo-sung & Kim Sun-young In Reply 1988
There are many easter eggs for theReplyseries inHospital Playlist. These include appearances by Go A-ra, who played Sung Na-jung inReply 1994, and references to Yoo Yeon-suk’s role as baseball player Chilbong inReply 1994, among many others. However,the most direct referencecomes from the appearance of Choi Moo-sung and Kim Sun-young, who played Choi Taek’s father and Sung Sun-woo’s mother inReply 1988.
Hospital Playlistand theReplyseries also exist in the same universe asPrison Playbookas they are all written by screenwriter Lee Woo-jung. There are many easter eggs for each show hidden in each K-drama.
Choi Moo-sung and Kim Sun-young reprise their roles fromReply 1988and share their now-married couple, while directly mentioning their son, Choi Taek (Park Bo-gum). However,one of the biggest easter eggs comes from the golden turtlethat Moo-sung tries to give Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk). This is the same turtle that Choi Taek used to profess his eternal love to Sung Deok-sun (Lee Hye-ri) and is a nice callback to one of thebest K-drama ensembleseries.
Hospital Playlist
Cast
Hospital Playlist is a South Korean television series that follows the lives of five doctors working at a hospital. It explores their personal and professional struggles as they navigate the challenges of their jobs and personal relationships. The series delves into themes of friendship, love, and growth as the characters face various medical cases and personal struggles.
10Bae Suzy In My Love From The Star (2013)
She Played Go Hye-mi In Dream High (2011)
Episode 17 ofMy Love From The Starmarks the return ofDream High’s Go Hye-mi, played by Bae Suzy, and shows how her life has continued following the end ofDream High. Go Hye-mi is now a university student taught by Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) and she is a little too interested in her professor, who doesn’t know who she is. This doesn’t seem to deter Hye-mi, who uses their moment alone to present the audience withDream Higheaster eggs that make the cameo even better.
Go Hye-mi mentions that Do Min-joon looks like her ex-boyfriend, Sam-dong, who was played by Kim Soo-hyun inDream High. Go Hye-mi then continues to flirt with Min-joon, which further deepens the connection between the two as Sam-dong and Hye-mi wereDream High’s main love interests. ThoughKim Soo-hyun and Bae Suzy’s chemistry inMy Love From The Staris vastly differenttoDream High, it is great to see them on screen together again.
9Lee Sung-kung & Yoon Kyun-sang In While You Were Sleeping (2017)
They Played Jin Seo-woo & Jung Yoon-do In Doctors (2016)
ActorsLee Sung-kyung and Lee Jong-suk have a long-standing friendshipthat sees them appearing in each other’s work. Lee Jong-suk made a guest appearance inWeightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-jooto support Lee Sung-kyung’s first leading role as the titular character, Kim Bok-joo. However, Lee Sung-kyung’s appearance in Lee Jong-suk’s next K-drama alongsideDoctorsco-star Yoon Kyun-sang takes cameos to the next level.
Though theirDoctorscharacters did not have a good relationship, Lee Sung-kyung and Yoon Kyun-sang explore an entirely different dynamic inWhile You Were Sleepingas an overly enthusiastic young couple.Lee Sung-kyung and Yoon Kyun-sang’s energy bounces off the screenwhen they are together and makes for a great contrast withWhile You Were Sleeping’s leading couple, Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) and Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk) who are relatively shy and conservative.
While You Were Sleeping
In this fantasy drama series, a young woman and two men are burdened with prophetic dreams that reveal future events. Together, they strive to prevent the impending misfortunes they foresee, encountering challenges as they navigate the boundaries between destiny and choice.
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8Jung So-min & Seo In-guk In Abyss (2019)
They Played Yoo Jin-kang & Kim Moo-young In The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)
Jung So-min and Seo In-guk starred together in a relatively minor role in the first episode ofromantic fantasy K-drama,Abyss, as alien grim reapers who gift Cha Min (Ahn Hyo-seop) an orb that can bring people back to life. Their roles gave vital context needed for the rest ofAbyssto take place, meaningthey were on-screen for a longer time than most cameos. However, this is no issue, astheir cameo directly references their leading roles inThe Smile Has Left Your Eyes, which was also directed by Yoo Je-won.
Compared to Abyss,The Smile Has Left Your Eyesis completely different as athriller K-drama. This makes Jung So-min and Seo In-guk’s reappearance even more special as it sees them explore a dynamic with more humor and less tension that was fraught throughoutThe Smile Has Left Your Eyes.They provide a great base for Ahn Hyo-seop to act againstand results in a great balance of context and humor.
7Park Shin-hye In My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho (2010)
She Played Go Mi-nyeo/Go Mi-nam In You’re Beautiful (2009)
Park Shin-hye’s appearance inMy Girlfriend is a Gumihorevives her character Go Mi-nyeo from themusic-based K-dramaYou’re Beautiful, which happened to be the previous work of acclaimed screenwriters, the Hong sisters. InYou’re Beautiful,Park Shin-hye played the role of twins Go Mi-nyeo and Go Mi-nam, with Go Mi-nyeo assuming her brother’s role in the band A.N.JELL after a serious injury put him out of action. However, Mi-nyeo’s secret identity seems to be the least of her problems inMy Girlfriend is a Gumiho.
