A Korean horror feature has quietly assembled two idol-group names on the same call sheet, and the announcement arrived with the full cast list attached rather than one lead at a time. Here is who signed on, and what has actually been confirmed about the project so far.
Who's in the cast of 'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow'?
'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow' (working title, 악구: 달 그림자의 비밀) is a Korean horror film directed by Kim Wan whose six-person main cast was confirmed by production company Studio Eunyu on August 10, 2026 . THE BOYZ's Q is credited under his real name Ji Chang-min, and WJSN leader Exy is credited as Chu So-jung .
Quick Answer: Studio Eunyu confirmed six leads for director Kim Wan's horror film 'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow' on August 10, 2026: THE BOYZ's Q (Ji Chang-min), WJSN's Exy (Chu So-jung), Yoon Sang-hyun, O U-ri, Kim Su-gyeom and Jang Yeo-bin. Filming was slated for September 2026, with a 2027 theatrical target.
The remaining four leads are Yoon Sang-hyun, O U-ri, Kim Su-gyeom and Jang Yeo-bin, completing an ensemble of six friends who all share the same age in the story . Note that the Yoon Sang-hyun here is the younger actor from tvN's 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' and 'Doctor Slump', not the veteran actor sharing the name.
On timing, the production said principal photography was set to begin in September 2026, with a theatrical release targeted for 2027 . Beyond that, little is locked: the title is still a working title, and no distributor, rating or release month has been announced. An English-language reference page for the film has opened on AsianWiki, listing both idols under their legal names.
Meet the six friends: character breakdown
The six characters in 'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow' are all 27 years old but come from sharply different backgrounds and value systems, and Studio Eunyu released a one-line description for each when it confirmed the cast on August 10, 2026 . That contrast is the film's engine: the group is not a set of interchangeable victims but a friendship held together by compromise, which starts to fracture once the pond's phenomena begin. Ji Chang-min plays the group's rational anchor, Tae-yeop, while Chu So-jung plays Ja-kyung, the painter who pushes everyone toward the water in the first place .
| Actor (credited name) | Known as | Character | Role in the group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ji Chang-min | Q of THE BOYZ | Tae-yeop | The most rational and logical of the six; tries to reason through the escalating events |
| Chu So-jung | Exy of WJSN | Ja-kyung | A quiet, sensitive painter who proposes the camping trip and grows obsessed with the pond's secret |
| Yoon Sang-hyun | — | Min | Co-leads the expedition with Ja-kyung and refuses to back down from confirming the rumor |
| O U-ri | — | So-hae | A new member of the friend group whose arrival disturbs the existing balance |
| Kim Su-gyeom | — | No-do | The connective tissue of the group, struggling to hold it together as bonds waver |
| Jang Yeo-bin | — | Hee-jin | An elite who became a dentist, masking loneliness and anxiety behind an assured exterior |
Ja-kyung is the character description with the most narrative weight attached to it. Korean trade coverage frames her fixed convictions as the catalyst that sets the incident in motion — she is the one who wants the local rumor about the pond verified, and her fixation deepens as the group unravels . Pairing that with Tae-yeop, written as the one who keeps trying to reason his way out, gives the ensemble a built-in axis of belief against logic that a contained horror setup tends to exploit.
Two names deserve a clarification for international readers. Yoon Sang-hyun as Min is the younger actor who debuted in tvN's 'Under the Queen's Umbrella' and has since appeared in 'Doctor Slump', 'Family by Choice' and the film 'The History of Confession' — not the veteran actor who shares the name . And the idols are credited under their legal names rather than their stage names, which is why English cast listings for the project show Ji Chang-min and Chu So-jung rather than Q and Exy .
The remaining three roles fill out the social geometry rather than the scare mechanics. So-hae is the outsider who upsets a balance the others had settled into, No-do is the one doing the emotional maintenance, and Hee-jin's dentist career reads as the group's success story until the description notes what it conceals . No further character detail, casting additions or relationship specifics have been released beyond these six lines.
What is 'Akgu' actually about?
'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow' follows six friends, all 27 years old, who camp deep in a forest to verify a local rumor about a pond there, and who are pulled into inexplicable phenomena once they reach the water . Korean trade coverage classifies it as a Korean-style youth psychological horror — 한국형 청춘 심리 호러물 — with the group's fragile bonds fracturing as the events escalate .
The premise puts the story in a specific structural lane. A fixed cast of six, one isolated location, and a cursed body of water is the contained-ensemble format: no expanding mythology, no institutional investigators, no sequel-ready cosmology. That is a different proposition from the franchise-occult titles that have dominated recent Korean horror conversation, where shamans, exorcists and buried history carry the plot. Here the pressure comes from the friend group itself.
The three structural elements the production has actually confirmed:
- Fixed ensemble — six friends, same age (27), sharply different backgrounds and value systems, which is stated as the source of friction rather than a background detail .
