K-Pop star joins an international romance in upcoming gay series

South Korean boy band member Ok Taec-yeon will star in Soul Mate, an upcoming Netflix series that depicts a decade-long gay love story. The drama tells the international, multicultural story of a Korean and Japanese man falling in love across multiple continents. 

Ok Taec-yeon, a member of the K-Pop band 2PM, stars alongside Hayato Isomura in the new series. “Traversing the cities of Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo, Soul Mate tells a 10-year-long love story between two young men,” a synopsis from Netflix reads. “It all starts when Ryu Narutaki (Isomura), who left everything behind in Japan, is saved by a boxer named Johan Hwang (Taec-yeon) in a foreign land.”

Taec-yeon, who has also acted in the Netflix thriller Vincenzo and the Japanese chef drama La Grande Maison Paris, found the character compelling from the start. “The character of Johan Hwang intrigued me, and his inner struggles and pain stayed with me long after I read the script,” he said.

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“To prepare, I lost weight and underwent boxing training, and I’ve continued to train diligently during filming to portray Johan as best as I can.”

Isomura, who has acted in Netflix titles Extremely Inappropriate! and (Ab)normal Desire, described working with Taec-yeon as inspirational. “The script moved me with its story of love amidst sadness and pain, and the incredible 10-year story arc crafted by director Hashizume has truly immersed me in the character,” he said.

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“Working with Ok Taec-yeon has been inspiring; his charm draws me in more each day. Filming in Japan, Korea, and Germany gives the project a truly global feel.”

Soul Mate is directed by series creator Shunki Hashizume (Scroll, More Than Words), and the first seed of the idea came in a conversation over coffee with executive producer Dai Ota. “We arrived at the ultimate destiny story, where people from different cultures and backgrounds meet in a foreign land and their lives intersect,” Ota recalled.

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“The story, filled with life’s joys and pains, combined with the exceptional performances from Isomura and Taec-yeon, will warm the hearts of viewers.”

Although filming has completed, Soul Mate’s release window has not yet been announced. Looking back over the production, Hashizume said the crew’s lives began to mirror the narrative in many ways. “The time spent weaving this story with our lead actors, cast, and crew has been challenging but blissful,” Hashizume said. “Everyone involved in this project is a soulmate.”