Lee Kyung Hee — the screenwriter behind Uncontrollably Fond — is back with a KBS2 weekend romance, and she has handed one of its two leads to EXID's Hani in her first scripted role in roughly three years. Here is what the project actually is.
What Is Sarang-i Onda? The New KBS2 Drama Explained
Sarang-i Onda (사랑이 온다) is an upcoming KBS2 weekend romance drama whose Korean title translates literally as "Love Is Coming" or "Love Comes." It pairs actor Ha Seok Jin with EXID's Hani (Ahn Hee-yeon) as two former lovers who reunite eight years after a painful breakup, and it is written by acclaimed melodrama screenwriter Lee Kyung Hee . As of mid-June 2026, no official English title has been confirmed in any verified source, so the Korean title is the one to cite.
Quick Answer: Sarang-i Onda (사랑이 온다, "Love Is Coming") is a KBS2 weekend romance starring Ha Seok Jin and EXID's Hani as ex-lovers who reunite eight years after a breakup. Written by Lee Kyung Hee, it was announced June 9, 2026 and premieres in late July 2026 .
The central pairing sets up a class contrast: a privileged Italian-restaurant chef and a working-class woman supporting her family after it falls apart. Their year of shared happiness ended in separation, and the story picks up when their paths cross again . Production notes describe a "touching yet thrilling reunion romance," framing the show as a human and family drama rather than pure melodrama — healing, growth, and a second chance at love are the central arcs .
The timeline is concrete. The casting was officially announced on June 9, 2026 by Korean outlet Newsis, and reported in English by Soompi . A script reading has since been held with the full cast, captured in Soompi's coverage . The premiere window is set for late July 2026, with the drama taking over KBS2's weekend slot after Recipe for Love (사랑을 처방해 드립니다) .
Why Lee Kyung Hee Writing This Drama Is the Real Story
The headline detail of Sarang-i Onda (사랑이 온다) is not the cast but the byline: screenwriter Lee Kyung Hee (이경희) is one of Korea's most studied melodrama writers, and her name is what signals the kind of show this will be. Lee penned Uncontrollably Fond (함부로 애틋하게, 2016, KBS2) — the work cited in the topic — and that authorship is corroborated by multiple public reference sources . The "Uncontrollably Fond writer confirmed" framing is therefore accurate per Korean press .
Her catalogue spans three eras of Korean melodrama, each built around emotional fallout rather than spectacle. The throughline is grief, guilt and second chances — the same emotional grammar the new drama appears to use.
- I'm Sorry, I Love You (미안하다, 사랑한다, 2004, KBS2) — the early classic that established her reputation .
- The Innocent Man / Nice Guy (세상 어디에도 없는 착한 남자, 2012, KBS2) — a revenge-tinged melodrama .
- Uncontrollably Fond (2016, KBS2) — the terminal-illness romance fans most associate with her .
- Chocolate (JTBC, 2019–2020) — a later, quieter turn toward intimate, slow-burn emotion .
That shift toward Chocolate's gentler register matters here. Sarang-i Onda is described as a human and family romance about two former lovers reuniting eight years after a painful breakup, navigating family responsibility and old wounds on the way to healing — a premise that sits in the same quiet, character-first lane rather than the high-stakes tragedy of her mid-2010s work. Production notes frame it directly:
"A touching yet thrilling reunion romance" between two people who remained each other's first love — production notes via Newsis.
The directing assignment reinforces that read. Hong Seok Gu (홍석구) directs, with prior KBS credits including One and Only and Beauty and the Beast — a filmography weighted toward small-scale, character-driven storytelling. Pairing that sensibility with Lee Kyung Hee's late-career intimacy points to a restrained weekend drama rather than an event melodrama. It lands in KBS2's family-friendly weekend slot, premiering in late July 2026 after Recipe for Love (사랑을 처방해 드립니다) — exactly where this register of storytelling tends to find its audience.
Ha Seok Jin and Hani: Who They Play and Why the Casting Works
The two leads sit on opposite sides of a deliberate economic divide. Ha Seok Jin plays Kim Moo Jin (김무진), an Italian-restaurant owner-chef from a privileged background who trained as a cook in Italy, while Hani — Ahn Hee-yeon — plays Han Gyu Rim (한규림), an employee at a banchan (Korean side-dish) shop who has been holding her family together financially since it fell apart, juggling multiple part-time jobs . The drama reunites them eight years after a breakup, following roughly a year of happiness before they parted .
Quick Answer: In Sarang-i Onda, Ha Seok Jin plays Kim Moo Jin, an Italy-trained chef with inherited privilege, and Hani plays Han Gyu Rim, a banchan-shop worker supporting her family. The pair reunite eight years after a breakup that ended a roughly year-long romance .
| Character | Played by | Role & situation |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Moo Jin (김무진) | Ha Seok Jin | Italian-restaurant owner-chef from a privileged background; studied cooking in Italy; reunites with his first love eight years after their breakup |
| Han Gyu Rim (한규림) | Hani (Ahn Hee-yeon) | Banchan-shop employee carrying her family's finances after it falls apart; works multiple part-time jobs; shared about a year with Moo Jin before separating |
That setup is the point. A chef living off inherited comfort opposite a woman shouldering her family's economic burden is an asymmetric love story by design, and asymmetry is the structural signature running through Lee Kyung Hee's earlier pairings. The class gap is not decoration; it is the engine that determines what the reunion can and cannot resolve, which is consistent with how the writer has built tension between unequal partners across her melodramas .
