NOVPUBJanuary was always a notoriously hectic time for drama studios and entertainment agencies in Korea. The new year brought fresh lineups of actors, packed schedules, and a tight race for attention.
This year's competition was especially fierce.
Twelve dramas were set to air. It was an unusually high number that the media and the people were also excited about it.
Agencies were already scrambling. Production crews were finalizing early episodes. And PR teams were on overdrive to post promotional videos.
Everywhere you looked online, a new teaser, cast poster, or press conference clip was surfacing. There were endless amounts of it.
Minjae's agency was no exception to it. Flex Entertainment had prepared a lineup of posts to promote Minjae's drama. They also collaborated with other established artists within the agency to post something about the drama once it aired.
Global Studios also prepared a lot of promotional content to promote the drama. As such, the casts have been busy for the past days since the holidays ended.
Minjae, Yura, Jihoon, Seojin and Haejin had been attending interviews after interview. They also took some pictures with some actors that the studio contacted.
And so, a week before the release date, some of the promotional pictures and videos for The Star's Secret had finally begun making rounds online, and the response to it was good.
One of the first videos to trend was a short compilation of behind-the-scenes clips from their shoot.
A fan-edited version went viral on LikLok and XYZ, showing Jihoon's dramatic reactions, Yura's graceful laughter, and Minjae's calm but teasing demeanor. The moment where Minjae confidently said, "I guess I'm good then," was clipped and memed endlessly with captions.
"When you carry the whole group project but still get an A+"
"POV: You're the favorite child and everyone knows it."
Netizens flooded the comment sections with praise for the cast's overflowing chemistry.
"THEY LOOK LIKE THEY REALLY LIKE EACH OTHER IRL 😭😭"
"Minjae's aura is insane. He's not even trying but he steals the whole frame???"
"I wasn't planning on watching The Star's Secret but this promo convinced me."
"Lmao. They're really funny."
"Minjae looks good here even if they weren't dressed that well."
"Yura unnie looks so pretty!"
"Lololol Jihoon is really funny."
"The way the staff laughed with them made the video more funny."
The buzz around it also picked up when Webflix's official Instagram released a group photo of the cast with the caption:
"Ready to uncover the secrets behind the stars? ✨ #TheStarsSecret premieres next week."
The post gained hundreds of thousands of likes within a few hours.
Fans quickly flooded the Webflix post with excited comments, many of which echoed their anticipation for the drama.
"I don't even care what the plot is. I'm watching for the cast."
"Minjae is the reason I'm breathing rn. Look at his expression in the back!!"
"The fact that this drama isn't even out yet and they already feel like a friend group 💀"
"All of them looked so good!"
"Webflix hasn't missed lately with their new dramas. I feel like this one's going to be so good too."
"Why do they all look like they're stars?? The title makes more sense now lol."
"Not me already choosing my bias before episode 1."
The group photo itself was simple. It was just the five leads standing against a soft backdrop of studio lights, dressed in casual outfits. They were just standing tall with easy smiles and relaxed poses.
But there was something undeniably magnetic about the image.
Even non-fans and casual viewers began commenting out of curiosity.
"Ok but who's the guy on the far left? (I need his @ immediately)"
"This just popped up on my feed… someone convince me NOT to binge this next week."
"Can someone give me all their account? I want to follow them."
"Woah! The leads actually look good?"
"Even the second lead looked nice."
Lux & Co., Minjae's, also joined the promotion by posting a few of his outfit's details from the shoo that they provided.
Soon, XYZ trends in South Korea and parts of Southeast Asia included hashtags like #SoExcited #JanuaryDramaFestival, and #NewDrama.
Despite the twelve dramas launching in January, The Star's Secret definitely one of the few that stood out to the people the most. Most of it was from the fans that Minjae had after trending on various reasons.
However, no one can still beat the hype that the idol star, Kwon Jihyun, was getting.
Kwon Jihyun's acting debut in Chasing Dream was still the most anticipated drama for this month.
The moment a promotional video dropped for it; chaos ensued online. Fans of their group went crazy, and so was Jihyun's solo fans.
