SF9's Jaeyoon Leaps Into Ballet — and It Transformed Him

SF9 member Jaeyoon has taken the biggest artistic leap of his career — not on a concert stage or in a drama, but through ballet. On May 2, the 31-year-old idol-turned-actor made his debut in Nabilera, the third season of Seoul Arts Center's celebrated musical, playing Chae-rok — a talented young dancer struggling to hold onto his dreams.

For Jaeyoon, this was not just another role. It marked his first time performing ballet on a professional stage. And by his own account, what happened in the rehearsal room changed him in ways he did not anticipate.

A Story Built for This Moment

Nabilera is one of Korea's most beloved modern stories. The original webtoon, serialized on Daum, consistently ranked first in reader ratings and moved audiences across generations with a simple but powerful premise: a 76-year-old man named Deok-chul decides to start ballet, forming an unlikely bond with Chae-rok, a gifted young dancer who has grown disillusioned with the art he once loved.

The story struck such a chord that it was adapted into a Netflix K-drama in 2021, with actor Song Kang playing Chae-rok alongside veteran Park In-hwan. That drama introduced the story to global audiences and cemented Nabilera as one of the defining emotional texts of Korean pop culture in recent years.

The stage musical premiered in 2019 and returned for a second season in 2021. In 2024, the production made an international leap when it was licensed to Japan's Toho Entertainment — one of Asia's most prestigious theatrical companies — and played in Japan to warm reviews. Now, for its third Seoul season, the production brings fresh casting that blends musical theater experience with idol star power.

Ballet From Scratch: 'I Could Not Do It Half-Heartedly'

Playing Chae-rok in 2026 is Jaeyoon, real name Lee Jae-yoon, age 31. His stage partner is Seoul Arts Center company actor Choi In-hyung, who plays Deok-chul. The role of Chae-rok is also double-cast with VIXX member Ken (Lee Jae-hwan), giving audiences two distinct interpretations of the character across the run.

Before any of that could happen, Jaeyoon had to learn ballet — from the very beginning.

Known within SF9 for strong stage presence and reliable vocal ability, Jaeyoon had already built a promising theater career. His first post-military-discharge role, in the musical Dorian Gray, earned solid reviews. But Nabilera asked for something he had never offered before: real ballet, performed live.

"I needed to show ballet properly on stage — I could not do it half-heartedly," he said at the opening day press call. "Everything in rehearsal — the acting, the singing, the dance, the thinking — all of it was a genuine challenge."

He was generous in crediting those around him. "I had always wanted to work with the Seoul Arts Center, which is part of why I took this," he said. "But through rehearsals, through conversations with Choi In-hyung and the creative team, I received so much more than I expected."

The Director's Case for Pure Art

Director Lee Ji-na opened the press call with a pointed cultural observation. She referenced actor Timothée Chalamet's widely circulated remarks — in which he said he would not want to work in ballet or opera, dismissing them as niche interests — and pushed back firmly.

"Through this work, I wanted to show how musical theater and ballet can lift each other," she said. "Children today are surrounded by violent content. I wanted to create something that could move them through the beauty of pure art. A good piece of art has its own unique power — and I want audiences to feel that."

The show is choreographed by Yoo Hee-woong and features original music by Kim Sung-soo. Both characters' emotional arcs are expressed through movement and song rather than narration — making the technical demands unusually high for an actor coming from an idol background.

A 40th Anniversary Production — and a Journey Still Growing

Nabilera serves as a centerpiece of Seoul Arts Center's 40th anniversary season — a statement by one of Korea's most important cultural institutions about the stories that endure and why they matter.

The production runs at the CJ Towol Theater from May 2 to 17. After the Seoul run, the show continues on a national domestic tour through June, then heads to Taiwan's National Taichung Theater in July — extending the international expansion that began with the Japan tour in 2024.

For Jaeyoon, the journey of Chae-rok — a young man who nearly loses himself before an unlikely friendship with a dreaming 76-year-old brings him back — has taken on something personal. After completing the full opening day run-through for the press, he said simply: "I grew as much as my character did."

That line landed quietly. But for fans who have followed SF9 and watched Jaeyoon's careful evolution as a stage performer, it felt exactly right.