Afer Hangang stands as a landmark along Seoul’s Han River in Yongsan, offering sleek architecture with riverside prestige. J-Hope bought a duplex penthouse in Afer Hangang, Yongsan, spanning 273.86 square metres with views of Yongsan Park and the Han River. Designed by architect Yoo Hyun Joon and built by Hyundai Engineering & Construction, it features south-facing rooms and top-tier finishes across ten floors. He reportedly acquired the penthouse for around 12 billion KRW in cash, then the unit below, signed in 2020 and paid in July 2024, totalling over 20 billion KRW. The development rises 49 storeys with luxury amenities like a lounge, gym and infinity pool on upper levels. Each unit boasts floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the water and skyline. J-Hope's choice highlights Yongsan’s evolution into a prime district for high-end living near business hubs and green spaces. Security systems and resident-only elevators add layers of exclusivity to daily life here.

Reports suggest J-Hope holds luxury cars and watches beyond his real estate portfolio. These vehicles highlight J-Hope’s taste for performance and prestige. The Porsche Carrera 911 offers speed and sleek design, while the Lamborghini Urus blends SUV utility with exotic power. He shares this interest with other BTS members, who favour high-end marques amid their global success. J-Hope favours standout pieces like a custom 37mm frosted gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, valued at around US$51,000, tied to his science-fiction fandom. His line-up also includes Cartier models, spotted in public appearances and media coverage.

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Released in late 2025, this bittersweet high school Korean film found new life—and a wider audience—when it dropped on Netflix earlier this year. Adapted from a Japanese novel and remade from the Japanese film of the same name, it stars breakout actor Choo Young-woo—fresh off the back-to-back success of The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call and Head Over Heels—alongside Resident Playbook’s Shin Shi-ah.

The two play Kim Jae-won and Han Seo-yoon, high school students each harbouring a heartbreaking secret. Seo-yoon lives with anterograde amnesia, losing her short-term memories every time she falls asleep, while Jae-won quietly battles a congenital heart condition.

Against all odds—and the rules Seo-yoon sets when they begin dating—the pair fall in love. Determined to give her something to hold onto, Jae-won devotes each day to creating new, joyful memories. But then the unthinkable happens, and audiences are left to ponder: can love survive in the absence of memory?

See more: 10 must-watch TV shows with Choo Young Woo before the release of ‘Love Doctor’

Kim You-jung of Love in the Moonlight, My Demon and Dear X fame, and Byeon Woo-seok, star of the global K-drama hit Lovely Runner, star as Na Bo-ra and Poong Woon-ho in this bittersweet high school romance set in the late ‘90s. The Netflix original film perfectly taps into the nostalgia of the era—with VHS tapes, pagers and phone booths—and captures the highs of first love.

Bo-ra and Woon-ho’s courtship is sweet and innocent, defined by clumsy hand-holding, chaste kisses and grand confessions. But when one tearful goodbye leads to a broken promise, Bo-ra is left wondering what went wrong for years. Leaning more toward the “bitter” side of bittersweet, the film builds toward a gut-wrenching twist that is sure to break your heart.

Time-slip meets soul-swap meets bittersweet romance in this K-drama remake of the Taiwanese series Some Day or One Day. It stars Ahn Hyo-seop—fresh from his 2026 Oscars debut and set to headline the upcoming Netflix rom-com Sold Out on You—alongside Jeon Yeo-been. The two play dual roles as Gu Yeon-jun/Nam Si-heon and Han Jun-hui/Gwon Min-ju, star-crossed lovers who jump through time to defy fate and be together.

When the consequences of the time loop force them to choose between life and love, sacrifices have to be made. To keep each other safe, they must fix the timeline, but it comes at a steep cost—they will lose their memories of each other.

The drama ends on a hopeful note, though. In the final scene, new timeline versions of Si-heon and Jun-hui meet again, hinting at the possibility that they might still get their happy ending.

