Kim Hyun-joong to make his drama comeback with fantasy romance

Kim Hyun-joong to make his drama comeback with fantasy romance

More than anything I’m surprised that there are drama-makers who still consider idol-turned-actor Kim Hyun-joong (Age of Feeling, Playful Kiss) employable, but he’s just been confirmed to a series called When Time Stops. To put it plainly, his name is mud in showbiz circles these days, and I’d really thought there was a chance his career was toast.

That could still be the case, but at least now he’ll have a chance to work his way back with the fantasy romance drama featuring a main character with superpowers — specifically, time traveling, because we’re not quite done with that trend yet. When he meets the heroine and falls in love with her, he also apparently finds the meaning of life. The drama marks Kim’s return to television after four years away, his last drama being 2014’s period action series Age of Feeling.

(In case you missed the hullaballoo: Without getting into all theugly details, Kim Hyun-joong has been mired in nasty scandals involving his ex-girlfriend, whom he was accused of beating repeatedly, allegedly resulting in miscarriage. Those accusations were followed by his denial of paternity for the child she bore after their breakup and a subsequent lawsuit. His agency distanced itself from him in the aftermath, and then last year he was also caught up in a drunk driving charge. Ultimately he was cleared of the assault charges, but the process was quite damaging to his image, and in dramaland where a clean image is so crucial to an actor’s success, it seemed that his may have suffered too much to recover. We’ll have to see whether he can bounce back successfully with this project.)

When Time Stops will broadcast in October on cable channel KBS W.