- Single location — a forest campsite and the pond beside it; the rumor (낭설) about the pond is the reason the trip happens at all .
- Psychological register — the stated engine is the breakdown of trust between the six, not a creature or a body count .
The character descriptions released alongside the premise reinforce that reading. Ja-kyung, the painter played by Chu So-jung, is the one who proposes the trip and pushes the group to uncover the pond's truth, and her fixed convictions are named as the catalyst that sets the incident in motion . Min co-leads the expedition and is described as determined to confirm the pond's secret to the very end. The horror, in other words, is framed as something the characters walk toward on purpose.
Beyond that, there is nothing more on the record. As of early September 2026, the production has released the premise, the six character lines and the direction of Kim Wan — no synopsis expansion, no explanation of what the rumor claims, no indication of what the phenomena at the pond actually are . With principal photography set to begin in September 2026, first-look material would be the next realistic disclosure point .
Why this casting is a bigger deal than it looks
For both leads, 'Akgu' arrives at a point where acting has stopped being a side activity. Q — credited as Ji Chang-min — already has a feature credit in 'Apartment: Ripley's World' behind him , and Chu So-jung has been steadily accumulating screen work under her legal name for several years . What makes the August 10, 2026 announcement more than a routine idol-casting item is the timing: it sits between agency changes, a group restructuring and an ongoing career pivot that most English headlines flattened into "two idols do horror."
Q's case is the clearer one. He debuted in 2017 as a member of THE BOYZ, and weeks after the 'Akgu' casting broke, a second milestone followed — on September 4, 2026 it was reported that Ji Chang-min signed an exclusive contract with Pitch Company, the management agency founded by actress Jun Ji-hyun, whose roster also includes Kim So-hyun . The agency framed the deal as a long-term partnership rather than a one-project arrangement.
"We are pleased to begin a new chapter with Ji Chang-min," Pitch Company said, adding that it would be a reliable partner supporting a wider range of activities (source: Ilgan Sports, 2026-09).
That signing reads differently once you place it against THE BOYZ's 2026 upheaval. In April 2026, a court granted the members' injunction suspending the effect of their exclusive contracts with former label One Hundred Label . Several members have since signed individually with new agencies while the group continues as a nine-member act. An acting-focused agency like Pitch Company is a deliberate choice in that context: it points toward film and drama work as a parallel track, not a hiatus from the group.
For Chu So-jung, 'Akgu' extends a pivot already visible in her filmography rather than starting one. Her credits include the film 'Eighteen Youth,' where she played an outwardly composed but internally anxious student, and tvN's 'Divorce Insurance,' where she appeared as insurance loss adjuster Cho A-young . She has said in interviews that she wants to focus more seriously on acting, while describing her WJSN identity as an invaluable experience she wouldn't trade. It is also not her first horror credit — she previously appeared in the idol ensemble horror film 'Urban Myths,' also circulated as 'Seoul Ghost Story,' alongside Golden Child's Jaehyun, Lovelyz's Jisoo, WJSN's SeolA, Oh My Girl's Arin and THE BOYZ's Ju Haknyeon .
One correction is worth putting on the record, because several English aggregators have repeated it. Exy has not left WJSN. Starship Entertainment renewed with eight members, Exy included, in March 2023 , and the group returned in February 2026 with a 10th-anniversary single after a roughly three-year-seven-month break from full-group activity . The accurate framing is narrower and duller than "former WJSN": she uses her legal name Chu So-jung specifically for acting credits, and Exy for music. Two names, one person, one active group.
Taken together, the two casting lines describe the same industry pattern from different angles — idols building durable screen careers without formally exiting their groups, supported by agency structures built for acting rather than for album cycles. 'Akgu' happens to catch both of them mid-transition .
Release timeline: what's confirmed and what isn't
As of early September 2026, the confirmed facts about 'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow' fit on a short list: the six-person main cast announced by Studio Eunyu on August 10, 2026, director Kim Wan attached, principal photography targeted to begin in September 2026, and a theatrical release targeted for 2027 . Everything past that point is still open, and the production described itself as in pre-production at the time of the announcement .
What has not been announced is the part fans usually want first. No distributor has been named, no Korean age rating has been assigned, no release month within 2027 has been set, and no teaser, poster or first-look still had surfaced in the coverage reviewed. Shooting locations and any streaming or overseas plans are likewise unstated. Treat any specific date circulating ahead of an official notice as unverified.
- Confirmed: full six-person main cast, revealed August 10, 2026
- Confirmed: director Kim Wan
- Confirmed: crank-in targeted for September 2026; release targeted for 2027
- Not confirmed: distributor, age rating, exact release month, teaser or stills
- Not confirmed: final title — 악구 is still a working title (가제)
The title itself carries a caveat. Korean trade reports label 악구 a working title, which means the film could reach theaters under a different name entirely, and the English romanization now circulating is a translation of that provisional Korean title rather than an approved international one .
