Why Kwon Hyuk Still Can't Let Go of This K-Drama Role

Most actors move on quickly after a project wraps. Kwon Hyuk admits he used to be the same way. But with MBC's romantic drama In Your Radiant Season (찬란한 너의 계절에), something is different — and the actor is not sure he wants it to change.

In a candid interview days after the drama's April 3 finale, Kwon Hyuk opened up about why he still thinks about Yeon Tae-seok, the unshakeable COO he brought to life across twelve episodes, and why co-star Han Ji-hyun made him break character more times than he can count.

"Filming ended about a month ago," Kwon Hyuk said. "Normally, I forget a project quickly once it's over. But this time, I have an unusually strong lingering feeling." His honesty surprised even him — and it speaks to what made In Your Radiant Season one of the most talked-about romantic dramas of early 2026.

A Drama About Healing, Fashion, and the Weight of Grief

In Your Radiant Season aired on MBC from February 20 to April 3, 2026, streaming internationally on Disney+. Written by Jo Sung-hee and directed by Jeong Sang-hee and Kim Young-jae, the twelve-episode series centered on the Song sisters — three women navigating love, loss, and self-discovery in the world of Korean luxury fashion.

Lee Sung-kyung starred as Song Ha-ran, the emotionally guarded head designer of Nana Atelier who has been locked in grief since the death of her boyfriend in a Boston explosion seven years earlier. Her reunion with Sunwoo Chan, played by Chae Jong-hyeop, drives the central romance — a slow, careful thaw between two people carrying invisible scars from the same tragedy.

Surrounding that main story was an ensemble of equally compelling relationships: the brand's indomitable founder Kim Na-na (Lee Mi-sook), the youngest sister Song Ha-dam (Oh Ye-ju), and the drama's secondary couple — Song Ha-young (Han Ji-hyun) and Yeon Tae-seok (Kwon Hyuk) — whose quieter, warmer romance became a fan favorite in its own right.

The drama averaged a 3.2% nationwide rating on Nielsen Korea and earned an 8.5 out of 10 on MyDramaList, where viewers praised it as "the best K-drama of 2026 so far." Its appeal lay not in high-stakes plotting but in emotional precision — the way small gestures accumulated into something deeply felt.

The Character Who Changed Kwon Hyuk From the Inside

Yeon Tae-seok was not a flashy role. As COO of Nana Atelier and a quietly devoted figure in the lives of the three Song sisters, he operated in the background — steady, warm, and deeply principled. Kwon Hyuk describes him as a character defined by responsibility and guilt, someone who sees the people he loves not as romantic partners to pursue, but as lives to protect.

"I thought of Tae-seok as someone with an enormous sense of responsibility and guilt," Kwon Hyuk explained. "He did not think of Ha-young as someone to be with romantically — more like someone he had to protect for the rest of his life."

The role required more than emotional investment. Kwon Hyuk trained intensively to match Tae-seok's imposing physical presence. "The director asked for the reliability and strength of a real adult man from the very beginning," he said. The result was a character that viewers warmly nicknamed "the good man" — a rare K-drama archetype who earns affection through quiet consistency rather than dramatic gestures.

The impact went deeper than the performance itself. Kwon Hyuk revealed that embodying Tae-seok actually changed his personality test results. "My MBTI used to be INFP, but after playing Yeon Tae-seok, it changed to INTP," he said. Fans had been speculating Tae-seok was an INTJ — the actor's own shift proved the role got inside him in ways he had not anticipated.

The Co-Star Who Kept Breaking His Focus

If there is one person responsible for making Kwon Hyuk lose his composure on set, it is Han Ji-hyun.

The two actors played the drama's secondary couple — Song Ha-young and Yeon Tae-seok — whose slow-burn romance became a fan favorite alongside the main storyline. Their chemistry was unmistakable onscreen. Behind the camera, it was apparently just as electric, though for a different reason.

"Han Ji-hyun's acting was so unpredictable that all my imagined scenarios were useless," Kwon Hyuk said. "She would show you something you were not expecting, and you had to react to that in real time." For an actor who prepares meticulously, it was both a challenge and a revelation.

One scene stands out in particular. In a moment where Song Ha-young misunderstands Tae-seok's words and nervously replies "I like you too," Kwon Hyuk nearly broke entirely. "She looked at me in the most adorable way while delivering her line," he recalled. "I had such a hard time holding back my laughter." The scene, which aired as one of the drama's most heartwarming moments, almost did not survive the bloopers reel.

Despite the challenge, Kwon Hyuk spoke about Han Ji-hyun with genuine admiration. "She is an actor who is unrivaled in her craft — bouncy, cute, and so lovely, just like Ha-young," he said. "I received a lot of help from her, and I am deeply grateful."

A Drama That Asked Its Cast to Look Inward

Han Ji-hyun, who played Song Ha-young across all twelve episodes, shared her own reflections on why the story resonated so deeply.

"The lines and scenes in the drama felt like advice from a wise adult," she said. "It became an opportunity for me to look back at myself." Her character — a warm, emotionally present woman who wears her heart openly — was, by her own account, someone she was still getting to know. "I hoped she would be remembered as a character who is not perfect, but relatable precisely because of that."

In Your Radiant Season was built around the idea that every person moves through seasons of grief, healing, and love at their own pace. Han Ji-hyun's portrayal of Ha-young embodied that theme — someone who does not fix things so much as stay present through them.

What Comes Next — and Why This Role Will Be Hard to Follow

For Kwon Hyuk, the lingering attachment to Tae-seok comes with bittersweet pride. "I had such a strong desire to do well that the moments where I fell short keep coming back to me," he admitted. "I can still recite most of the dialogue from memory. That is how much regret I am carrying."

That combination of attachment and self-criticism is, in its own way, a sign of how seriously he took the role. He has spoken about wanting to explore new genres going forward — historical dramas are on his list — and the discipline he built through Tae-seok will travel with him wherever he goes next.

The moment that perhaps best captures what the drama gave him happened not on set, but during a walk in his neighborhood. A woman stopped him, looked twice, and called out: "Oh — Tae-seok!" "I was so surprised," he said. For an actor still navigating recognition, having a character become real enough to be called by name in the street means something.

His message to the fans who saw that character: "Tae-seok is doing very well, cherishing Ha-young every single day. I want everyone to be happy."

Han Ji-hyun, for her part, closed with a line that felt like the drama itself — full of warmth without sentimentality. "I hope this story stayed with each of you as a warm and radiant memory."

It clearly stayed with its cast, too.