Actor Exits TV Show Over Scheduling Conflict

KBS2’s upcoming weekend drama The Real Deal Has Come! is undergoing a major casting shakeup. South Korean actor Kwak Si Yang, who was attached to the project in the lead role of Gong Tae Kyung, has been forced to exit the series due to a scheduling conflict, a representative for the actor confirmed Tuesday.

The upcoming drama follows the story of Yeon Doo, a single mother, and Gong Tae Kyung, and an unmarried man who does not wish to be married, and their chance meeting. Kwak was set to star as Gong Tae Kyung opposite Baek Jin Hee, it was first reported in November. However, ahead of the upcoming start of filming, scheduling conflicts have prevented Kwak from moving forward with the project. A representative for the actor confirmed, per Soompi, that scheduling conflicts arose with his film Desperate Pursuit, which began filming on Dec. 19. Although the actor attempted to coordinate the filming schedules for the film and the drama, he ultimately decided it best for him to pull out of The Real Deal Has Come!, a decision that was dubbed an “amicable negotiation with the production team.”

In his place, actor Ahn Jae Hyun will take over the lead role, it was confirmed Thursday. Ahn, an actor and model, is known for his starring roles in television dramas such as You’re All Surrounded, Blood, Cinderella with Four Knights, Reunited Worlds, The Beauty Inside, and Love with Flaws. The Real Deal Has Come! will mark the 35-year-old’s first make lead role in a KBS weekend drama series, which is set to air sometime in early 2023, according to Allkpop.

Born in Seoul, South Korea in January 1987, Kwak made his acting debut in the 2014 drama Glorious Day before landing his first major role that same year in Night Fight. He went on to appear in the music drama Persevere, Goo Hae-ra that same year. Just a year later, the actor’s star rose following his break-out performance as Seo-joon in Oh MY Ghost. That same year he also starred in the daily drama All is Well and the reality show We Got Married. In the years since gaining fame, Kwak has gone on to appear in fantasy-romance drama Chicago Typewriter, The Witness, The Battle of Jangsari, the historical-fantasy drama Lovers of the Red Sky, and Second to Last Love, the SBS drama that earned him the New Star Award at SBS Drama Awards. He is next set to appear in Desperate Pursuit, which follows a scammer and a detective as they band together to form a group to reveal the truth. Kwak is set to star as detective Cho Soo-kwang opposite Park Sung-woong’s scammer Kim In-hae. Yoon Kyung-ho, Park Hyo-joo, and Jung Yu-jil also star, per K Odyssey. The movie is currently filming and is set to release sometime in 2023.