''In the Net'' () is an upcoming South Korean television series based on the crime novel ''Second Sister'' written by Chan Ho Kei, starring

Kim Seon-ho Kim Seon-ho (, ; born May 8, 1986) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in theater in 2009 before making his screen debut with a small role in the television series ''Good Manager'' in 2017. He gained attention for his supporting ...

and

Park Gyu-young Park Gyu-young (; born July 27, 1993) is a South Korean actress. Previously known in South Korea for her roles in the dramas ''It's Okay to Not Be Okay'' (2020), '' Sweet Home'' (2020), '' Dali & Cocky Prince'' (2021), ''Celebrity'' (2023), '' ...

. It is co-directed by

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, '' The Quiet Family'' in 1998. Kim has worked with incr ...

and

Park Bo-ram Park Bo-ram (; March 1, 1994 – April 11, 2024) was a South Korean singer. She took part in Mnet's '' SuperStar K2'' and finished in eighth place. Park made her debut with release digital single "Beautiful" featuring Zico on August 7, 2014 ...

, with the screenplay adapted from the novel by novelist and scriptwriter

Joo Won-gyu Joo Won-gyu (; born 1975) is a South Korean pastor, novelist and writer. Currently, he focuses on religious activities such as reading the Bible in small groups and serves as the director of the Institute for Shared Culture, which explores ever ...

Premise

The story revolves around an older sister who struggles to come to terms with the death of her younger sister, who made a drastic decision after being witch-hunted on the Internet. She eventually meets N, a mysterious hacker whom she hires to uncover the truth about the incident surrounding her sister's passing.

Cast

Main

as N, a mysterious man. *

as Ai, the older sister.

Supporting

* Lee Hong-nae *

Jin Ho-eun Jin Ho-eun (; September 1, 2000) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life'', ''The Secret of Secret'', ''To My Beautiful Woo Ri'', ''All of Us Are Dead and Revenge of Others ''Reven ...

Hyun Bong-sik Hyun Bong-sik, (; born Hyun Jae-young on 20 October 1984), is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Feature films Short films Music videos Awards and nominations References External links * * * {{DEFAULT ...

as detective * Lee So-i * Park Moon-a * Han Hyun-jun * Kim Ga-young * Kang Chae-young * Kim Ho-jun * Park Min-yi * Chang Dan-bi * Chu Eun-kyung * Han Chae-yong

Production

Development

On December 7, 2022, during the 'Yong Film Night' event, CEO Lim Seung-yong, announced Yong Film's future lineup. An OTT series with the working title "Mangnaein" (literally In The Net) was announced as part of the lineup. The series is co-directed by

and

. The series is an adaptation of the crime novel 'Second Sister' by

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

writer Chan Ho Kei. Yong Film is producing the series in collaboration with Anthology Studio and SK Global.

Casting

The initial casting announcement for the series took place on March 16, 2023, with

being offered the lead roles. On the same day, an entertainment official informed

JTBC JTBC (shortened from Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company; ; stylized in all lowercase) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on December 1, ...

Entertainment News that

had been chosen as the female lead.

Saram Entertainment Saram Entertainment () is an entertainment company in South Korea, founded by Lee So-young in 2006 and partakes in artist management and film production. It currently operates as a subsidiary of Standus Corporation. Current artists Actors * Cl ...

, Park Gyu-young's agency, stated that while the casting is not confirmed, they have received an offer and are reviewing it positively. According to news coverage on June 13, Lee Hong-nae was positively discussing appearing in the series. In July, Park's appearance confirmation in the drama was mentioned in her interview. In November, Park Min-yi confirmed as one of the cast. In December, while attending the

8th Asia Artist Awards The 2023 Asia Artist Awards (), the 8th edition, presented by Star News, took place on December 14, 2023, at the Philippine Arena, Bulacan, Philippines. The ceremony was hosted by Kang Daniel, Jang Won-young, and Sung Han-bin. It was broadcast ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

mentioned that the drama was slated to be his project for 2024.

Filming

On June 13, 2023, it was reported that the cast had recently taken part in the first script reading session. Additionally, full-scale filming was scheduled to begin by the end of June. In January 2024, it was announced that the filming for the drama had wrapped up, and there were ongoing discussions regarding its release on OTT platforms.

Post production

''In The Net'' VFX was handled by Digital Idea. In September 2024, Mowg mentioned that he was still working on the final version of music for the series. As of March 2025, although there has been speculation on the release date, platform and possible name change to 'Unfriend', including a 4th quarter release on

Tving TVING () is a South Korean subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture comprising CJ ENM Entertainment Division (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC by its JTBC Studios, now calle ...

, a representative from production said "This matter is not yet finalized. We are in a state of internal discussion." In June 2025, SLL revealed that Unfriend (In The Net), would be released in 2025 as an OTT original on the global OTT platform

TVing TVING () is a South Korean subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture comprising CJ ENM Entertainment Division (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC by its JTBC Studios, now calle ...

References

External links

* * {{Kim Jee-woon Upcoming South Korean television series South Korean mystery television series South Korean thriller television series South Korean pre-produced television series Korean-language television shows