Lee Jae Wook's return brews a storm in Min Merchant Guild in 'Dear Hongrang'

by Lily Alice, April 24, 2025

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Netflix unveils stills from Dear Hongrang.

Set in the Joseon era, Dear Hongrang is a mystery melodrama that follows the eldest son of the greatest merchant family, Hong Rang, who returns after 12 years with lost memories, while his step-sister Jae Yi suspects his true identity.

The stills feature the six main characters of the drama — Sim Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook), Sim Jae Yi (Jo Bo Ah), Mu Jin (Jung Ga Ram), Min Yeon Ui (Uhm Ji Won), Shim Yeol Guk (Park Byung Eun), and Prince Han Pyeong (Kim Jae Wook).

Jae Yi is shown wearing a grim expression — unable to feel joy despite the long-lost brother she yearned for having finally returned. As a stepsister who desperately searched for her brother all her life, she cannot bring herself to trust Hong Rang, who doesn't quite seem like the brother from her childhood memories.

Lee Jae Wook commented, "Jae Yi is a presence far sharper than a sword to Hong Rang." Jo Bo Ah said about Hong Rang, "He's such a cold and infuriating figure. With his return, all efforts to find Hong Rang come to a halt, and I think she would've been very upset by that."

Stills of other characters within the Min Merchant Guild have also been revealed.

Mu Jin is the adopted son of the Min Merchant Guild family, who has maintained order in Hong Rang's absence. In the stills, he is shown impeccably dressed, as the one in charge who has taken on full responsibility for the merchant group. However, with Hong Rang's return, Mu Jin finds his place under threat.

Min Yeon Ui, the mistress of Shim Yeol Guk and Hong Rang's birth mother, along with Shim Yeol Guk, the head of the Min Merchant Guild and Hong Rang and Jae Yi's biological father, are also shown as formidable figures, leaving viewers wondering how they will react to the return of their long-lost son.