Dream to You: Lee Sang-yub Joins Hwang In-youp and Hyeri in ENA’s New Rom-Com

ENA's upcoming romantic comedy Dream to You has locked in its full cast lineup, with Lee Sang-yub confirmed as the drama's latest major addition on March 26, 2026. As reported by Soompi, Lee Sang-yub will play Seo In Wook, the CEO of a film production company whose entanglement with the lead characters adds a significant new dimension to the central story. He joins confirmed leads Hwang In-youp and Hyeri, along with supporting cast members Baek Sung-chul and Lee Yul-eum, completing what is already shaping up as one of the stronger romantic comedy ensembles of 2026. The drama is penned by writer Jung Eun-bi, whose credits include Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), Mr. Sunshine, and Doom at Your Service, and helmed by director Yoo Sun-dong of The Uncanny Counter. Dream to You is scheduled to premiere on ENA on July 13, 2026, airing Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 PM KST.

The Full Cast

Hwang In-youp leads the cast as Woo Soo Bin, a globally acclaimed film director who spent his teenage years constrained by his parents' expectations before breaking free in his twenties. His debut feature swept international film festivals, establishing him as a celebrated name in cinema. Now back in South Korea, he comes face to face with Joo Yi Jae, the person who represents his truest dream. "I am happy and excited to show a new side of myself through the role of Woo Soo Bin," Hwang In-youp said in an official statement. "I also hope you will look forward to the new synergy and chemistry between Hyeri and me."

Hyeri plays Joo Yi Jae, a reporter navigating a life full of competence and a hidden sense of emptiness. Once as driven as Woo Soo Bin with a shared dream of becoming a film director at age 19, she has since built a career on relentless stamina, smooth-talking wit, and a gift for connecting with people across the country. Behind that surface, something remains unresolved. "I believe I will be able to show many different sides of myself through the role of Joo Yi Jae," Hyeri said in her official casting statement. "I am preparing with excitement, so please look forward to it."

Lee Sang-yub steps in as Seo In Wook, the CEO of a film production company whose relationships with the leads bring the drama's tension to a higher level. Baek Sung-chul, confirmed by Soompi on March 24, plays Shim Yoo Geon, a small-town actor from the provinces who moved to Seoul chasing a dream of becoming South Korea's Takeshi Kaneshiro. Rounding out the ensemble is Lee Yul-eum as Oh Ha Na.

The Writer and Director

Dream to You arrives with an unusually strong creative pedigree. Writer Jung Eun-bi is responsible for some of the most beloved Korean dramas in recent memory: Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), the 2016 fantasy romance that became an international phenomenon; Mr. Sunshine, the sweeping 2018 historical epic that broke CJ ENM viewership records; and Doom at Your Service, the 2021 romantic comedy that cemented her command of high-concept premises with genuine emotional stakes. Helming the camera is director Yoo Sun-dong, who built his reputation on the supernatural action series The Uncanny Counter, a franchise that ran for two seasons and earned a dedicated global following through Netflix. For Yoo, Dream to You marks a shift in register from the supernatural to the romantic, though the character-driven intensity that made The Uncanny Counter compelling appears to follow him here.

The Setup: Dreams Deferred, Love Revisited

At its core, Dream to You is about what happens to a shared dream when life separates two people who once had the same one. Woo Soo Bin and Joo Yi Jae both wanted to become film directors at 19. He got there. She did not. The drama opens when Woo Soo Bin returns to Korea after achieving global recognition, forcing Joo Yi Jae to confront what she buried and what she might still want. There is an unfinished film in their shared history, a love that was never fully resolved, and a second chance neither of them asked for. The setup carries Jung Eun-bi's signature fingerprints: extraordinary circumstances grounded by characters with complicated, layered interior lives. The film industry backdrop adds visual storytelling potential and a meta dimension that genre fans will pick up on immediately.

Fan Reaction and What to Watch

Fan reaction across Reddit and K-drama communities has been energized, particularly around Hwang In-youp, whose casting builds on momentum from True Beauty and My Youth. The pairing with Hyeri has generated real excitement, with her Reply 1988 performance still ranking among the most celebrated turns of the past decade. Lee Sang-yub's addition shifts the central dynamic from a two-person reunion into a layered triangular story, and speculation about Seo In Wook's loyalties and backstory is already generating discussion in community threads. Dream to You premieres on ENA on July 13, 2026, in a Monday-Tuesday 10 PM KST timeslot, per ENA's confirmed second-half lineup.