Song Kang and Seo Kang-joon Return to K-Drama With Back-to-Back Romance Leads

With Cha Eun-woo away for military service, two of K-drama's most recognizable leading men are stepping back into the spotlight. Song Kang and Seo Kang-joon, both recently discharged, are returning to television within weeks of each other, and both are betting on romance.

Song Kang comes first. His new tvN Saturday-Sunday drama "For Hands" premieres on the 29th, marking his first project since his discharge on October 1 of last year. He stars alongside Lee Jun-young and Jang Gyu-ri in a story set at an arts high school for gifted young musicians, tracking their friendships, romances, and rivalries.

Song Kang plays Kang Bi-o, a pianist. The character is a perfectionist who refuses to fall behind anyone, driven by a fierce commitment to his craft. It is the first time Song Kang has taken on a pianist role since his debut.

The casting also draws attention for another reason. Song Kang, born in 1994, is now in his 30s, and he is playing a high school student. He built his career on leading-man looks before enlistment and returned from service with the same visual appeal intact, so the sight of him back in a school uniform has become its own talking point.

Looks, though, have never been the question mark. Acting has. Across leading roles in "Love Alarm," "Sweet Home," "Nevertheless," "Forecasting Love and Weather," and "My Demon," reviews of his performances have swung sharply from project to project.

The 2021 drama "Navillera" is often cited as a turning point in his filmography. Song Kang trained in ballet to play ballerino Lee Chae-rok and drew a different kind of response from critics and viewers than he had before. After playing a dancer, whose work depends on physical movement and emotional expression, he now takes on a pianist. The interest around his return is not only about how convincingly he fits the role on screen but whether the performance itself lands.

Seo Kang-joon follows soon after, also with a romance. He headlines the new KBS drama "Not You, Someone Else," which premieres on the 12th of next month, opposite Ahn Eun-jin. The two play a couple who have been together for 10 years.

A romantic lead is new territory for Seo Kang-joon in recent years. He last carried a melodrama in 2020's "When the Weather Is Fine" opposite Park Min-young, then enlisted and came back to genre work. Earlier this year he made a special appearance in "Monthly Boyfriend," drawing attention for his romance chemistry even in a brief role. This time he anchors the melodrama at the center of a full series.

Last year, Seo Kang-joon made a strong post-military return with "Undercover High School." He played NIS agent Jung Hae-sung, mixing action and comedy, and took home the top prize at the 2025 MBC Drama Awards. The show also stood out among MBC's Friday-Saturday dramas at the time and won Drama of the Year.

Even so, expectations for a new signature title continue to follow him. Since making a sharp impression as Baek In-ho in 2016's "Cheese in the Trap," Seo Kang-joon has built a steady filmography with "Entourage," "Are You Human?," "The Third Charm," "Watcher," and "When the Weather Is Fine." He capped last year with a Grand Prize win for "Undercover High School." The open question is whether he can build a romance-genre character that stands next to Baek In-ho.

The scheduling adds another layer. "For Hands" airs Saturdays and Sundays at 9:10 p.m. KST, and "Not You, Someone Else" airs at 9:20 p.m. KST. Their premieres are about two weeks apart, but their runs will overlap in similar weekend slots, which makes direct comparisons between the two shows all but inevitable.

Both actors need more than the familiar "visual" label this time. Song Kang has to use "For Hands" to shift the acting conversation that trailed him before enlistment. Seo Kang-joon has to carry the momentum of his award-winning turn in "Undercover High School" into a different genre while also building a new career-defining title.

Two leading men return from military service in the same window, in the same weekend slot. Song Kang has a chance to show a new side as a pianist. Seo Kang-joon has a chance to reassert himself in the romance genre that first made him a star.