IU and Byun Woo Seok Embark on Modern Royal Romance in First Stills From 2026 MBC K-drama Perfect Crown
So it’s 2026 K-drama preview time and in addition to the first look at Remarried Empress there are also the first ever drama stills out from MBC modern romance Perfect Crown (Korean title 21st Century Prince’s Wife). Starring IU and Byun Woo Seok, this is one of the three biggest on deck K-dramas for next year in 2026 with the popularity of the leads and the budget size. It’s yet another take on the fictional world of modern Korean monarchy which was done in The King 2 Heart and also in The King: Eternal Monarch of the idea that the royal family was never abolished. It tells the story of an ambitious chaebol heiress who contract marriages the second son prince who has the royal status she can’t buy with all her money. I’m totally open minded to the entire set up and the leads so hoping for a true hit that belies throwing all this money and getting two top stars to do this drama.
I’m excited for both dramas. If the other one because of top casts can can give us quality acting, this one will be for the script. I heard the script win for the MBC script contest.
Ppl have been complaining Kdrama is losing its old charm. I smell old vibes from this drama. If done well, BWS may be elevated to an equivalent status like Lee Minh-ho in last decade. I agree he had a huge breakout hit last year and has become very popular since. Yet to see if BWS can sustain that popularity drama after drama as LMH did in his heyday. Lovely Runner is just an ok drama for me. I understand why both leads of LR had breakthrough in their careers thanks to the commercial success of LR. Similar to LMH, neither BWS’ visuals nor his acting is in the top tier of my fav. Nonetheless, BWS did a very convincing job in romantic scenes in LR. LMH had charisma and strong presence on screen that I relish most of the time in his heyday. I’m interested to see if BWS can create a continuous streak as LMH did following the breakout hit.
It has been so hard to see replies ever since Koala revamped this blog. Sometimes I don’t see any replies and other times with a difference device I could see a couple, but not all replies. Really miss the time before the revamp when everybody chimed in and we had such heated discussions.
BWS looks divine in these stills and gives off a princely vibe. The story sounds fun and light-hearted, and I look forward to his comedic acting. Comedy is his forte, I believe, and he did that quite well in Lovely Runner. I do hope, though, that this current director has great aesthetics. So much depends on aesthetics in romantic comedies like this one. The wardrobe of the main leads is everything, but up till now the little we have had seems to suggest a rather traditional, sometimes even dated, look fashion-wise. IU’s red suit and a previously disclosed black outfit veers more toward the vibe of a Chinese drama, and this black-and-white suit of BWS is over dramatic.
Pretty people always looks good together. But as always, keep my expectation as lower as possible. The experiences told me so.
Hopefully, his acting gets better. His previous acting was mediocre to be honest. It was a ‘safe’ role. And supported by his co-star’s brilliant performances.
re: “fictional world of modern royalty” dramas, koala, you forgot the OG – Goong!
I would very much prefer if this had a similar vibe to Goong but adjusted for the characters being adults in their 20s/30s, than it being like the other two dramas named. Goong just nailed the feel and aesthetics of that kind of world perfectly.
My response exactly – this sounds like Goong #2!