South Korean Actors Gong Seung Yeon Lee and Jun Hyuk. Image Source.
A recent casting update has brought fresh attention to one of the most intriguing upcoming projects in the K-drama world. In Late June, it was reported that Perfect Crown star Gong Seung-yeon was in talks to play the female lead opposite Lee Jun-hyuk in A Casual Lie.
But A Casual Lie is not being developed as an entirely standalone drama. It will be connected to another upcoming romance, Iseop’s Romance, through one fictional corporation, two rival chaebol heirs and a shared family succession battle.
In February, ACE Factory confirmed that Lee Jong-suk would lead Iseop’s Romance, while Lee Jun-hyuk would star in A Casual Lie. The two dramas are based on separate but interconnected web novels written by Kim Eon-hee.
Both stories take place within the world of the fictional TK Group and follow cousins competing for their places in the conglomerate’s future.
Lee Jong-suk will play Tae I-seop, a third-generation chaebol who appears to have everything under control—except his love life. His office romance begins when Kang Min-kyung, an exceptionally capable TK Group employee and his former workplace rival, becomes his secretary.
Lee Jun-hyuk will star in A Casual Lie as Tae Jun-seop, the grandson of TK Group chairman Tae Si-hwan and I-seop’s cousin and corporate rival. His story begins when he crosses paths with copywriter Yeon Woo-kyung and becomes entangled in both a romance and the company’s increasingly fierce succession battle. Gong Seung-yeon is currently considering the role of Yeon Woo-kyung.
One conglomerate. Two chaebol heirs. Two separate romances.
Because the main characters are cousins working within the same family corporation, the dramas will exist inside one connected story world. Their individual romances will unfold separately, while the shared TK Group backdrop and succession conflict link the two narratives.
The projects are being jointly produced by Bon Factory Worldwide, ACE Factory and A-Man Media. Bon Factory is known for popular romantic comedies including What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim and Lovely Runner. The connected dramas are being planned for simultaneous production, with filming expected to begin within the year.
This is not a traditional sequel or spin-off. Neither drama is simply continuing a story that viewers have already seen. Instead, two separate leading couples will experience parallel romances while their male leads compete within the same chaebol family and corporate world.
That structure could open the door to overlapping characters, shared events and perhaps even appearances across the two dramas—although specific crossovers have not yet been confirmed.
K-dramas have explored connected universes before, but adapting two linked romance novels simultaneously and presenting the same corporate succession battle from the perspectives of rival cousins gives this project a particularly interesting twist.
With Lee Jong-suk and Lee Jun-hyuk already confirmed—and Gong Seung-yeon potentially joining the cast—TK Group may soon become the chaebol family everyone is talking about.
Keep Watching, Keep Feeling
Thanks for reading. 💖
If you enjoy thoughtful K-drama recommendations, reviews, and hidden details, explore more here on Korean Drama Insider.
🎬 Want more? Check out our other blog posts and watch lists for more heartfelt, spoiler-free K-drama reviews and recommendations, straight from one drama fan to another.