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Jae-won Kim, Su-bin Chung, and director Jin-hwa Kim at the My First Graduation script reading
Film & TV4 min read

Jae-won Kim and Su-bin Chung Confirmed for Dangerous Youth Romance Film My First Graduation

Jae-won Kim and Su-bin Chung are locked into My First Graduation, a dark youth romance film that started shooting on April 8 with ACEMAKER's cast now confirmed.

Pak

April 11, 2026

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#Korean Film#Korean Cinema#Kim Jae-won#My First Graduation#Chung Su Bin

Jae-won Kim and Su-bin Chung are officially leading My First Graduation (나의 첫 번째 졸업식), a new Korean youth romance film that started shooting on April 8, according to ACEMAKER's casting announcement as reported by Soompi. The setup already cuts sharper than the usual school melodrama: Chung plays Chae Do Young, a high school student who wants her life to end, while Kim plays transfer student Gu Do Ha, the dangerous outsider she asks to help stage a perfect accidental death. That premise alone gives the project a darker pulse than most youth romances chasing streaming buzz right now. It also arrives at the right moment for both actors, with Jae-won Kim building momentum ahead of Yumi's Cells 3 and Su-bin Chung coming off a breakout stretch that pushed her from promising to properly watchlist-worthy. If director Jin-hwa Kim can keep that tension precise instead of indulgent, this could land as one of the more unsettling young-love films on the Korean market this cycle.

What My First Graduation is about

My First Graduation is being positioned as a dangerous youth romance, and the wording matters because this is not a soft-focus first-love movie pretending to have edge. According to ACEMAKER's official film summary, echoed by ChosunBiz, Chae Do Young is a high school student dreaming of an end, and Gu Do Ha is the psychopath transfer student she recruits to help engineer an accidental death. That hook gives the film a psychological-thriller current without abandoning the romance label. Director Jin-hwa Kim, whose previous feature was Missing Yoon, has a chance to turn that tension into something nastier and more memorable than the market's usual teen gloom. Nate's Korean pickup also framed the project as a 100-minute romance film, which suggests a tight theatrical build rather than a sprawling ensemble drama. If the film lands, it could sit closer to character-driven suspense than formula YA sentiment, and that is exactly why the pitch feels stronger than the average casting drop.

Kim Jae Won at the My First Graduation script reading
Jae-won Kim at the My First Graduation script reading. Photo: ACEMAKER / Soompi

Why Jae-won Kim and Su-bin Chung fit this film

Jae-won Kim has been leaning into projects that benefit from quiet unpredictability, and that makes Gu Do Ha a smart next swing. Soompi noted that he was drawn in from the first page, which tracks with a character built on instability rather than easy charm. Su-bin Chung, meanwhile, is carrying the harder emotional assignment. Chae Do Young has to read as bright on the surface while hiding something far more damaged underneath, and that split is exactly where Su-bin Chung has looked strongest in recent work. Per ACEMAKER's casting note, filming began on April 8, which means this was not a soft announcement with vague development timing. It is already moving. We are still early, but the pairing feels less like obvious star packaging and more like a bet on two actors who can make discomfort feel specific.

The supporting cast gives the film more weight

The film is not resting on its two leads alone. As reported in the initial casting coverage, Ho-san Park will play Do Young's father Man Soo, Joon-seok Heo will play Do Ha's father Joon Gi, and Joo-young Lee joins as Do Young's soulmate Soo Ah. That lineup matters because it gives the project adult-screen gravity around a volatile central relationship. Ho-san Park in particular tends to make family tension feel lived-in instead of purely functional, which could be crucial in a story this emotionally loaded. Joo-young Lee is also the kind of casting move that suggests the filmmakers want texture, not just plot delivery. For a film built on death wish psychology, obsession, and young attraction, that extra layer of performer credibility could be what keeps the movie from tipping into empty provocation.

Fans Also Ask

What is My First Graduation about?
My First Graduation is a Korean youth romance film with a much darker premise than the label suggests. ACEMAKER says Su-bin Chung plays Chae Do Young, a high school student who wants her life to end, while Jae-won Kim plays Gu Do Ha, a transfer student she asks to help stage an accidental death. Filming began on April 8, 2026.
Who stars in My First Graduation?
My First Graduation stars Jae-won Kim and Su-bin Chung, with Ho-san Park, Joon-seok Heo, and Joo-young Lee in key supporting roles. ACEMAKER confirmed the cast in April 2026, and outlets including Soompi and ChosunBiz reported the announcement after filming started on April 8. The lineup gives the film a stronger dramatic backbone than a typical youth-romance setup.
When did My First Graduation start filming?
My First Graduation started filming on April 8, 2026. That matters because the project moved straight into production before the casting coverage fully spread across English-language outlets. ACEMAKER's announcement and follow-up reports from Soompi and ChosunBiz made clear this was an active shoot, not an early development package waiting for a green light.
Why are people paying attention to My First Graduation already?
People are paying attention because My First Graduation mixes youth romance with a much darker psychological setup and pairs two rising actors at the center of it. The ACEMAKER synopsis describes a suicidal student and a dangerous transfer student, which gives the film a sharper hook than a standard first-love drama. The early cast reaction has focused on that tone as much as the names involved.

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