The casting adds a layer the script alone could not. Korean coverage framed the announcement specifically as a reunion of Ha Seok Jin and Hani — two actors who had worked together before — rather than a first collaboration, so the off-screen familiarity mirrors the on-screen premise of two former partners meeting again . The supporting lineup confirmed at the script reading deepens the family-drama frame: Park You Na plays Gyu Rim's sister Han Gyu Young, Bae Jung Nam plays Jo Heung Sik, and veterans including Kwon Hae Hyo, Yoon Yoo Sun, Ryu Seung Soo, Jin Kyung, Min Jin Woong, Lee Joo Yeon, Bae Youn Kyu and Jung Bo Min round out the cast .
For fans tracking the project, the practical takeaway is that the two leads are built to carry the weekly emotional arc while the ensemble handles the family weight around them — a division of labor visible from the first script reading, where the cast read through the reunion material together .
Hani's Return to Scripted Drama: Context for Fans
For EXID's Hani — real name Ahn Hee-yeon — Sarang-i Onda marks a return to scripted acting after roughly three years away from the format . As EXID's group activities wound down and the members shifted toward individual pursuits, Hani signed with Sublime Artist Agency, whose official talent profile now lists this KBS2 project among her credits . The move from idol-group schedules to a weekend-drama lead role is the practical context fans need to read the casting correctly.
The timeline tightened over the first half of 2026. In January, outlets including viva100 and allkpop reported that she was "in talks" for a KBS2 project — a tentative stage that does not guarantee a deal . The June 9 announcement closed that gap, confirming she had accepted the female lead, Han Gyu-rim, rather than a supporting part . Carrying the weekly emotional arc opposite Ha Seok Jin is a more demanding assignment than her earlier on-screen appearances, which makes the lead billing the most meaningful line in the announcement.
The casting holds up across more than a single press release. It appears in dated Korean reporting from Newsis on June 9 and in English via Soompi , then again in a supporting-cast confirmation article , and finally in coverage of the cast's first script reading . That is three separate points of verification across roughly a ten-day window — enough to treat the lead role as settled rather than rumored.
Production notes frame the project as a "touching yet thrilling reunion romance" between two people who remained each other's first love (source: Newsis, 2026-06).
One factual note is worth keeping straight. Hani's Sublime profile files Sarang-i Onda under a 2025 KBS2 credit , while every dated press report places the premiere in late July 2026 . The discrepancy likely reflects a schedule shift or an internal listing that predates the formal announcement; for planning purposes, the 2026 window from current reporting is the more specific and recent figure.
When and Where to Watch: Broadcast Schedule and International Access
Sarang-i Onda premieres in late July 2026 on KBS2, airing in the network's weekend drama timeslot — typically Saturdays and Sundays around 21:50 KST — where it takes over the slot directly from Recipe for Love (사랑을 처방해 드립니다) . That follow-on placement is the most concrete scheduling detail confirmed in current reporting .
Some specifics remain open. The episode count and the production company were not stated in the verified sources as of mid-June 2026 — which is standard for KBS2 weekend dramas at the announcement stage, since those figures usually surface closer to broadcast. The script reading has already taken place, with the full supporting cast confirmed alongside leads Ha Seok Jin and Hani , so the production is well past the casting phase.
For viewers outside Korea, no international streaming deal had been announced as of this writing. KBS2 weekend dramas are commonly picked up by Rakuten Viki and/or KBS World on YouTube for select territories, both of which have carried Lee Kyung Hee's previous KBS2 work. Until a platform partner is named, the practical approach is to watch two channels:
- Rakuten Viki — check the "Coming Soon" listings as the July 2026 premiere approaches; regional licensing varies by territory.
- KBS World on YouTube — the network's official international channel, which has previously hosted weekend dramas for eligible regions with subtitles.
The takeaway for fans planning around it: lock in late July 2026 on KBS2 as the premiere window, treat the weekend slot after Recipe for Love as the anchor, and monitor Viki and KBS World YouTube rather than waiting for a press release — international availability for this kind of KBS2 weekend romance has historically arrived through those routes rather than through a separate announcement .
Frequently asked questions
What is the English title of Ha Seok Jin and Hani's new KBS2 drama?
The drama's Korean title is 사랑이 온다 (Sarang-i Onda), which translates literally to "Love Is Coming" or "Love Comes" . As of mid-June 2026, no official English title had been settled across coverage, so the Korean title should be treated as canonical for now . Some script-reading coverage referenced the working English label "Love on the Menu," but it has not been confirmed as final.
When does Sarang-i Onda premiere?
Sarang-i Onda is set to premiere in late July 2026 in KBS2's weekend drama timeslot, following Recipe for Love (사랑을 처방해 드립니다) . As of the June 9, 2026 casting announcement, the exact premiere date and episode count had not been confirmed in verified sources . Fans should treat late July as the premiere window rather than a fixed calendar date.
Who is Lee Kyung Hee and why does her involvement matter?
Lee Kyung Hee (이경희) is one of Korea's most recognized melodrama screenwriters, behind Uncontrollably Fond (2016), The Innocent Man / Nice Guy (2012), and I'm Sorry, I Love You (2004) . Her attachment matters because her work tends toward character-driven, emotionally weighted storytelling, signaling that Sarang-i Onda is positioned as a layered reunion romance rather than a conventional weekend family drama .
Is this Hani's first lead drama role?
This is Hani's (Ahn Hee-yeon) most prominent scripted drama lead to date, though not her first acting work. She had appeared in earlier roles but had not taken a drama lead in roughly three years before this project . The June 2026 confirmation placed her as the female lead, playing Han Gyu Rim opposite Ha Seok Jin's Kim Moo Jin, not in a supporting role .
Where can international fans watch Sarang-i Onda outside Korea?
No streaming platform deal had been announced for Sarang-i Onda as of mid-June 2026 . KBS2 weekend dramas frequently become available internationally through Rakuten Viki and KBS World on YouTube, so checking both platforms as the late July 2026 premiere approaches is the most reliable approach until a formal distribution announcement appears.
