2024 was a big year for Song Kang between My Demon and the final season of Sweet Home, but his next K-drama role should be very different from characters like Gu-won and Hyun-su. After three years of waiting, Sweet Home returned for a second season on December 2023, allowing viewers to finally revisit Song Kang’s Cha Hyun-su. A week before that, My Demon had premiered on KST, with new episodes arriving every week on Netflix. My Demon concluded on January 20, 2024, with Sweet Home season 3 arriving six months later on July 2024.

With two hugely popular shows coming out around the same time over the past year, Song Kang confirmed his “Son of Netflix” status. My Demon was one of the best K-dramas of 2024, and while the final two seasons of Sweet Home weren’t as good as the first, the horror K-drama remained popular. Song Kang is currently completing his obligatory military service, which started on April 2, 2024. With his return date yet to be confirmed, it may take a while before the K-drama star headlines a project again. That said, Song Kang’s next show should be a slice-of-life story.

Song Kang’s Two Most Recent K-Dramas Were Supernatural

Jeong Gu-won And Cha Hyun-su Weren’t Exactly Relatable

While My Demon and Sweet Home were very different shows, they were both supernatural and dealt with fantastic elements. My Demon told the story of a demon, played by Song Kang, who had no choice but to work with an eccentric CEO played by Kim Yoo-jung. My Demon does not take itself too seriously and is a very funny K-drama that makes the most of its demon tropes. Song Kang’s character despises humanity and only comes to the world of the living to claim souls, but everything changes when he loses his powers and has to play along with Do-hee.

In Sweet Home, Cha Hyun-su is a special infecte whose powers are the key to understanding the monster apocalypse that is destroying the world. Although Sweet Home is a dark show with very high stakes, it also leans heavily into sci-fi and supernatural elements. Neither My Demon nor Sweet Home can be described as grounded shows, meaning that their characters are not exactly relatable. This is why Song Kang’s next K-drama should ditch the fantastical elements of his two previous roles and tell a more realistic, slice-of-life story where he can play a relatable character.

Some Of Song Kang’s Best K-Dramas Were Slice-Of-Life

Song Kang Shined In Shows Like Nevertheless And Navillera

Song Kang has done a lot of great shows already, with his first leading role being the Netflix original K-drama Love Alarm. It’s safe to say that some of Song Kang’s best roles came from grounded, more realistic stories that allowed him to play more “human” characters compared to My Demon and Sweet Home. For example, in Nevertheless, we follow the story of two people who are not eager to enter a relationship but are still drawn to each other. Song Kang and Han So-hee play a very realistic couple in Nevertheless as opposed to a fairy tale one.

Likewise, in Navillera, Song Kang gives one of his best performances as a young ballet dancer who becomes friends with an older man who dreams of learning ballet. Navillera might be Song Kang’s most underrated role, namely because it is his only K-drama that is not primarily about romance or action. Forecasting Love and Weather is also a somewhat realistic series, although it does rely on traditional K-drama tropes and follows a relatively controversial main couple. My Demon and Sweet Home are fantastic shows, but Song Kang’s return to the screen should be something from a different genre entirely.

Song Kang’s Next K-Drama Role Should Be Very Different From Cha Hyun-su

An Older Character In A More Realistic Setting Would Be Perfect

Song Kang’s career goes way beyond Sweet Home and includes a lot of other leading roles. That said, there is no denying that Sweet Home is his most popular show, especially looking at the global success of the Netflix series. However, as great of a character as Cha Hyun-su was, I hope that Song Kang’s next K-drama roles allow him to show something different from what he did in Sweet Home. For example, it would be interesting to see Song Kang playing slightly older characters as opposed to young adults like Cha Hyun-su.

The first season of
Sweet Home
was the first K-drama to enter Netflix’s global Top 10

Granted, My Demon‘s Gu-won was a 200-year-old demon, but this was a comedic character first and foremost. An intense yet charming romantic comedy in the style of Queen of Tears or even another big-budget action webseries from Netflix in a different genre from Sweet Home could give Song Kang a character that is unlike any of his previous ones. Given the leading man status he has achieved over the years, the possibilities are endless for what Song Kang will do next.

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  Sweet Home follows the story of Hyun-soo, a reclusive high school student who moves into the Green Home apartment complex after losing his family. When a mysterious epidemic turns people into monstrous creatures, Hyun-soo and the residents of Green Home must band together to survive, confronting their inner demons and the horrifying threats outside.

  Cast

  Song Kang , Lee Jin-Wook , Lee Si-young , Park Gyu-young , Go Min-si , Kim Hee-jung , Kim Gook-hee , Lee Joon-woo

  Release Date

  December 18, 2020

  Seasons

  3

• 

  My Demon is a fantasy drama series exploring the unlikely relationship between a kind-hearted woman and a cynical demon. As their worlds collide, they form an unexpected alliance to fend off threats from both human and supernatural realms. The series delves into themes of friendship, redemption, and the battle between good and evil.

  Cast

  Kim Yoo-jung , Song Kang , Lee Sang-yi , Kim Hae-sook , Seo Jung-yeon , Kim Tae-hoon , Jo Hye-joo , Lee Yoon-ji

  Release Date

  November 24, 2023

  Seasons

  1