“Dear Hongrang” – A Haunting Mystery and Forbidden Romance Unfold in Netflix’s Latest Period Drama – kdramadiary
Netflix is set to unveil a new romantic mystery that’s bound to stir emotions and spark speculation—Dear Hongrang premieres May 16, led by Lee Jae Wook and Jo Bo Ah.
The story begins with the sudden and heartbreaking disappearance of a young boy, Hongrang, from the influential Sim merchant household. Twelve years later, a man claiming to be Hongrang (Lee Jae Wook) returns, now fully grown—but with no memory of who he once was. His return sends shockwaves through the family, and not everyone is ready to welcome him home.
Chief among the skeptics is Jae-yi (Jo Bo Ah), Hongrang’s intelligent and emotionally guarded half-sister. She’s unwilling to accept this stranger as the brother she lost, suspecting instead that he’s a fraud who has infiltrated the family for mysterious reasons. But Hongrang doesn’t back down easily. With equal parts intensity and charm, he challenges Jae-yi to uncover the truth for herself. What begins as mutual suspicion quickly evolves into a complicated relationship laced with buried emotions, unresolved grief, and undeniable chemistry.
Surrounding this emotionally charged reunion is a web of characters with their own secrets and stakes in Hongrang’s identity. Jung Ga Ram (Love Alarm) plays Mu-jin, the once-abandoned son taken in by the Sim family who rose to fill the void left by Hongrang. As someone who has lived in Hongrang’s shadow—both literally and figuratively—Mu-jin’s reaction to his return is far from simple.
Uhm Ji Won (Little Women) stars as Min Yeon-ui, Hongrang’s ambitious and strategic mother, who leads the powerful Min Guild and holds deep political and emotional ties to her son’s past. Park Byung Eun (The Bequeathed, Kingdom: Ashin of the North) portrays Sim Yeol-guk, the head of the Sim household and father to both Hongrang and Jae-yi. He’s torn between his duties as a leader and the unraveling dynamics within his fractured family. Finally, Kim Jae Wook (Melo Movie) plays Grand Prince Hanpyeong, a nobleman and celebrated artist whose refined demeanor hides an enigmatic presence in the story’s unfolding drama.
Directed with a cinematic eye and steeped in the grandeur of the Joseon era, Dear Hongrang offers a rich blend of family tension, romantic uncertainty, and suspenseful mystery. As truths begin to surface and identities come into question, the series promises viewers an emotional rollercoaster wrapped in breathtaking visuals and powerful performances.
Who is Hongrang, really? And what truths lie beneath years of silence and secrecy?
Dear Hongrang begins streaming exclusively on Netflix May 16. Tune in for a tale of hidden truths, forbidden feelings, and the fragile line between love and betrayal.
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