Cover From stoic boss to swoon-worthy romantic lead, Seo In-guk shines as Kang Si-woo in the K-drama ‘See You at Work Tomorrow’ (Photo: tvN)
From stoic boss to swoon-worthy romantic lead, Seo In-guk shines as Kang Si-woo in the K-drama ‘See You at Work Tomorrow’ (Photo: tvN)
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Whether you’re new to Seo In-guk K-dramas or revisiting his greatest roles, these 10 shows highlight exactly why he remains one of Korea’s most compelling leading men
Seo In-guk has quietly built one of the most versatile careers in the Korean entertainment industry. After winning the first season of Superstar K in 2009, he successfully made the leap from singer to acclaimed actor, earning praise for his ability to disappear into wildly different roles.
Whether he’s playing an immortal agent of doom, a morally ambiguous antihero, a criminal profiler, an eccentric fake shaman or an irresistibly charming romantic lead, every Seo In-guk K-drama reveals a different side of his talent. If you are wondering where to begin—or which titles deserve a rewatch—here are the definitive Seo In-guk K-dramas, from career-defining classics like Reply 1997 and Shopping King Louis to newer hits such as Death’s Game, Boyfriend on Demand and See You at Work Tomorrow.
In case you missed it: The K-drama actresses who defined every generation of Hallyu, from Choi Ji-woo to Go Youn-jung
1. ‘See You at Work Tomorrow’ (2026)
Above Seo In-guk returns to the romantic comedy genre in ‘See You at Work Tomorrow’
In tvN’s See You at Work Tomorrow, the workplace rom-com K-drama available for streaming on Prime Video, Seo In-guk stars as Kang Si-woo, the formidable team leader at Saeum Electronics Product with a reputation for being a heartless workaholic. Meanwhile, a difficult boss is the last thing Cha Ji-yoon (Park Ji-hyun) needs, not when she’s on the brink of burnout.
The rom-com gods, however, have other plans, and Ji-yoon and Si-woo keep getting thrown into one awkward encounter after another. When Si-woo recognises Ji-yoon’s talent and recruits her for a high-profile project, the line between professional admiration and romantic feelings begins to blur. Stoic on the outside, soft on the inside, Si-woo gradually wins Ji-yoon over, despite swearing off romance.
Starring in another romantic comedy, Seo In-guk shows he is right at home in the romantic comedy genre, bringing understated charm and effortless charisma to Si-woo. His palpable chemistry with Park Ji-hyun anchors the workplace romance, while the character’s gradual emotional evolution demonstrates Seo In-guk’s ability to make even the most reserved romantic heroes deeply compelling.
2. ‘Boyfriend on Demand’ (2026)
Above Seo In-guk stars as Jisoo’s leading man—and ultimate boyfriend—in the Netflix original rom-com ‘Boyfriend on Demand’
Seo In-guk’s recent Netflix K-drama Boyfriend on Demand sees the actor pull double duty as Park Kyeong-nam, Seo Mi-rae’s (Blackpink’s Jisoo) reserved real-life co-worker, and Gu Yeong-il, the customised AI boyfriend she designs through the titular dating app. In the sci-fi rom-com, the actor seamlessly shifts between the two personas: as the seemingly aloof Kyeong-nam, he masks his growing feelings for Mi-rae behind a cool exterior, while Yeong-il is warm, attentive and virtually (pun intended) engineered to be Mi-rae’s perfect match.
The central twist is that Yeong-il looks exactly like Kyeong-nam, leaving Mi-rae—and viewers—caught between fantasy and reality. As the two versions of the same man vie for her heart in very different ways, Seo In-guk showcases his versatility by giving each character a distinct personality, making it just as difficult for audiences as it is for Mi-rae to decide which one she truly belongs with.
See more: Meet Jisoo’s boyfriends in the latest Netflix K-drama ‘Boyfriend on Demand’
3. ‘Doom at Your Service’ (2021)
Above Myul-mang in the K-drama ‘Doom at Your Service’ is easily Seo In-guk’s most iconic character thus far
Although not Seo In-guk’s breakthrough K-drama, tvN’s romance fantasy series Doom at Your Service is one of his biggest international hits and introduces audiences to one of his most iconic characters: Myul-mang, the immortal agent of doom. Weary and indifferent after several lifetimes of bringing destruction wherever he goes, Myul-mang longs to escape his endless existence.
