While You Were Sleeping cast

While You Were Sleeping is a superhit South Korean TV drama that aired from September 27 to November 16, 2017, on SBS. The show has 16 episodes, written by Park Hye-ryun and directed by Oh Choong-hwan. The series received praise for its unique story, beautiful visuals, and the acting of its cast. The cast of the drama includes Lee Jong-suk , Bae Suzy, Jung Hae-in Lee Sang-yeob, Kim Won-hae, Ko Sung-hee, and others. While You Were Sleeping became popular not only in South Korea but also internationally, because of its mix of suspense, romance, and heartfelt moments.

While You Were Sleeping is a legal fantasy drama. The story is about three people who can see future events in their dreams. Jung Jae-chan is a rookie prosecutor, Nam Hong-joo is a journalist, and Han Woo-tak is a police officer. These are the three main characters whose stories are intertwined with each other. They use this ability to stop bad things from happening, they realize their dreams show accidents, crimes, or tragedies, and they work together to stop such incidents. In their journey of trying to change fate, they face various challenges and also deal with Lee Yoo-beom, a corrupt lawyer who creates trouble for them. The trio develops a beautiful friendship while solving the mysteries. The show mixes romance, fantasy, and legal drama, making it exciting and emotional at the same time. Let’s take a look at the cast of the K-drama While You Were Sleeping.

Lee Jong-suk as Jung Jae-chan

Jung Jae-chan, played by Lee Jong-suk, is a 29-year-old rookie prosecutor who has a strong sense of justice. He appears to be serious and cold, but his clumsiness and carefree attitude makes his character funny initially. His childhood was traumatic as his father was murdered by a runaway soldier. His father, Jung Il-sung, was a police chief officer. He ends up falling in love with Nam Hong-joo, who also turns out to be his long-lost childhood friend. Initially, he failed to recognize her as he remembered her as a boy because of her tomboyish looks.

Lee Jong-suk is a popular South Korean actor and model born on September 14, 1989, in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. He started his career in 2005 as a runaway model in Seoul Fashion Week, where he became the youngest male model to participate. He debuted in acting with the drama Prosecutor Princess in 2010, and is known for his roles in School 2013 (2012), Doctor Stranger (2014), Pinocchio (2014), W (2016), While You Were Sleeping (2017), and Big Mouth (2022).

Bae Suzy as Nam Hong-joo

Nam Hong-joo, played by Bae Suzy, is a journalist and a field reporter, who has the special ability to see the future in her dreams. These dreams often show tragic events, and she struggles with the fear of not being able to stop them. Eventually, she teams up with Jung Jae-chan and Han Woo-tak to change the future and prevent bad events from happening, as they both can also see the future in their dreams. Bae Suzy lost her father in her childhood, just like Jung Jae-chan. Her father was also killed by the same runaway soldier.

Bae Suzy is a popular South Korean actress and singer, part of a former KPOP girl group Miss A. She was born on October 10, 1994, in Gwangju, South Korea. She joined the girl group in 2010 and made her acting debut with the hit series Dream High (2011), and her film debut with Architecture 101 (2012). After this, she starred in many hit dramas like Uncontrollably Fond (2016), While You Were Sleeping (2017), Vagabond (2019), Start-Up (2020), and Doona! (2023).

Jung Hae-in as Han Woo-tak

Han Woo-tak, played by Jung Hae-in, is a loyal and brave police officer, who is also kind-hearted. He is keeping a major secret that can be a threat to his job - he is suffering from color blindness. Woo-tak's life was saved by Jung Jae-chan and after this life-changing event, he also gains the ability to see the future in his dreams just like Jung Jae-chan and Nam Hong-joo. He joins both of them and helps stop these events from happening, while he also falls for Nam Hong-joo.

Jung Hae-in is a popular South Korean actor born on April 1, 1988, in Seoul, Korea. He made his acting debut in 2014 with a minor role in Bride of the Century, but he got noticed in the historical drama The Three Musketeers (2014). After his breakthrough role in While You Were Sleeping (2017), he worked on many big projects like Prison Playbook (2017), Something in the Rain (2018), One Spring Night (2019), Snowdrop (2021), And Love Next Door (2024).

Lee Sang-yeob as Lee Yoo-beom

Lee Yoo-beom played by Lee Sang-yeob is one of the negative leads in the show. He is a corrupt and manipulative lawyer. Jung Jae-chan once considered him his mentor but later he became unethical and manipulative. Yoo-beom is selfish and willing to do anything, even hurt others, to achieve his goals and protect himself. Yoo-bloom's actions create many problems for the leads throughout the drama, as they try to stop him.

Lee Sang-yeob is a South Korean actor born on May 8, 1983, in Seoul, South Korea. He debuted in 2008 with the drama The Great King, Sejong. He is well known for his roles in Living Among The Rich (2011), Penny Pinchers (2011), The Innocent Man (2012), While You Were Sleeping (2017), Once Again (2020), and Eve (2022).

Kim Won-hae as Choi Dam-dong

Choi Dam-dong played by Kim Won-hae is a senior prosecutor who serves as a mentor to Jae-chan. He is kind, wise, and experienced, offering guidance and support to Jae-chan as he learns his role as a prosecutor. Dam-dong is not just a mentor to Jung Jae-chan but also a father figure to him, teaching him the importance of justice and compassion in their work. His character adds humor and wisdom and also brings warmth to the story. He plays a key role in helping the team tackle challenges and grow.

Kim Won-hae is a South Korean actor born on April 6, 1969, in Busan, South Korea. He began his career in theater and performed on many stages. He is also popular for his work as a cast member of SNL Korea. He made his acting debut in 2007 in Beautiful Days, after which he had worked on many projects like Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016), While You Were Sleeping (2017), Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017), and Vincenzo (2021).

Shin Jae-ha as Jung Seung-won

Jung Seung-won played by Shin Jae-ha is a supporting character in While You Were Sleeping. He is Jung Jae-chan’s younger brother and a 19-year-old high school student. Seung-won is bright, cheerful, and deeply cares for his older brother. They are like typical siblings - they both fight and have disagreements, but despite this, they love each other. Seung-won really admires his older brother and supports his work as a prosecutor.

Shin Jae-ha is a South Korean actor born on April 2, 1993, in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. He made his debut in 2014, and he starred in various projects like Pinocchio (2014), Cheer Up (2015), While You Were Sleeping (2017), Prison Playbook (2017), and Crash Course in Romance (2023).