For English-speaking readers tracking the project, AsianWiki has opened a page for the film that lists the ensemble under their legal names — Ji Chang-min and Chu So-jung rather than their stage names . It is the most stable English reference point while the project is unreleased, since the rest of the English coverage — Soompi, MyDramaList News, Mworago, VVIP Times — traces back to the same August 10 production release and adds no independent reporting beyond translating the six character descriptions . The next meaningful update will most likely be a crank-in confirmation or a distributor announcement.
Don't confuse it with 'Akgwi': a naming trap for searchers
The film's Korean title is 악구 ('Akgu'), not 악귀 ('Akgwi') — a one-syllable difference that sends a large share of searches to the wrong project. 악귀 is 'Revenant', the unrelated SBS drama that aired in 2023 starring Kim Tae-ri and Oh Jung-se . Because the drama has years of accumulated coverage behind it, several Korean and English search paths surface it above the 2026 film, and fans looking for the Ji Chang-min and Chu So-jung project can end up reading about a shamanic possession thriller instead of a six-friend forest horror.
Three habits keep the search clean:
- Search the full working title. '악구: 달 그림자의 비밀' or 'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow' rather than the bare word, which is what collides with 악귀 .
- Search the legal names. The cast is credited as Ji Chang-min and Chu So-jung, not Q and Exy, in production materials and on the film's English reference page .
- Check the date stamp. Anything about 악구 published before August 10, 2026 is not about this film .
The practical takeaway: as of September 2026 there is exactly one primary source on this project — the August 10 Studio Eunyu cast announcement, carrying six names, six character descriptions, director Kim Wan, a September 2026 shoot start and a 2027 release target . Everything else in circulation is a translation of it. Bookmark the working title, watch for a crank-in or distributor announcement, and treat any release date, rating or streaming claim you see before then as unconfirmed.
Frequently asked questions
Who plays who in 'Akgu: The Secret of the Moon Shadow'?
Studio Eunyu confirmed six main cast members on August 10, 2026 . Ji Chang-min — THE BOYZ's Q, credited under his legal name — plays Tae-yeop, the most rational member of the group. Chu So-jung, WJSN's Exy, plays Ja-kyung, a quiet painter who proposes the camping trip. Yoon Sang-hyun plays Min, who co-leads the expedition; O U-ri plays So-hae, the newcomer who unsettles the group's balance; Kim Su-gyeom plays No-do, who tries to hold the friendships together; and Jang Yeo-bin plays Hee-jin, a dentist masking anxiety behind composure . Kim Wan directs .
Is Exy still a member of WJSN?
Yes. Exy remains a WJSN member and has not left the group. Starship Entertainment renewed contracts with eight members, including Exy, in March 2023, and WJSN returned in February 2026 with a 10th-anniversary single after roughly three years and seven months without a full-group release . Chu So-jung is simply her legal name, which she uses on acting credits such as 'Akgu', the film 'Eighteen Youth' and tvN's 'Divorce Insurance', where she played insurance loss adjuster Cho A-young. Some English aggregators have described her as "former WJSN" — that framing is inaccurate.
When does 'Akgu' come out?
There is no confirmed release date. The production targeted a 2027 theatrical release, with principal photography set to begin in September 2026 . As of early September 2026, no distributor, no Korean rating, no release month and no first-look stills or teaser had been announced, and '악구: 달 그림자의 비밀' is still a working title . Any specific date, rating or streaming plan circulating before an official announcement should be treated as unconfirmed.
Is this Q's first acting role?
No. Q — Ji Chang-min — already has a screen credit in the film 'Apartment: Ripley's World', so 'Akgu' is a step up rather than a debut . He debuted with THE BOYZ in 2017 and continues to work with the group, which is now a nine-member lineup. On September 4, 2026, it was reported that he signed an exclusive contract with Pitch Company, the management agency founded by actress Jun Ji-hyun, whose roster also includes Kim So-hyun . His co-star Chu So-jung also has prior horror experience, in the omnibus film 'Urban Myths'.
Is 'Akgu' related to the drama 'Akgwi' (Revenant)?
No — the two are unrelated projects with similar-looking titles. 'Akgwi' (악귀), released in English as 'Revenant', is the 2023 SBS occult drama starring Kim Tae-ri and Oh Jung-se. 'Akgu' (악구) is this 2026–2027 feature film directed by Kim Wan, described in Korean trade coverage as a Korean-style youth psychological horror about six 27-year-old friends who go camping to investigate a rumor about a forest pond . Korean-language searches frequently surface the drama first, so search the exact hangul 악구 or the romanized working title to reach the film.
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This article was written using information collected and analyzed by NAMANE's in-house K-pop research AI engine. We use AI technology to bring you faster, broader coverage, and in the process some details may occasionally differ from the latest facts. For important information such as dates, venues, and prices, please double-check with official sources.