When Tak Dong-kyung (Park Bo-young), a terminally ill editor, impulsively wishes for the end of the world, Myul-mang believes he has finally found a way out. He offers her a life-altering bargain: she has 100 days to live as she pleases, but when her time is up, she must wish for the world’s destruction—or the person she loves most will die in her place.
Balancing dry wit, quiet vulnerability and centuries of loneliness, Seo In-guk moves fluidly from cold and ruthless to warm and sympathetic with nothing more than a softening of his gaze or a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. His magnetic chemistry with co-star Park Bo-young anchors the series, while Myul-mang’s struggle to understand love, sacrifice and mortality transforms what begins as a supernatural romance into a poignant meditation on what it means to live.
4. ‘Death’s Game’ (2023)
Above Seo In-guk delivers a standout performance in ‘Death’s Game’, the fantasy thriller that’s available for streaming on Prime Video
In TVING’s Death’s Game, the K-drama adaptation of the hit webtoon by Lee Won-sik and Ggulchan, Seo In-guk stars as Choi Yee-jae. Crushed by years of setbacks and despair, Yee-jae takes his own life, only to discover that death is far from the end. As punishment, Death (Park So-dam) condemns him to experience 12 lives and 12 deaths in different bodies, each offering an opportunity to change his fate and avoid eternal damnation.
Although much of the Prime Video K-drama follows the actors portraying Yee-jae’s reincarnated lives, Seo In-guk emotionally grounds the plot. His portrayal of a man consumed by hopelessness before gradually rediscovering purpose gives weight to every reincarnation, while his charged dynamic with Park So-dam elevates the philosophical fantasy into an exploration of regret, redemption and the value of life.
5. ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ (2018)
Above Seo In-guk’s compelling performance in the psychological mystery melodrama ‘The Smile Has Left Your Eyes’ is a masterclass in complexity.
A fan-favourite Seo In-guk K-drama, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is a tvN remake of the Japanese drama A Hundred Million Stars from the Sky. The actor stars as Kim Moo-young, an intriguing, deeply intuitive, but dangerously calculating young man whose motivations are hard to pin down. His life becomes increasingly entangled with Yoo Jin-gook (Park Sung-woong), a homicide detective, and Yoo Jin-kang (Jung So-min), Jin-gook’s adoptive younger sister.
As Moo-young starts to fall for Jin-kang, he finds his carefully guarded world upended by his growing affection for her. But their growing romance places him at odds with the fiercely protective Jin-gook, who believes Moo-young is connected to a mysterious murder.
Part psychological thriller, part slow-burn romance, the mystery melodrama showcases Seo In-guk’s remarkable range. Delivering a haunting performance, he inhabits a character who exists comfortably in the moral grey area, successfully balancing chilling apathy with surprising tenderness
6. ‘Shopping King Louis’ (2016)
Above Seo In-guk is irresistibly charming in ‘Shopping King Louis', the feel-good rom-com that established his reputation as one of K-drama’s most lovable leading men
In MBC’s lighthearted rom-com K-drama Shopping King Louis (also known as Shopaholic Louis), Seo In-guk plays Louis, aka Kang Ji-sung, a spoiled shopaholic chaebol heir whose life takes an unforeseen twist when he loses his memory in an accident. Luckily for him, he’s taken in by Go Bok-shil (Nam Ji-hyun), a kind and resourceful country girl—on the condition that he helps her track down her missing brother.
Louis may have lost all his memories, but he remains a shopaholic and a pampered chaebol heir—helpless and incapable of caring for himself. But as his bond with Bok-shil continues to deepen, his feelings for her inspire him to mature into someone worthy of standing beside her. Together, they weather misunderstandings, corporate intrigue and class differences.
Trading brooding antiheroes for wide-eyed innocence, Seo In-guk is endearing as Louis. The role highlights his impeccable comedic timing and talent for physical comedy, while his chemistry with Nam Ji-hyun underscores his gift for playing charming romantic leads.
