Song Joong-ki's return to romantic melodramas with My Youth sparks fan frenzy and debate: 'The king is back'

Over the years, Song Joong-ki has strayed so far from his ‘romantic lead’ image that he had established with Descendants of the Sun, that it’s almost disorienting to associate him with the genre. Perhaps, that’s what he intended. He went for the gritty, thriller roles, roles that were also mixed with unusual flair of comedy, as Vincenzo, will show. He played the practically invincible Italian-Korean mafia consigliere who doesn’t think much of blood. And then came Reborn Rich, as well as Bogota, after that.

Just when you think, you have a handle on his anti-hero roles, Joong-ki flips the switch. He’s returning with the romantic drama, My Youth.

So what’s the story? As Soompi’s synopsis explains, Sunwoo Hae (Song Joong Ki) and Sung Je Yeon (Chun Woo Hee), two individuals who once leaned on each other during their most difficult years. Over a decade later, they reunite—no longer who they once were, yet still holding the remnants of a deep, formative bond. And, their paths cross again.

Song Joong Ki stars as Sunwoo Hae, a novelist and florist who has finally found peace after years of chaos. Once a beloved child actor who lit up the screen, Sunwoo Hae was eventually cast aside due to the selfishness of the adults around him. Now living a quiet life, he is suddenly confronted by Sung Je Yeon, a figure from his past who awakens forgotten reasons to live and create.

Chun Woo Hee portrays Sung Je Yeon, the ambitious team leader at Feel Entertainment. Raised in privilege, she lived a carefree life until her family’s sudden collapse forced her to survive with fierce determination. Now fixated on success, Je Yeon seeks out Sunwoo Hae, disrupting his calm in pursuit of her goals. But as she spends more time with him, she reconnects with the more sincere version of herself she thought she had lost—beginning a quiet transformation neither of them expected.

Yes, you read that right, Song Joong-ki is in this drama. Been a while, now hasn’t it? And as he begins preparations for promotions as the show releases in September, his fans have started debating, which is his best: Is it one of his earlier works, Werewolf Boy, or Innocent Man, where he plays a man corrupted by revenge, or the fantasy drama, The Arthdal Chronicles, which fans have declared as his ‘best’,