8 Riveting Korean Series Starring Ahn Hyo-seop to Watch If You Loved Jinu in KPop Demon Hunters

KPop Demon Hunters has officially been out for a month, and we're still finding ourselves watching it on repeat.

It's got absolutely everything, from a trio of butt-kicking demon hunters to an unforgettable K-pop soundtrack and gorgeous, boundary-pushing animation. Of course, us much as we're obsessed with the three leading ladies of Huntrix, we're equally enchanted by the 400-year-old demon and conflicted head of the Saja Boys, Jinu. He was brilliantly voice-acting by Korean-Canadian actor Ahn Hyo-Seop, who was actually a K-pop trainee who nearly debuted with boy group GOT7 before focusing his efforts into acting. He's been in the business for a decade, with some seriously addicting series on his resume, and if you couldn't get enough of his voice in KPop Demon Hunters, you'll want to dive into the following live-action series ASAP.

Splash Splash Love (2015)

Ahn Hyo-seop's first major credit was in the mini-series Splish Splash Love on MBC, a captivating time travel romance series. If follows Kim Seul-gi as Danbi, a high schooler who's stressing about her upcoming standardized exam for university when she uses her time traveling abilities to jump into a puddle, transporting her to the Joseon era. There, she's mistaken as a eunuch and becomes a trusted advisor to the king, even falling in love with him, though her true identity puts that relationship in jeopardy. Appearing in all 10 episodes, Hyo-seop plays the dual roles role of Park Yeon (based on a real-life scholar and musician who was a teacher to King Sejong) in the past and Che Ah Jik in the present.

(Splash Splash Love via MBC)

 

One More Happy Ending (2016)

Need more K-pop drama in your life? One More Happy Ending is a series that follows the four members of a girl group who are struggling with their ever-changing dynamics with each other as they deal with the end of their pop careers and trying to find love in the world. Hyo-seop only appears in five of the 16 episodes as Ahn Jung-woo, the love interest of former idol and current elementary school teacher Go Dong-mi. As the least popular member of the group, is she finally bound to find love? We think it's worth watching the entire series to find out.

(One More Happy Ending via MBC)

 

My Father Is Strange (2017)

Prepare for plenty of laughs and drama with 2017's My Father Is Strange. The series revolves around the Byuns, a middle-class family in Seoul whose lives are turned upside down when an idol shows up one day, claiming that he is the son of the family patriarch. Hyo-seop appears as Park Cheol-Soo, formerly a soccer player and now a successful coach, dating the youngest Byun daughter in the midst of her family drama—and his own conflict with a dad who wants him to run the family business.

(My Father Is Strange via KBS2)

 

Also read about: 6 Things We'd Love to See From KPop Demon Hunters Sequels, Prequels and Spin-Offs

 

Still 17 (2018)

Still 17 is a romantic comedy following Woo Seo-ri, a woman who fell into a coma at the age of 17 and awakes 13 years later, feeling like a teenager in a 30-year-old's body. Gong Woo-jin, a set designer, also had a traumatic experience 13 years ago and has been stunted ever since, trapped in the past and refusing to get close to others. Of course the two immediately hit if off. Meanwhile, Hyo-seop plays the role of Woo-jin's nephew, who steps up to take care of his uncle. Though he falls for Seo-ri, he sets those feelings aside to support the relationship and finally feeling like his uncle has come back.

(Still 17 via SBS TV)

 

Dr. Romantic (2020)

The medical romance series Dr. Romantic had three seasons between 2016 to 2023, but if you want to catch Ahn Hyo-seop, you'll want to watch Season 2, in which he appeared in all 16 episodes as Dr. Seo Woo Jin. Dr. Seo is a talented surgeon with a troubled past who attracts the distrust of his fellow doctors, but the titular "Dr. Romantic", Dr. Kim Sa-bu, sees his potential and hires him anyway. It's a medical drama about doctors with heart and fascinating patient cases that'll have you hooked.

(Dr. Romantic via SBS TV)

 

Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)

Looking back, Lovers of the Red Sky was the perfect role to prepare for being Jinu in KPop Demon Hunters. Set in a fictional era called the Dan dynasty, this fantasy romance series follows a painter with magical abilities called Hong Chun Gi and her romance with the blind astrologer Ha Ram, played by Hyo-seop. Their fates are deeply intertwined from their birth, and despite Demonic possessions, sacrifices and the meddling of the royal court, they're meant to be together.

(Lovers of the Red Sky via SBS TV)

 

Also read about: What Your Favorite KPop Demon Hunters Song Says About You

 

Business Proposal (2022)

Watching Business Proposal is bound to make you love Jinu's scenes in KPop Demon Hunters even more thanks to an iconic needle-top. The show follows Ha-ri, a woman who goes on a blind date in place of her friend, only to realize that the date is with Hyo-seop's character Kang Tae-Moo, the CEO of a company she works for. He, too, is being pressured to go on blind dates, and to avoid being inconvenienced by any further arrangements, he suggests marrying Ha-ri. Of course, both laughs and romance ensue.

(Business Proposal via SBS TV)

 

A Time Called You (2023)

Even more thrilling and heart-wrenching time travel romance is on the table thanks to A Time Called You. It follows a woman who lost her boyfriend a year ago. Still grieving, she finds herself magically transported back to 1998 living someone else's life, where she meets a man who looks strikingly like her late love. Hyo-seop appears in all 12 episodes, playing both Koo Yeon-jun, the deceased boyfriend and Nam Si-heon, the man in the '90s who looks just like him. It's equally tragic and sweet, and absolutely worth a watch.

(A Time Called You via Netflix)

 

Still can't get enough of KPop Demon Hunters? Click HERE to discover with its Korean lyrics mean in English.