7. ‘Reply 1997’ (2012)
Above The coming-of-age K-drama ‘Reply 1997’ serves as Seo In-guk’s acting breakthrough
In the tvN high-school drama Reply 1997, Seo In-guk stars as Yoon Yoon-jae, a high school student whose lifelong friendship with Sung Shi-won (Jung Eun-ji), a passionate fan of the K-pop idol group HOT, gradually blossoms into first love. Set between the pair’s teenage years in the late 1990s and their adult reunion, the series blends youthful romance with family, friendship and the fandom culture that defined that era’s Hallyu wave.
It may be one of Seo In-guk’s earliest K-dramas, but even then, he delivers a remarkably assured performance, capturing Yoon-jae’s quiet devotion, youthful jealousy and emotional maturity effortlessly. Whether navigating the confusion of first love, the ache of unspoken feelings or the complexities of an evolving friendship, Seo In-guk imbues Yoon-jae with a warmth and authenticity that make him impossible not to root for.
His natural chemistry with Jung Eun-ji remains one of the drama’s greatest strengths, helping Reply 1997 become a cultural phenomenon and laying the foundation for one of Korean television’s most beloved drama franchises.
8. ‘Hello Monster’ (2015)
Above Seo In-guk shines as a brilliant criminal profiler in the K-drama ‘Hello Monster’
In the KBS2 K-drama Hello Monster (also known as I Remember You), Seo In-guk stars as Lee Hyun, an astute criminal profiler who returns to South Korea after years in the US to investigate a string of serial murders. As he works alongside ace detective Cha Ji-an (Jang Na-ra), Lee Hyun is forced to confront long-buried memories surrounding his father’s murder and the disappearance of his younger brother, drawing him into a mystery that is far more personal than he ever imagined.
Seo In-guk’s performance in the crime thriller is economical but eloquent, using his eyes, posture and facial twitches to expertly convey emotion. His chemistry with Jang Na-ra grounds the investigation, while the psychologically charged scenes between Hyun and Jung Sun-ho (Park Bo-gum) and Lee Joon-ho (Choi Won-young) transform the series into a gripping exploration of trauma, family and vengeance.
9. ‘Cafe Minamdang’ (2022)
Above Seo In-guk fluidly blends comedy, mystery and romance in ‘Café Minamdang’
Based on the bestselling web novel Minamdang: Case Note, KBS2’s Café Minamdang stars Seo In-guk as Nam Han-joon, a former criminal profiler who reinvents himself as a charismatic shaman running the mysterious Café Minamdang. While his supernatural abilities are entirely fabricated, his keen powers of observation and psychological insight allow him to solve clients’ problems—until determined detective Han Jae-hui (Oh Yeon-seo) begins investigating him.
Equal parts eccentric showman and brilliant investigator, Nam Han-joon is one of the most playful roles of Seo In-guk’s career. Often associated with emotionally restrained characters, he proves equally compelling as an unapologetically larger-than-life comedic lead.
10. ‘Office Worker Who Sees Fate’ (2027)
In Seo In-guk’s upcoming tvN K-drama Office Worker Who Sees Fate, he plays Choi Young-hun, a gifted shaman with the ability to read a person’s destiny simply by holding their hand. However, he would really rather work a white-collar job than predict someone’s future. When he is hired at Pilsan Trading Company, he keeps his special gift a secret, but his plans are quickly derailed when he becomes entangled in the company’s corruption and succession battles alongside fellow employee Im Yeon-hee (Krystal Jung), who carries a troubled destiny of her own.
From nostalgic coming-of-age stories and heartfelt romantic comedies to psychological thrillers, fantasy epics and supernatural mysteries, Seo In-guk has proved time and again that there is no genre he cannot master. Whether you’re discovering his work for the first time or revisiting longtime favourites, these Seo In-guk K-dramas are the perfect showcase of the remarkable range, charisma and emotional depth that have made him one of Korea’s most enduring leading men.
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Maggie Adan is a content writer, editor, and strategist with extensive experience across print, digital, and social media publishing. Formerly editor-in-chief at K-Zone Philippines, Summit Books and Content Lab, she has written lifestyle stories covering everything from entertainment and travel to beauty and wellness. A storyteller at heart with a keen editorial eye and a passion for narrative, she contributes to various publications and helps brands create and curate content for their social media platforms.