The 30-second video opened with a dimly lit rehearsal room. A piano bench squeaked slightly as a figure stepped into frame. Then the camera panned up, revealing Kwon Jihyun.
He was dressed in a slim-fit charcoal blazer over a black turtleneck, rings glinting on his fingers. His hair was tousled in that effortless, deliberate way idols had mastered. The lighting hit just right, highlighting his sharp jawline and expressive eyes.
Then the music swelled, and the scene began.
Jihyun stood in front of a mirror, lip-syncing one of the key emotional moments from Chasing Dream.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who falls in love easily?"He pauses, raises an eyebrow with a playful smirk at the camera.
"Because I tripped over my own feet the moment you smiled at me." Jihyun did a dramatic paused and sighed.
"Now I'm stuck between confessing... or pretending that I didn't like you." Jihyun showed a bright smile on his face.
The camera ended with Jihyun winking and waving his hands.
The deliveryof the lines wasn't perfect but none of that mattered. Instead, the fans the comment section, expressing their undying love for their belived idol.
"Oppa! You look so handsome!"
"I love you opppaaa!"
"I'm gonna watch this drama!"
"Ahhhhhhh! Jihyun oppa winked at me!"
"I don't care what anyone says, he looks GOOD. That's star power."
"Oppa huhuhu. Please do well!"
That night, "Actor Kwon Jihyun" trended #1 in Korea and #2 globally on XYZ.
Not even a full day had passed since the video dropped, but every major entertainment outlet had already picked it up.
Articles with headlines like "Kwon Jihyun's Charm Is Unmatched in New Drama Promo", "From Stage to Screen: Can Idol Star Jihyun Pull Off Acting?", and "Jihyun's Wink Just Crashed XYZ—Again" dominated trending pages.
Clips of the video were reposted endlessly on fan accounts, korean idol blogs, and even meme pages. Some fans jokingly dubbed the teaser "The National Wink" while others edited in heart effects, dramatic sparkles, and slow-motion replays of his smile.
Meanwhile, another popular streaming platform capitalized on this noise. They released a new poster for Chasing Dreams within 24 hours. It featured Jihyun standing under a spotlight in an empty theater, one hand in his pocket, eyes cast downward with a melancholic expression.
The tagline read:
"Some dreams are louder than silence."
It was simple but elegant, and it only fanned the flames of anticipation from the people.
"I already feel emotional and the drama hasn't even aired 😭"
"From main dancer to a main character. Our Jihyun-ssi is coming for all the titles!"
"This looks like it's going to be a total hit. Just look at the visuals!"
"Is it bad that I watched the video 33 times already?"
Because of the noise that the 2 dramas were making, getting compared too, was already expected.
The contrast between the two dramas quickly became the topic of online debate.
"Kwon Jihyun is a born star, but Minjae feels like a real actor," one tweet said, quickly gaining traction.
Another replied, "Can't we just enjoy both??"
"Of course, we can't. We need to settle this as early"
Under nearly every major entertainment post, the comment sections turned into battlegrounds between Minjae's supporters and Jihyun's loyal fandom. It drowned the small-scale dramas, causing for them to most had no publicity.
"Minjae doesn't need to wink at the camera to act. His eyes are already good at expressing something," one fan tweeted, earning thousands of retweets.
Jihyun's fans fired back instantly.
"Tsk. These new fans don't know anything. Jihyun is the best! Now go sit."
"Arf arf. These jihyun fans kept barking. Are they a bitch?"
The hashtags #TeamMinjae and #JihyunNation started popping up on XYZ, trending back and forth as both sides tried to eat up one another. Fan edits began to take on a competitive tone.
Some highlighterd Minjae's subtle emotional delivery in his old scene in The Only Way while the others zoomed in on Jihyun's glowing visuals and undeniable charisma.
Because of all the chaos, Flex Entertainment and Jihyun's Agency had to release an official statement urging fans to "support all creators and artists with respect," after all the chaos.
Regardless of opinion, there was one thing that was clear to all.
The battle for January's top drama was now between Chasing Dream and The Star's Secret.
"Idol vs Actor: Who Will Win the January Drama Crown?"
