10 K-drama couples who starred in more than one series

Projects: Gu Family Book (2013) and Vagabond (2019)

Bae Suzy and Lee Seung-gi first crossed paths in Gu Family Book, where she played Yeo Wool, a fierce swordswoman with a quiet tenderness, and he embodied Kang-chi, the half-human, half-mythical creature struggling between worlds. Their chemistry, fuelled by part myth, part mischief, made them one of the most beloved fantasy K-drama couples. Six years later, Vagabond traded ancient folklore for high-octane espionage, reuniting them as a covert agent (Suzy) and a stuntman-turned-truth-seeker (Lee). The swords and hanboks were gone, but the spark remained—now tempered by grit, maturity and the thrill of déjà vu. 

Projects: Uncontrollably Fond (2016) and Genie, Make a Wish (2025)

In 2016’s Uncontrollably Fond, Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-bin portrayed doomed lovers whose illness-touched romance became a tear-jerker. Almost a decade later, the pair got together again. In Genie, Make a Wish, Kim Woo-bin plays an intensely emotional genie with Bae Suzy as his new, emotionally detached master. This fantasy-romance series, penned by star writer Kim Eun-sook, centres on the conflict and unexpected chemistry that sparks when the genie grants his new master three life-altering wishes.

Projects: Start-Up (2020) and Delusion (coming 2026)

Yes, this is Bae Suzy's third appearance on a list of recurring K-drama couples. In Start-Up (2020), Bae Suzy and Kim Seon-ho sparked a fan war and a cultural moment: she, the idealistic entrepreneur chasing her dreams; he, the brilliant yet wounded investor who quietly championed her. Their slow-burn dynamic thrived on tension and timing. They did not end up together, much to the chagrin of stans. Now, five years later, they reunite in webtoon-based Delusion (2026). Will they finally get that happily ever after?

See more: Reel to real: 7 Korean couples who fell in love on set

Projects: My Girl (2005) and Hotel King (2014)

Lee Dong-wook and Lee Da-hae became one of the defining pairings of mid-2000s K-drama. Their on-screen familiarity felt effortless—two actors who didn’t need reunion fanfare to make viewers lean in.

Their first outing in My Girl was a cultural moment: he, the aloof heir with unspoken longing; she, the quick-witted con artist who disarmed him with chaos and charm. Nearly a decade later, they reunited in Hotel King, trading rom-com sparkle for revenge and restrained desire. Despite the difference in plots, the warmth between them lingered, reshaped by time and tone.

Projects: Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002), Fated to Love You (2014), Family (2023)

One of the most prolific K-drama couples, Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara are basically the K-drama equivalent of that ex you keep running into—only every time, the chemistry’s even better.

Their first act, Successful Story of a Bright Girl, was a textbook early-2000s rom-com: he’s the arrogant chaebol heir, she’s the scrappy working girl who knocks the ice off his heart. Fast-forward 12 years to Fated to Love You (2014), and the set-up turns deliciously chaotic: a one-night stand, an accidental pregnancy and a love story that walks the tightrope between absurd and achingly sincere. By Family, they’ve settled into domesticity—or so it seems. He’s secretly a spy, she’s the wife catching on, and the sparks are of an entirely different kind.

From meet-cute mayhem to married-life espionage, Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara prove some screen partnerships don’t fade with time. They just become more addictive.

Projects: You’re Beautiful (2009) and Heartstrings (2011)

In You’re Beautiful, Jung Yong-hwa was the soft-spoken guitarist who never got the girl; Park Shin-hye was the undercover nun-turned-boy-band-member (yes, really), oblivious to his quiet heartbreak. Their almost-love story launched a thousand “what ifs”, the kind that only K-drama fandom can sustain. Two years later, Heartstrings (2011) finally delivered: set on a university campus, it paired her traditional music major with his too-cool rock guitarist, turning creative rivalry into an easy, sun-drenched romance. It was the perfect closure for this pair.

Projects: The Intimate Stranger (short film, 2022) and My Sweet Mobster (2024)

Uhm Tae-goo and Han Sun-hwa first shared the screen in The Intimate Stranger, a moody short that thrived on tension and subtext. Two years later, they resurfaced in a far glossier setting. My Sweet Mobster is a rom-com about a reformed gangster and the children’s show producer who helps rewrite his story.

What could’ve been an odd mismatch turned magnetic: his quiet intensity evened out by her warmth, her optimism sharpening his edge. Together, they translated arthouse restraint into mainstream chemistry.

Projects: Secret Love (2013) and Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

Their first pairing in Secret Love was pure melodrama gold. She’s a woman wrongfully imprisoned for her boyfriend’s crime, and he’s the guilt-ridden chaebol who destroyed her life and then fell in love with her. Two years later, they traded anguish for chaos in Kill Me, Heal Me, where she played a psychiatrist to Ji Sung’s seven-personality patient. Together, they turned both tragedy and absurdist healing into TV magic.

Projects: Can You Hear My Heart? (2011) and The Undateables (2018)

Their first collaboration was all heartache and hush—a tender drama about a man concealing his hearing loss and the woman who helps him heal. Seven years later, The Undateables brought them back in a completely different register: he’s a love researcher, she’s a rom-com idealist and together they prove that chemistry survives even the genre jump.

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