Like 20th Century Girl, Twenty Five Twenty One is set in the late ‘90s and is full of throwbacks to the era—from fashion and analogue tech to pre-social media friendships. The coming-of-age rom-com stars Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do, a bright and cheerful high school fencing athlete determined to make it into the national team, and Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin, a quiet, introspective young man whose life is upended by the 1997 IMF Crisis.

Despite the obvious differences in their personalities and the considerable age gap, the two form an unlikely friendship that blooms into romance when they reconnect as adults. They become each other’s lifeline, providing love, comfort and support.

But this won’t be a bittersweet K-drama without the bitter. Fans may have plenty to say about the controversial ending, but Twenty Five Twenty One is a reminder that, even in K-dramas, some first loves are only meant to shape us, not last.

If you’re a fan of the quiet intimacy of Still Shining, look no further than director Kim Yoon-jin’s earlier masterpiece, Our Beloved Summer. In this bittersweet high school K-drama, Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi, co-stars of The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion, reunite as Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-soo.

Already locked in an adversarial dynamic, the two are dismayed when they’re chosen for a documentary that follows the daily lives of the school’s top- and bottom-ranked students. K-drama rules, however, dictate that all that bickering leads to romance, and eventually the two fall in love. They stay together until university, when the differences in their circumstances drive them apart.

Years later, their little documentary goes viral, calling for a “Where are they now?” sequel from viewers curious to see where they ended up. Now adults, the two meet again and are forced to confront their messy history.

If you’ve already got your box of tissues out for the ending, put it away. Unlike some of the K-dramas on this list, Our Beloved Summer’s ending is sweeter than bitter.

Before Weak Hero Class 2 brought them back together, Ryeoun and Choi Hyun-wook starred alongside Business Proposal’s Seol In-a and Lightshop’s Shin Eun-soo in the bittersweet high school K-drama Twinkling Watermelon.

In the series, Eun-gyeol (Ryeoun), a hearing child of deaf parents (CODA), travels back in time to 1995, where he meets the teenage version of his father, Ha Yi-chan (played by Choi Hyun-wook), and bonds with him by playing in the band Watermelon Sugar together. Armed with the power to change the future, Eun-gyeol becomes particularly invested in preventing the accident that led to his father’s hearing loss—and to make sure that Yi-chan falls for his mother, Yoon Chung-a (Shin Eun-soo).

Through his time-travelling adventures, Eun-gyeol goes on a journey of self-discovery. While he comes back to a happier present timeline thanks to his efforts, he learns to embrace the things he cannot change and understands that, more often than not, happiness comes at a price.

Eaten up with grief over the death of her high school friend and first love, Kim Ram-woo (Gong Myung from Netflix’s Love Untangled), Jung Hee-wan (Pachinko’s breakout star Kim Min-ha) has all but given up on life.

Then one day, Ram-woo shows up on her doorstep. He has returned as the grim reaper to tell her that she only has a week left to live. Rather than dwell on her impending death, the two spend her final days ticking off items on her bucket list—small, meaningful moments that slowly bring Hee-wan back to life.

At the end of their week together, Hee-wan spirals over the thought of losing Ram-woo all over again. But this time, she is no longer alone. With a renewed sense of purpose and a support system around her, she chooses to keep living—holding on to the belief that he lives on through the memories she carries forward.

Bittersweet high school K-dramas and movies continue to resonate because they capture the intensity of first love—its fleeting joy, its inevitable heartbreak and the way it shapes who we become. Whether you’re revisiting a favourite or discovering a new tearjerker, these stories are a reminder that growing up rarely comes with neat endings—but that’s what makes them unforgettable.

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Before the Nine One Hannam purchase, RM owned a flat at Hannam the Hill, another high-end residential development in the same district. He sold the property in 2019, with reports indicating a profit of approximately US$800,000. Hannam the Hill has been widely covered as one of Seoul’s premium residential complexes, often attracting entertainment industry figures and senior executives. The transaction reflects a common trajectory in the area’s property market, where limited inventory and sustained demand have contributed to price appreciation over time.

