“That's hong heejoo's dress!”- Internet draws parallels between WTPR’s Chae Soo-bin & Love Scout’s Han Ji-min’s outfit after Episode 8 release

On January 25, 2025, the eighth episode of the ongoing office romance drama Love Scout was released via SBS TV and Viki. Towards the end of the latest episode, the female protagonist Kang Ji-yun, played by Han Ji-min, wore a black and white dress for the party. Ji-yun’s dress was seemingly similar to the one worn by Chae Soo-bin in When The Phone Rings, where she played the role of Hong Hee-joo.

Hee-joo’s husband, Baek Sae-on, played by Yoo Yeon-seok, bought the black and white dress for his wife in the fifth episode of When The Phone Rings. For those unaware, MBC’s When The Phone Rings is a suspenseful romantic drama that premiered on November 22, 2024, and wrapped up on January 4, 2025.

K-drama fans soon drew the fashion parallels between the two actresses. Consequently, the fans flooded the internet with their reactions to their similar dresses. One user on X stated:

“That's hong heejoo's dress!!!!!!! My fav women has same taste i see!!!!”

Many other mixed reactions from K-drama fans were seen online. Some claimed that they immediately recognized the dress when they saw it in Love Scout, while others drew parallels between the hairstyles of both female protagonists who wore them. Another fan added that the dress might be trendy in South Korea.

“We recognized IMMEDIATELY,” a fan wrote.

“And the hair style too.. the kind of dejavu that I loved,” another fan commented.

“kdramas sure do love this style of dress. i guess this is the latest trend. but both jiyun and heejoo carry it so well and i love the little crossover.,” wrote another fan.

“The Legendary Dress...Heejoo was on this dress when she have steamy kiss with her husband... Looks like we will got steamy kiss too with this dress next week,” stated an admirer.

Some suggested that Hee-joo’s friend Ji-yun from Love Scout must have borrowed the dress, while others referred to it as a “legendary dress.” An X user, @chaesoobinstyle, stated that the dress belongs to the brand, GRACE U, called Kaley One-piece dress.

“the dress must be in trend in korea rn,” a fan stated.

“Either she's Hee Joo's friend and borrowed the dress or the store was having a sale,” another viewer expressed.

“The dress in Love Scout Ep 8 isn't that the dress Heejoo wore that Baek Saeon bought?,” stated a fan.

“I think I've seen Hong Heejoo in When The Phone Rings wearing the same dress as Kang Jiyun now. It's the same, isnt it?,” questioned another K-drama viewer.

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Lee Joon-hyuk and Han Ji-min are the lead couple of Love Scout

The romantic Korean drama Love Scout premiered its first episode on January 3, 2025. This show has twelve episodes with a runtime of around 1 hour 10 minutes. Han Ji-min, Lee Joon-hyuk, Kim Do-hoon, and Kim Yoon-hye play the major roles in the drama, alongside other supporting cast.

The plot of Love Scout is centered around Kang Ji-yun, an accomplished independent lady who runs a headhunting firm. To thrive in the brutally cutthroat headhunting business, she devotes her all to her role. As shown in the story, Ji-yun is only good at her job and is a complete mess in case of her personal life and daily routine.

Therefore, Ji-yun employs a secretary named Yu Eun-ho who does practically everything for her. In contrast to his boss, the secretary is polite, courteous, and attentive to others. He is a single father who is skilled at parenting and housework. The two characters come closer to each other during their work.

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The next episode of Love Scout will air on January 31, 2025, via SBS TV and Viki streaming app in select regions. Meanwhile, Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin starrer When The Phone Rings can be found on Netflix. The show has a total of twelve episodes.