Park Shin-hye’s cameo appearance doesn’t last more than a minute or two, yet it is still a great scene to watch, ascontext isn’t needed for it to be funny. Go Mi-nyeo’s fresh charm as she tries her luck with Cha Tae-woong (Lee Seung-gi) while riding the bus is both sweet yet awkward, as Mi-ho (Shin Min-a) makes her feelings extremely obvious and makes for a great scene.
6Kim Ji-won & Jin Goo In Mr Sunshine (2018)
They Played Yoon Myeong-ju & Seo Dae-young In Descendants Of The Sun (2016)
Descendants of the Sunis widely considered one of thebest K-dramas of all timeas it depicts love and war in an overseas military camp. ThoughDescendants of the Sun’s story focused heavily on the leading characters of Yoo Shi-jin (Song Joong-ki) and Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo), thesecond leads of the K-drama had a much better story. Seo Dae-young and Yoon Myeong-ju’s love story and the on-screen pairing of Jin Goo and Kim Ji-won became so well-beloved thatthey returned on-screen together in writer Kim Eun-sook’s next K-drama,Mr. Sunshine.
Though Jin Goo and Kim Ji-won do not reprise their roles fromDescendants of the SuninMr Sunshine, they do give a glimpse into what it could have been like to see Dae-young and Myeong-ju raise a family as they portray the female lead Go Ae-shin’s (Kim Tae-ri) parents. However,Mr Sunshineis very tonally different fromDescendants of the Sunand their short on-screen appearance quickly ends in tragedy but isexpertly acted by Jin Goo and Kim Ji-won.
Mr. Sunshine
Mr. Sunshine is a historical drama television series that takes place in the late 19th century during the late Joseon Dynasty in Korea. The story follows Eugene Choi, a young boy who travels to the United States and returns to Korea as an American soldier, and Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-sin, an aristocrat’s daughter who dreams of modernizing Korea.
5Kim Hye-yoon & Lee Jae-wook In True Beauty (2020)
They Played Eun Dan-oh & Baek Gyeong In Extraordinary You (2019)
At first glance,True BeautyandExtraordinary Youshare few similarities.True Beautyfocuses on telling a story about bullying and high school romance, whileExtraordinary You, although also high-school based, focuses on the free will of side characters in a comic book. However, as they are bothK-dramas based on webtoons,True BeautyandExtraordinary Youare proven to exist in the same universethanks to a cameo appearance by Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jae-wook inTrue Beauty.
Kim Hye-yoon and Lee Jae-wook reprise their roles fromExtraordinary Youwith an abundance of easter eggs for the fantasy K-drama including a reference to Ha-ru (Rowoon), who was the male lead ofExtraordinary You. This cameo is short but sweet asit captures the same energy that many loved aboutExtraordinary You, while also progressingTrue Beauty’s storyline as Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo) mistakes theExtraordinary Youcouple for Lim Ju-kyeong (Moon Ga-young) and her date.
True Beauty
True Beauty is a South Korean television series based on the Line Webtoon of the same name. The show follows high school student Im Ju-kyung, portrayed by Moon Ga-young, who masters the art of makeup to overcome her insecurities about her appearance. Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-yeop star as her romantic interests. The series delves into themes of self-esteem, beauty standards, and the impact of outward appearance on personal identity.
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4Jung So-min & Lee Min-ki in Whats Wrong With Secretary Kim? (2018)
They Played Yoon Ji-ho & Nam Se-hee in Because This Is My First Life (2017)
Depth was added toWhat’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?’s title character Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young) through a touching by Jung So-min and Lee Min-ki, who played the leading couple of slice-of-life K-dramaBecause This Is My First Life. WhileBecause This Is My First Lifefocuses on a marriage of convenience that grows into something more, Jung So-min and Lee Min-ki’s short appearance inWhat’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?shows a family full of love asthey play Mi-so’s parents.
There are manyharsh realities aboutWhat’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?however this cameo appearance is a highlight of the K-drama. Jung So-min and Lee Min-ki show newer sides to their chemistry in a clear defining moment in Mi-so’s childhood. AlthoughWhat’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?reveals the unfortunate fate of Mi-so’s parents previously in the K-drama,it was a nice way to put faces to a name and revive another great K-drama couple.
3Song Joong-ki In Queen Of Tears (2024)
He Played Vincenzo Cassano In Vincenzo (2021)
One of thebestQueen of Tearsscenesfollows the cameo appearance of Song Joong-ki. Though many of his previous roles are referenced to incite fear into the heart of Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun),Song Joong-ki returns as Vincenzo Cassanofrom the K-dramaVincenzo. This cameo is grand in itself, as Song makes Vincenzo’s foreboding charisma bounce from the screen in just a second, but it is also special for another reason.
Song Joong-ki’s appearance inQueen of Tearsmarks the third on-screen collaboration between himself and Kim Ji-wonasVincenzoacts as Hong Hae-in’s (Kim Ji-won) divorce lawyer. They first appeared together inDescendants of the Sunbefore working together as the leading character and semi-love interests inArthdal Chronicles. Song Joong-ki’s appearance is also a nod to director Kim Hee-won, who directed bothVincenzoandQueen of Tears.
Queen Of Tears
Hong Hae-in, the heiress of the prestigious Queens Group, and her husband Baek Hyun-woo, known as the “supermarket prince,” navigate the complexities of their high-profile marriage. While Hae-in exudes a cold and calculating demeanor, Hyun-woo brings warmth and emotional depth to their relationship. Their union, celebrated as the “wedding of the century,” faces a monumental crisis that forces them to reassess their differences and rediscover the strength in their bond.
