Kim Do-wan Plays a Cold-Blooded Killer in Occult Romance 'Spellbound'

Actor Kim Do-wan is playing one of the year's coldest villains on Korean television. In tvN's ongoing occult romance "Spellbound," he stars as Park Seung-jae, a pro golfer with no visible conscience.

The drama, which aired its latest episode on the 18th, follows Cheon Yeo-ri (played by Park Eun-bin), the CEO of Reina Hotel who can see ghosts, and Ma Kang-wook (played by Yang Se-jong), a prosecutor terrified of them. Kim's character sits at the center of the case that pulls them together.

Seung-jae is the son of Park Jin-dong (played by Min Eung-sik), a sitting lawmaker and leading presidential contender from the ruling party. He is tried for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Jang Eun-joo (played by Yoon Hye-rim) but walks free due to a lack of evidence. He is, in fact, the killer. Rather than lie low, he steps in front of the press and begins preparing to marry Yeo-ri's cousin Ha-ri.

The nerve escalates when Seung-jae confronts Yeo-ri, who had called him a parasite. Yeo-ri already knows the truth. Eun-joo, now a ghost, has told her everything. She invites Seung-jae to meet with Eun-joo in person. He freezes for a moment, then quickly recovers and tries to brush the moment off.

That composure does not last. Yeo-ri and Kang-wook find Eun-joo's body during their investigation, and Seung-jae is arrested. In a holding cell, he vents about his father to his lawyer and casually brings up the older man's criminal history, showing no guilt at all. It is the episode's most unsettling stretch.

Kim carries the role with a cold stare and small, controlled gestures that make Park Seung-jae feel genuinely dangerous rather than cartoonish. The performance tightens the show's tension and raises the stakes for what comes next.