Welcome back, K-drama Insiders! 💫

This week’s newsletter will be a bit shorter than usual because I’m traveling, but I didn’t want you to miss the latest premieres!

I mentioned last week that I had started Four Hands, Two Sonatas, starring Song Kang and Lee Jun-young, but I’ve gotten completely pulled into My Mister instead.

It’s a psychological drama that, in some ways, reminds me of We Are All Trying Here in its raw portrayal of simply trying to survive. The weight of everyday life feels incredibly heavy in this drama. The characters trudge through complicated jobs, relationships and financial struggles in a world that often seems determined to make life harder for them.

The two main characters are both deeply melancholy, and even though I keep meaning to return to Four Hands, Two Sonatas, I can’t seem to look away. It’s a real shift from the romance and action I’ve been watching lately, and somehow it’s exactly what I needed.

I’m only a few episodes in, but I already have the feeling there are going to be some profound shifts and a lot of growth ahead for these characters.

Are you watching it?

Have suggestions for what I should watch next?

👉 Hit reply and let me know.

NAZE Makes Japanese Debut With "I LIKE IT"
The seven-member group returns to Japan with a two-track release centered on individuality and harmony. 👉 Read the full article.

Four Hands, Two Sonatas held onto the No. 1 spot in this week’s FUNdex K-drama buzz rankings with 18.46% of total buzz, narrowly ahead of New Recruit 4: Sabotage at 17.75%. Made in Korea 2 climbed three places to No. 3, while A Love Other Than Yours rose to No. 4. Pre-release interest also pushed The Scandal into the Top 10 at No. 10, with Son Ye-jin and Ji Chang-wook both entering the performer rankings ahead of the drama’s September 18 premiere.

👉 See the full Top 10 rankings, performer buzz, streaming snapshot and this week’s takeaways

Park Jinyoung and Jeon So Young are in talks for Hash’s Shinru, a historical romance based on a web novel. Jinyoung has reportedly been offered the role of Crown Prince Lee Hyang, while Jeon So Young has been offered Hae Ru, a woman who can see the future. Their agency said both have received offers, but nothing is confirmed yet.

Cha Woo Min and Jang Da A are being considered for JTBC’s 50 Days of Situationship. The eight-episode office romance follows an intern who receives a mysterious potion that makes people fall for her for exactly 50 days. Cha Woo Min’s agency confirmed he is reviewing the offer; Jang Da A’s side had not yet confirmed at the time of the report.

Iseop’s Romance May Have Found Its New Male Lead
After Lee Jong-suk and Choi Yoon-ji both stepped away from the upcoming web novel adaptation due to scheduling conflicts, Hwang Minhyun is now in talks to take over the role of Tae I-seop. His agency PLEDIS Entertainment says the drama is one of the projects he has been offered, while the production company says casting has not yet been finalized. The female lead role remains open.

The Scandal (September 18 on Netflix)
Set in the Joseon Dynasty, The Scandal stars Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, Nana, Chani, and Han Sun-hwa in a provocative tale of seduction, desire, power, and betrayal. Inspired by the 2003 Korean film Untold Scandal, itself adapted from Dangerous Liaisons, the series returns to the original novel to reimagine its characters and relationships for a longer story.

At its center are two elite aristocrats who treat love as a game, turning a reckless wager into an experiment in temptation and control. But when carefully planned seduction begins to stir real desire, the boundaries between manipulation and emotion start to collapse. With forbidden attraction, shifting loyalties, and passions that refuse to stay contained, The Scandal promises a far more dangerous game than either of them intended.

Watch the trailer below!

👉 Are you planning on watching? Hit reply and let me know!

Crickets. 🦗
No major new K-drama premieres are currently on my radar, which gives us plenty of time to see whether The Scandal lives up to all that pre-release buzz.

👉 Want to see what’s coming next?
Browse our full list of upcoming 2026 K-drama premieres.

Means “Excuse me”.

📺 K-Drama Connection: used to politely get someone’s attention. You’ll often hear it in K-dramas when someone calls a server at a restaurant, stops a stranger, or tries to get someone’s attention from a short distance.

Example:
저기요! 주문할게요.
Excuse me! I’d like to order.

👉 What is your favorite K-drama word or expression? Hit reply and let me know.

One of South Korea’s biggest holidays is just around the corner. Chuseok (추석) will be celebrated September 24-26, 2026, bringing families together across the country.

Often compared to Thanksgiving, Chuseok is a time for family reunions, honoring ancestors, and sharing traditional foods. One of the best-known treats is songpyeon (송편), small half-moon-shaped rice cakes traditionally filled with ingredients like sesame seeds, beans, or chestnuts.

It’s also one of the busiest travel periods of the year in Korea, as many people return to their hometowns to celebrate with family.

With The Scandal bringing forbidden desire and palace intrigue to our screens this week, why leave the royal court? 👑 This weekend, we’re going all-in on secret identities, ambitious royals, epic romances, political schemes, and, because it’s K-drama, plenty of heartbreak.

Perfect for: 👑 Palace intrigue • 💕 Slow-burn romance • 🤫 Secret identities

A sweeping palace romance built around secrecy, identity, and impossible love. Park Eun-bin shines as a woman forced to live as the crown prince, while every relationship around her becomes more complicated by the truth she has to hide.

Perfect for: 💔 Heartbreak • 👑 Royal rivalry • ⏳ Time-slip romance

Romance, rivalry, royal politics, and heartbreak collide when a modern woman is transported back to the Goryeo era and becomes entangled with the royal princes. It starts with plenty of humor and chemistry, then becomes much more emotional and intense.

Perfect for: ⚔️ Political intrigue • 👸 Powerful heroines • 🔥 Epic romance

If you want something truly epic, Empress Ki delivers palace politics, romance, ambition, betrayal, and a heroine who refuses to be powerless. At 51 episodes, it is a commitment, but it gives the story room to become huge in scale.

👉 Which drama will you binge next?

She’s Something in the Rain and would never make a Crash Landing on You on purpose. But after years of avoiding it, she’s finally caught up in The Scandal of the year.

Which K-drama star am I?

A. Kim Tae-ri
B. Jun Ji-hyun
C. Son Ye-jin
D. Han Hyo-joo

💙 Happy Birthday from all of us at Korean Drama Insider!

👉 What did you think of this week’s K-drama updates? Or, what are you watching right now? Hit reply and tell me.

Until next time… 💙
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