Actor You Need to Know: Chae Jong-hyeop

Chae Jong-hyeop’s personality shines on-screen. His eye-locking glance, infectious smile, and carefree gait all neatly encapsulate the essence of this “잘 생긴 남자” (handsome man in Korean), a very gorgeous one in fact, who smiles with his eyes giving off an air of ease.

Chae, 30, has had significant roles in dramas such as Webtoon Hero: Tundra Show Season 2 (2016), Hot Stove League (2019), Sisyphus: The Myth (2021), Nevertheless (2021), Love All Play (2022), Unlock My Boss (2022), and Castaway Diva (2023), in addition to the web series The Witch’s Diner (2021). 

Until the age of 21, he lived in South Africa. Chae previously stated in an interview with NAVER TV that he decided to pursue a career in Korea after his modeling debut in South Africa didn’t pan out.

With Yoo Min-ho, an up-and-coming baseball pitcher, in the popular sports drama Hot Stove League, Chae Jong-hyeop got his big break in the Korean entertainment industry. Chae gained prominence due in large part to the drama’s success. His seminal performance came in the sci-fi thriller action-drama Sisyphus: The Myth, where Chae played Choi Jae-sun, a former restaurant employee who amasses money with the help of Kang Seo-hae (Park Shin-hye). Sisyphus consolidated his reputation in Korea as a promising actor. 

More prominent roles began to materialize in productions such as the romantic television series Nevertheless with Han So-hee and Song Kang and the dark fantasy web series The Witch’s Diner with Song Ji-hyo and Nam Ji-hyun. Chae’s acting prowess and good looks carried over into subsequent roles, including the sports romance drama Love All Play, the fantasy comedy thriller drama Unlock My Boss, and the romantic-comedy drama Castaway Diva. 

Chae Jong-hyeop is natural, mindful, and sensitive in his representation of emotions and a range of expressions and attitudes, whether he is portraying a badminton player seeking an idyllic life, seeking an employment opportunity amid an uphill existence, or functioning as a producer at a media network. He boasts an infectious face that exudes an engaging zeal, and he can be attractive and naïve at the same time as being exceptionally serious and driven with equal expertise.

In his most recent project, the ongoing Japanese rom-com drama Eye Love You, Chae stars as an upbeat and amiable 26-year-old Korean student, Yoon Tae-oh. When Yuri Motomiya (Fumi Nikaido), a 30-year-old telepathic woman who is no longer interested in romance and can read people’s minds by staring into their eyes, makes eye contact with Tae-oh, she feels frustrated because all she hears inside of him is a Korean voice that she cannot comprehend at all. Still, sparks fly between them, igniting a heart-stopping romance.

In this incredibly charming love story, Chae Jong-hyeop’s exuberance counterbalances Fumi Nikaido’s composed, quiet approach. What fascinates me, though, is how brilliantly he captures the underlying maturity and intellect of his character, even with the playful cuteness he exhibits. This lends Tae-oh more plausibility.