Hottest K-drama actors aged 30 and under you'd want as imaginary boyfriends

A big part of the appeal of K-dramas is the indulgent escapism and the impossibly gorgeous actors. Like, who hasn't dreamt about walking down a (not North Korean) street market in candle light with Hyun Bin?

But if you like your imaginary boyfriends a bit younger, here are some handsome up-and-coming K-drama actors aged 30 and under. And nicely enough, they're all connected through their shows, so you can watch one series and drool over two. Best.

Cha Eun-woo

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The boyish Eun-woo, who celebrated his 24th birthday just on March 30, seems like a sweet and sentimental young man.

Apart from performing with the boyband Astro and in solo acting projects like True Beauty, he's also one of the hosts in the variety show Master In The House. In one episode telecast in February, he — to the shock of his co-hosts — cried after listening to a showbiz couple talk about their blissful relationship and marriage.

Eun-woo, who has a whopping 18.9 million followers on Instagram, explained: "I think it's really difficult to meet someone whom you can say is always on your side. It's not about love or marriage but more about the fact that I've never been able to speak to someone about my innermost thoughts and have them understand. I want to do it, but I don't think I'm able to."

The hosts were later asked to write their future wedding invitations, and Eun-woo penned: "On a day when the whole world appeared beautiful and warm, we met the person whom we could trust to be on our side, who can embrace our weaknesses. Hand in hand, we will walk into the future. We are now becoming a married couple."

Hwang In-youp

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In-youp, Eun-woo's co-star in True Beauty, entered showbiz quite late. It was only in 2017 that he started his career as a runway model and made his acting debut a year later. But the 30-year-old has managed to play high school students quite convincingly and endearingly.

Though his characters in 18 Again and True Beauty didn't end up with the girl, In-youp might be more pro-active and a go-getter when it comes to love in real life.

In an interview with W Korea in February about his role Seo-jun in True Beauty, he said: "If it was me, I wouldn't have lost my chance with (Seo-jun's love interest) Ju-gyeong. I wouldn't have just hovered around her for two years."

He also said, quite wisely, about love triangles: ""I think that if you choose friendship, you will only lose love. But if you choose love, you have to be prepared to lose both."

If you need another reason — apart from his rascally cool looks — to be on Team In-youp, he has already completed his military service so you won't have to endure two years of heartache not seeing him onscreen.

ALSO READ: Then and now: How K-drama's biggest leading men like Hyun Bin, Gong Yoo, Ju Ji-hoon were like

Lee Do-hyun

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Do-hyun and In-youp starred in last year's fantasy coming-of-age drama 18 Again but it was in the 2019 hit series Hotel del Luna that Do-hyun found fame playing actress IU's star-crossed lover.

The 25-year-old took a leap from romance in his next big TV offering, Netflix's 2020 apocalypse series Sweet Home (which also stars our next hunk Song Kang).

In spite of his youth, Do-hyun has a heavy burden on his shoulders. In an interview with Esquire Korea, he said his mother works as a newspaper delivery woman to pay off the family's debts and also support his disabled brother.

He said he wants to earn enough to pay off the debts and fully support his family. "That way, I will have peace of mind when I have to enlist in the army," he added.

It's perhaps this sense of familial duty that explains why he's quite serious about his work. While preparing for a drama where he played a broken-hearted man, he reportedly broke up with his then-girlfriend because he wanted to give a stronger performance.

ALSO READ: Why is Netflix's Sweet Home action star Lee Si-young the first Korean actress to have over 10m followers on TikTok?

Song Kang

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It only took Song Kang a couple of music videos and a handful of supporting roles before he became the leading man in the romantic drama series Love Alarm and its sequel; apocalyptic monster series Sweet Home; and the recently premiered inspirational ballet drama Navillera.

While he admitted he "can't stand" keeping his feelings hidden, it appears he's not too good when it comes to love confessions.

Song Kang — who turns 27 later this month — said in an interview that he once drank too much and was wasted when he told a girl how he felt.

In another interview, he said: "I'm not good at expressing my feelings well, so if someone can express her feelings for me, I think I will be moved and be equally nice to her."

Perhaps he'll get better at it after his new romantic drama I Know But, where he plays a young man who finds dating a waste of time but likes to flirt.

ALSO READ: 7 things to know about Netflix's new K-drama darling Song Kang of Love Alarm and Sweet Home fame

True Beauty and Master In The House are available on Viu, while Sweet Home and Navillera are on Netflix. You can also catch 18 Again and Hotel del Luna on both Viu and Netflix.

kwokkarpeng@asiaone.com