Netflix’s New 12-Part K-Drama Is Officially The End Of An Era

Published Aug 26, 2026, 10:30 PM EDT

Shealyn Scott is a Senior Writer at Screen Rant. She has been writing for the site since 2024, focused on network, reality, streaming, and classic television.
A creative writer, journalist, and lover of the written word in all its forms, Shealyn enjoys deconstructing scenes from her favorite shows, using context clues and historical precedent to predict major plot points (which, due to her successful track record, has sparked rumors of clairvoyance).
As an award-winning student journalist, Shealyn spent her college years advocating for the humanities while studying English Literature. Her love of storytelling propelled her to expand her degree with minors in Writing and History, believing life to be a mere collection of stories that can be framed in as many ways as a movie scene.
As a Senior member of the TV Team, Shealyn treats the series she covers like books, analyzing every line, camera angle, and lighting choice. Thankfully, her personal mission statement lines up perfectly with Screen Rant: every creative work deserves just as much thought from the viewer as it received from its creator.

One of Netflix's biggest K-dramas of the year thus far is proving to be a game-changing series. From globally acclaimed hits like Squid Game and The Glory to hidden gems like Move to Heaven and Daily Dose of Sunshine, Netflix original K-dramas have become a fixture of the ubiquitous streaming service. Furthermore, the once niche corner of the online library has grown exponentially more popular in the past decade, culminating in dozens of original and acquired Korean titles premiering each quarter. Yet, while many 2026 K-dramas have already impressed, Netflix recently dropped one of its most unique: Our Sticky Love.

Despite its strange title, Our Sticky Love has a truly gripping premise. After a power-hungry prosecutor finds herself at the whim of a dangerous criminal kingpin, she narrowly avoids execution. However, her survival came at a major cost: her memory. As such, when Go Eun-sae (Ha Young) awakes with seemingly incurable amnesia, her very sense of self is gone, leaving her unfinished business with the mob boss an underlying— but potentially fatal— loose end. Thankfully, Our Sticky Love's viewership matches its enthralling plot, but the romantic crime thriller also comes with an invisible, career-defining change for leading lady Ha Young.

Ha Young Shines In Our Sticky Love

Netflix

Throughout the 12 hour-long installments of Our Sticky Love, Ha Young is a certified chameleon. The actress seamlessly navigates the depth of a high-drama amnesia plot while maintaining the humor and levity of a classic rom-com. Every emotion plays out with the utmost sincerity on her face, in her body language, and in her voice, helping Eun-sae stay a sympathetic character amidst her lowest moments. Whether she is reduced to tears by fear over her lost memory or visibly flustered by her growing attraction to Jang Tae-ha (Jung Hae-in), the viewer believes Eun-sae and feels compelled to root for her.

Playing such a dynamic female K-drama lead takes immense skill, as Our Sticky Love demands romance and grit, humor and heart, and everything in between— sometimes in the span of a single episode. Portraying Eun-sae at all would be a challenge, let alone reigning in the character enough to prevent the series from seeming tonally dissonant. Consequently, Ha Young's performance is nothing short of acting excellence, but what makes it doubly impressive is the fact that Our Sticky Love is her first project as a female lead.

Ha Young has had scene-stealing roles in some of the biggest modern K-dramas, but she has always been relegated to the sidelines as a supporting character or second lead. In Doona!, she plays the main character's first love who is rejected after the female lead takes an interest in him. In Teach You a Lesson, she's the male lead's late wife who haunts the narrative. In Boyfriend on Demand, she portrays the protagonist's quirky best friend who is far too pragmatic to have a love story of her own.

Though Ha Young has had her fair share of cameos since her acting career began, viewers have long anticipated the day she would have her own starring role. Therefore, Our Sticky Love marks an irrefutable turning point for Ha Young, but there is no one correct path for her future as an actress. If the past is truly precedent, however, it's likely she'll have plenty of leading roles to choose from in the future.

How Netflix K-Dramas Avoid Second Lead Syndrome

Without question, the vast majority of Korean dramas are still produced domestically, but international streaming has irreversibly altered the industry. Stars can be born with a single viral meme, and careers can be halted by a lackluster performance. Similarly, Netflix has some of the biggest names in K-drama history at its disposal, which makes casting for original series an ever-illustrious endeavor. Some actors appear frequently, like Park Eun-bin, who starred in some of the biggest K-dramas on Netflix and most recently helmed The Wonderfools. Others, like Ha Young, were merely familiar faces that deserved their chance in the spotlight.

Now that Netflix has a built-in audience for any original K-drama it creates, stunt casting has become fairly obsolete. Of course, instantly recognizable names and faces still draw in viewers, but there's far more leeway now to prioritize the chemistry of a K-drama couple or find the perfect fit for a one-of-a-kind main character. Even if one lead is less established, Netflix has the resources to fill in the gaps by casting other icons, much like Our Sticky Love's Jung Hae-in, who previously starred in Connect, Love Next Door, D.P., and Something in the Rain.

Considering Ha Young had smaller roles in numerous Netflix original K-dramas prior to Our Sticky Love, it also stands to reason that portraying a side character could get one's foot in the door. As is the case with any acting gig, a standout performance will make you memorable, and the first impression you make may just land you a major audition down the line. Nevertheless, starring as a romantic lead is not the be-all and end-all of acting, as many K-drama stars continually prove.

Many Iconic K-Drama Stars Don’t Play Leading Roles

Within the cast of Our Sticky Love alone, there are close to a dozen actors who are renowned for their character work or archetypal casting. Kim Young-ok, who plays Tae-ha's grandmother Go Young-Hong, has appeared in plenty of K-drama masterpieces, ranging from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha to King the Land to Her Private Life. Similarly, Jeon Bae-soo as Hong Do-Yeop captures the paternal vibe he has built his entire career on, playing father figures in major network titles like Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Fight for My Way, and Queen of Tears.

Kim Young-ok has earned the nickname "National Grandma" thanks to her many portrayals of grandmothers in television and film.

To that end, it's clear that there are countless A-list actors who enrich every series they appear in, even if they're always on the periphery. Tae-ha and Eun-sae are both incredible characters, but they would be nothing without their village of friends and family. As a result, Ha Young may use Our Sticky Love as a career launch pad to pivot to leading roles, but she would be just as indomitable if she solely stuck with side characters.

Nevertheless, the young actress is obviously brimming with potential, and leading roles may be the best way to challenge herself and continue proving her impressive range as a performer. Perhaps Ha Young will star in a heist drama, a supernatural thriller, or an austere period piece set in the Joseon dynasty. Alternatively, she may cement herself as a bona fide queen of romance by staying within the realm of rom-com K-dramas. No matter which route she takes, one thing is clear: Ha Young has an incandescently bright future ahead of her.

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