Spooky in Love
2026 South Korean television series
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Spooky in Love (Korean: 오싹한 연애) is an ongoing South Korean horror romantic comedy television series written by Choi Jung-mi, directed by Lee Min-soo and starring Park Eun-bin, Yang Se-jong, and Ong Seong-wu. Based on the 2011 film Spellbound, the series tells the story of a chaebol heiress who can see ghosts and causes anyone she touches to see them as well, and a prosecutor whose greatest fear is ghosts. It premiered on tvN on July 18, 2026, and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 21:10 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Netflix.
| Spooky in Love | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 오싹한 연애 |
| Hanja | 오싹한 戀愛 |
| Lit. | Chilling Romance |
| RR | Ossakhan yeonae |
| MR | Ossakhan yŏnae |
| Genre | |
| Based on | |
| Written by | Choi Jung-mi |
| Directed by | Lee Min-soo |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | tvN |
| Release | July 18, 2026 – present |
Synopsis
Spooky in Love follows Cheon Yeo-ri, a chaebol heiress and hotel CEO who secretly sees ghosts and is haunted nightly by the spirits of people who died unjustly, and Ma Kang-wook, a prosecutor who investigates unsolved murder cases. After joining forces to solve paranormal cases, the two develop romantic feelings for each other.
Cast and characters
Main
- Park Eun-bin as Cheon Yeo-ri[2]
- Heiress to a major national conglomerate and CEO of the Reina Hotel. She was a realistic girl who didn't believe in ghosts or the afterlife, but after a yacht accident, she began seeing ghosts. Driven by a desire not to harm others and the need to remain in the family's succession structure, she chose to isolate herself from everyone. She spent nearly a decade living in solitude, but the problem persisted because ghosts visited her from time to time. One day, while following one of them to the place where they had abandoned its body, she met prosecutor Ma Kang-wook. She eventually makes a deal with him.
- Yang Se-jong as Ma Kang-wook[2]
- A prosecutor in the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office. He was demoted to the cold case unit after charging a politician's son with murder. While investigating an abandoned body, he repeatedly encounters Yeo-ri in the woods, which leads him to suspect her and learn of her secret.
- Ong Seong-wu as Kang Min-hwan[2]
- Heir to the prestigious Korean hotel group CL Hotel & Resort Group and CEO of the CL Raymond Hotel. He appears polite and reasonable, but is described as ambitious and insecure. He seeks recognition and is willing to manipulate or harm others, including family members, to achieve it.
Supporting
Yeo-ri's family
- Jo Hye-joo as Cheon Ha-ri[2]
- Yeo-ri's younger cousin, although she is not related by blood to President Baek Gyeong-ja, the head of the group, which puts her at a disadvantage in the race for succession. Because of this, she feels an inferiority complex towards Yeo-ri, whose position she covets.
- Ye Soo-jung as Baek Gyeong-ja[2]
- Yeo-ri's grandmother and president of Reina Hotel & Resort, Korea's leading hotel chain. Yeo-ri is her only blood relative.
- Baek Ji-won as Ok Gye-hee[2]
- Daughter-in-law of President Baek Gyeong-ja, and mother of Dong-jun and Ha-ri. She is the director of the Cheon Gallery. Her late husband was not her mother-in-law's biological son, but while President Baek, the conglomerate's founder and Gyeong-ja's husband, was alive, she enjoyed his immense favor and, therefore, the full support of the group's directors.
- Lee Dal as Cheon Dong-jun[2]
- Yeo-ri's cousin and Ha-ri's older brother. An ambitious, straightforward man with a knack for intrigue, he craves success and ostentation.
Prosecutor's office people
- Lee Chang-hoon as Go Pil-dong[2]
- An investigator at the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office.
Min-hwan's family
- Kim Seo-ra as Song Hee-won[2]
- Vice Chairman of the CL Hotel & Resort Group. She is Min-hwan's mother.
Others
- Kim Do-wan as Park Seung-jae[2]
- Ha-ri's fiancé and a professional golfer. He is the only son of one of the leading presidential contenders. He was acquitted in the first instance in the trial where Kang-wook accused him of murder, but in the aftermath of that trial, he is consumed by an uncontrollable desire to take revenge on the prosecutor.
- Lee Jun-hyeok as Bong Ji-wook[2]
- General Manager of the Reina Hotel and Yeo-ri's closest confidant.
- Kim Han-na as Uhm Ji-soo[2]
- Yeo-ri's closest secretary.
- Kim Min-chul as Kang Ji-hwan[2][3]
- A ghost with the appearance of a young man who haunts Yeo-ri.
- Cha Mi-kyung as Paeng Myo-sun[2]
- Kang-wook's grandmother.
Production
Development
Spooky in Love is a remake of the 2011 film Spellbound written and directed by Hwang In-ho. The series is directed by Lee Min-soo, who helmed Resident Playbook (2025), written by Choi Jung-mi, and produced by CJ ENM, CJ ENM Studios, B.pic, and the original movie's production company Sangsang Film.[1][4]
Casting
In August 2025, Namoo Actors and Zion Entertainment confirmed that Park Eun-bin and Yang Se-jong had been offered the lead roles, respectively.[5] Two months later, Fantagio confirmed Ong Seong-wu had received an offer and was positively considering it.[6] By November 2025, the casting of the series was completed and filming was already underway, with Ong Seong-wu set to begin filming on November 27.[7] The same month, Park and Yang's appearances were officially confirmed.[8] In comparison to the original version, the series introduces a new character, Kang Min-hwan, played by Ong Seong-wu, who serves as the central figure in the conflict that drives the plot.[9]
Filming
Principal photography began in November 2025. Eun-bin and Se-jong, were seen filming in various locations in Singapore, including Lau Pa Sat and Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade.[7][10]
Release
Viewership
| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||
| 1 | 0.729 | 1.343 | 1.056 | 1.532 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[13] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | July 18, 2026 | 3.049% (2nd) | 3.211% (1st) |
| 2 | July 19, 2026 | 5.320% (1st) | 5.383% (1st) |
| 3 | July 25, 2026 | 4.350% (1st) | 4.321% (1st) |
| 4 | July 26, 2026 | 5.810% (1st) | 5.746% (1st) |
| 5 | August 1, 2026 | ||
| 6 | August 2, 2026 | ||
| 7 | August 8, 2026 | ||
| 8 | August 9, 2026 | ||
| 9 | August 15, 2026 | ||
| 10 | August 16, 2026 | ||
| 11 | August 22, 2026 | ||
| 12 | August 23, 2026 | ||
| Average | — | — | |
