“Not exactly the Scarlet Heart reunion I was imagining” — Fans react as IU & Byeon Woo-seok are set to reunite in 21st Century Grand Prince's Wife

On December 2, Kakao Entertainment confirmed that singer-actress IU and Lovely Runner's Byeon Woo-seok will be starring in MBC's new drama, 21st Century Grand Prince Wife. It is a romantic comedy and is based on the concept of a modern constitutional monarchy in the Republic of Korea.

K-drama fans took to the internet as the news of these two top Korean stars starring in a rom-com broke out. Fans also brought in clips from a 2016 K-drama, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, where Byeon Woo-seok made a cameo as IU's cheating boyfriend. A fan tweeted:

"Not exactly the Scarlet Heart reunion I was imagining, but I'll take it!"

Fans expressed their excitement about the pairing, with some joking about their previous appearance in Moon Lovers together.

"His character better make up for what he did last time lol," said a fan.

"The fact that one of his first acting gigs was as her ex boyfriend in moon lovers… from an extra to the main character," commented an X user.

"these are literally two of the most famous celebrities in SK rn??? what????" exclaimed another X user.

Many also pointed out how both the actors are famous for angsty K-dramas. IU's most prominent works including Hotel Del Luna and My Mister were filled with angst and sad undertones. Similarly, some of Byeon Woo-seok's most prominent works had his characters die, earning him the title of 'funeral king' from his fans.

"Queen and king of the Angst !THIS WILL BE REVOLUTIONARY," commented a fan.

"Pls I hope they both staying alive until final episode," said one fan.

"I hope <21st Century Grand Prince's Wife> is a pure romantic comedy. the combination of wooseok and IU are kinda worrisome (not in a bad way). they both specialized in sad endings. our funeral king and queen," said another fan.

The plot of the show revolves around a woman who has everything except for a noble/constitutional status and a man who has nothing except for a noble status.

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IU to play a 'chaebol' heiress while Byeon Woo-seok would be a modern-day prince in 21st Century Grand Prince's Wife

IU will take up the role of Seong Hee-joo, a 'chaebol' heiress who is the second daughter of a conglomerate family. Born with a silver spoon, she possesses everything from wealth and beauty to intelligence and ambition. However, as her 'commoner' status begins to pose a challenge to her ambitions, her life gets entangled with Prince Lee Ahn.

Byeon Woo-seok is set to play Prince Lee Ahn, the second son of a King. He has nothing aside from his royal status but his destiny takes a turn as Seong Hee-joo enters his life.

Unlike other K-dramas associated with kings and queens, the 21st Century Grand Prince's Wife is set in the backdrop of a 21st-century constitutional monarchy of the Republic of Korea. The drama is based on the winning work of an MBC drama script competition. Kakao Entertainment and MBC will be in charge of the production.

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What have IU and Byeon Woo-seok up to recently?

Since the beginning of this year, IU has been touring around the world on her first world tour HEREH World Tour. This was in support of her sixth extended play Winning released on February 200, 2024. The album contained some of the 2024's K-pop hits including Holssi, Shopper, and Love Wins All featuring BTS' V in the music video.

Her talk show IU's Palette on YouTube has also been going strong throughout the year beginning with a guest appearance from EXO's D.O. also known as Doh Kyungsoo. In 2024, she also interviewed Hospital Playlist's actor Cho Jungseok and DAY6.

In 2025, another one of her K-dramas, When Life Gives You Tangerines alongside Reply 1988's actor Park Bo-gum is scheduled to release on Netflix. It is a romantic, slice-of-life K-drama written by Lim Sang-choon, the writer of Fight My Way. In the drama, she will be working again with director Kim Won-seok, who had also directed My Mister.

Meanwhile, after his successful 2024 K-drama run, Byeon Woo-seok organized fan meetings in various countries including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and more. He also made headlines recently with his performance of Sudden Shower at the 2024 MAMA Awards. He also earned the Favorite Global Trending Music award for Sudden Shower.

He is now also the brand ambassador of the luxury jewelry brand Cartier in November 2024, alongside BLACKPINK's Jisoo.

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MBC's new drama 21st Century Grand Prince's Wife is expected to premiere in the second half of 2025.