SEOUL — K-drama nostalgia is getting a major revival as several beloved on-screen pairings reunite years after first winning over viewers — only this time, their characters and stories are taking dramatically different turns.
From Song Kang and Kim So-hyun, who became closely associated with Netflix’s Love Alarm, to Suzy and Kim Seon-ho from Start-Up, familiar faces are returning together in new projects. Other reunions include Seo Hyun-jin and Yoo Yeon-seok, while Red Velvet’s Joy and Choo Young-woo are teaming up again in an unexpected format.
The trend gives longtime K-drama fans a chance to revisit familiar chemistry while seeing the actors move far beyond the romances that originally brought them together.
Song Kang and Kim So-hyun Return After “Love Alarm”
One of the most anticipated reunions is Song Kang and Kim So-hyun, who are set to star together again in MBC’s upcoming drama White Scandal, five years after their Love Alarm collaboration.
The new series is based on a webtoon and follows Dan Yi-hyuk, a third-generation chaebol heir who does not want to inherit his family’s business empire, and Ji Eun-seol, a former child star whose career has fallen apart.
The two enter a fake relationship designed to deceive the public, but the arrangement gradually develops into something more meaningful as they confront their emotional struggles.
That premise represents a significant change from Love Alarm, which ran for two seasons in 2019 and 2021 and helped establish Song Kang as an internationally recognized actor.
Song recently reflected on his reunion with Kim So-hyun on the YouTube program Salon Drip, recalling that Kim was already established when they first worked together while he was still a rookie.
For fans who remember their Love Alarm storyline, the new drama offers an entirely different relationship dynamic.
Suzy and Kim Seon-ho Reunite After “Start-Up”
Another reunion attracting attention is Suzy and Kim Seon-ho, who starred together in tvN’s 2020 hit Start-Up.
The pair are returning in Disney+’s Portraits of Delusion, a dark fantasy period drama set in 1935 Gyeongseong, the historical name for Seoul during Korea’s colonial period.
Disney+ lists Suzy and Kim Seon-ho among the cast of the upcoming series.
Their reunion is particularly notable because Start-Up placed their characters at the center of a memorable romantic triangle. Suzy played Seo Dal-mi, while Kim portrayed Han Ji-pyeong, a character whose popularity generated significant discussion among viewers.
Their new roles could hardly be more different.
Portraits of Delusion follows an artist who is commissioned to paint the portrait of a mysterious woman who has lived in isolation for decades. As he works on the painting, he begins uncovering secrets surrounding her unusual existence.
Instead of returning to the world of start-ups and technology, the actors are stepping into a mysterious period setting filled with fantasy and suspense.
Seo Hyun-jin and Yoo Yeon-seok Go From Romance to Psychological Thriller
The reunion trend goes beyond romantic dramas.
Seo Hyun-jin and Yoo Yeon-seok, who starred together in the first season of Dr. Romantic, are returning to the screen after about a decade in MBC’s psychological thriller Liar.
Their new characters are far removed from their previous relationship.
The drama revolves around a man and woman who give opposing accounts of the same memory and become locked in a search for the truth. A released teaser shows the two confronting each other in an interrogation setting, with each accusing the other of lying.
MBC has confirmed that Liar will premiere on October 30 at 9:50 p.m. KST.
The reunion therefore comes with a major twist: instead of playing characters whose relationship develops romantically, Seo and Yoo are now positioned on opposite sides of a psychological mystery.
Joy and Choo Young-woo Reunite — But Not on Screen
Red Velvet’s Joy and actor Choo Young-woo are also returning as a pair, although their reunion takes a different form.
The two previously played a young couple in the 2022 drama Once Upon a Small Town. They are now part of the Korean voice cast for the animated fantasy adventure Stitch Head.
Joy voices Arabella, a human girl who befriends the monsters, while Choo voices Stitch Head, a small monster at the center of the story.
The Korean release is scheduled for September 30, and the project marks the first animation-dubbing challenge for both actors.
So while their previous project relied on their live-action chemistry, Stitch Head allows audiences to hear them together without seeing them as the same romantic pairing.
Moon Ga-young and Cha Eun-woo Could Be Next
Another True Beauty reunion is also being discussed.
Moon Ga-young and Cha Eun-woo, who starred together in the 2020-21 tvN drama, are reportedly considering roles in Seorabeol Life, a food-themed romance directed by Jang Tae-yoo.
However, this reunion should be treated differently from the confirmed pairings above: reports describe the project as being under consideration rather than presenting their return as an already completed casting announcement.
Moon also signed an exclusive contract with Fantagio in July, the agency that represents Cha Eun-woo. Cha is currently completing his mandatory military service, adding another factor to the timing of any potential reunion.
Why K-Drama Reunions Keep Getting Attention
These reunions demonstrate how strongly certain K-drama pairings remain associated with audiences years after their original shows end.
But the new projects are not simply recreating the old formulas.
Song Kang and Kim So-hyun are moving from a technology-driven romance into a fake-relationship story. Suzy and Kim Seon-ho are leaving the contemporary world of Start-Up for a mysterious period fantasy. Seo Hyun-jin and Yoo Yeon-seok are moving from medical drama into psychological suspense, while Joy and Choo Young-woo are returning through animation voice acting.
That difference may be the biggest attraction: viewers recognize the actors, but they cannot simply predict the relationships from their previous dramas.
Old Chemistry, Completely New Stories
The current wave of K-drama reunions shows how nostalgia can bring audiences back while giving actors opportunities to explore unfamiliar characters.
For longtime fans, seeing familiar stars together again naturally brings memories of the original dramas. But the upcoming projects are also designed to stand independently, with new genres, settings and character dynamics.
And with several of these productions arriving between late 2026 and the months ahead, the reunion trend appears to be giving K-drama audiences plenty of familiar faces — without simply repeating the past.
The real question is no longer whether these actors can recreate their old chemistry. It is what happens when that chemistry is placed inside a completely different story.
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