RM is also known for his frequent engagement with contemporary art, which extends beyond private collecting into more public-facing cultural involvement. While the full scope of his collection has not been formally disclosed, the upcoming “RM x SFMOMA” exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will feature selections from his collection alongside works from the museum’s holdings.

Based on reported exhibition details, the presentation includes works linked to artists such as Yun Hyong-keun, Kim Yun Shin, Philip Guston, Park Rehyun, Chang Ucchin, Kwon Okyon, To Sangbong, Giorgio Morandi and Roni Horn. These are shown in dialogue with works from the museum’s collection by artists including Kim Whanki, Henri Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, Mark Rothko and Agnes Martin.

In Seoul, RM has been spotted at major institutions such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Leeum Museum of Art, and has attended Frieze Seoul since its launch. Within South Korea’s contemporary art scene, this level of visibility places him among a group of high-profile cultural figures who engage with institutions, exhibitions, and collecting in parallel.

Reports linked to RM’s personal style have included select luxury items such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712R, Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 and Bottega Veneta Andiamo. These items sit within established categories of high-end watchmaking and luxury fashion, often associated with craftsmanship and long product life cycles rather than trend-driven consumption. In RM’s case, these pieces are typically referenced alongside his broader aesthetic preferences, which lean towards understated design rather than overt branding.

Across real estate, art and accessories, RM presents a profile shaped by long-term holdings in high-value but relatively discreet categories. His property activity in Hannam-dong reflects consistent demand in Seoul’s most exclusive residential districts, while his reported interests in art and select luxury goods align with broader patterns of cultural and asset diversification among global entertainers operating at scale.

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Set during the alcohol prohibition era of the late Joseon dynasty, Moonshine puts together political intrigue with romantic comedy as characters navigate strict bans on brewing and drinking. Byeon Woo-seok plays Crown Prince Lee Pyo, a mischievous royal with a rebellious streak and a talent for sneaking out of palace life in search of adventure.

The role allowed him to flex an entirely different kind of charm. His crown prince is playful and unpredictable, yet never foolish—an aristocrat who understands the heavy expectations of his position even as he tries to escape them. In a drama filled with vibrant personalities, Byeon’s easy charisma made the prince one of the show’s most memorable figures.

Netflix’s nostalgic romance 20th Century Girl transported viewers to the late 1990s, following a group of teenagers navigating first love and friendship in a pre-digital era of camcorders, pager messages and handwritten letters.

Byeon Woo-seok plays Poong Woon-ho, a thoughtful high-school student whose quiet warmth anchors the story’s emotional arc. His performance leans into a gentler screen persona; he is soft-spoken, attentive and disarmingly sincere. The film’s global release introduced him to international audiences who were increasingly discovering Korean storytelling through streaming platforms.

For many viewers outside Korea, 20th Century Girl marked their first encounter with an actor who would soon become a major K-drama heartthrob.

In the superhero comedy Strong Girl Nam-soon, Byeon Woo-seok stepped into darker territory as Ryu Shi-oh, a mysterious tech CEO whose polished charm conceals far more sinister ambitions.

It was a striking departure from the gentle romantic figures he had previously played. Dressed in immaculate suits and speaking with calm precision, his villain exudes quiet menace rather than theatrical evil. The performance proved he could dominate scenes even without raising his voice, an essential trait for actors transitioning into leading-man territory.

Critics and fans alike began noting the same thing: Byeon had the rare ability to be both magnetic and unsettling on screen.

Every star has a moment when years of work suddenly crystallise into a cultural phenomenon. For Byeon Woo-seok, that moment arrived with Lovely Runner.

In the romantic time-travel drama, he plays Ryu Sun-jae, a famous idol whose tragic future becomes the catalyst for a fan’s desperate attempt to travel back in time and save him. The role demanded emotional range: Sun-jae is at once a superstar adored by millions and a young man carrying loneliness and hidden pain.

Byeon delivered a performance that balanced sweetness, vulnerability, humour and heartbreak. The result was one of the most talked-about K-drama hits of the year—and a full-fledged star-making turn. Almost overnight, his name became synonymous with the kind of romantic leading man audiences can’t stop rooting for.

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