Our Unwritten Seoul

Our Unwritten Seoul

Our Unwritten Seoul (Korean: 미지의 서울) is a 2025 South Korean television series starring Park Bo-young, Park Jin-young, and Ryu Kyung-soo. It aired on tvN from May 24, to June 29, 2025, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST). It is available for streaming on Netflix.

Synopsis

Our Unwritten Seoul

Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae are identical twins of opposite personalities and lifestyles. Mi-ji was a promising sprinter, but she has now quit sports due to an injury and is living a free-spirited life in her hometown of Duson-ri, taking care of her grandmother without a plan for her future. Mi-rae has always been a model student and is a perfectionist working at a public corporation in Seoul. When Mi-ji finds out that her sister is struggling with workplace bullying, she suggests that they swap places for a few months.

Cast

Main

• Park Bo-young as Yoo Mi-ji / Yoo Mi-rae • Lee Jae-in as teen Yoo Mi-ji / Yoo Mi-rae

• Yoo Mi-ji: The younger of the twins who works various jobs after choosing to stay in her hometown to care for her grandmother. She used to be a promising athlete but lost her chance to compete in the Olympics due to an injury. • Yoo Mi-rae: The older of the twins who works at a corporate job in Seoul. She is academically gifted but lacks physical strength.

• Park Jin-young as Lee Ho-soo • Park Yoon-ho as teen Lee Ho-soo

The Yoo twins's highschool classmate, now a lawyer at a prestigious law firm. He lost hearing in one ear following a car accident in which his father died. He has liked Mi-ji since they were young.

• Ryu Kyung-soo as Han Se-jin

A man who starts as a hedge fund CIO but later becomes a farm owner

People around Mi-ji and Mi-rae

• Jang Young-nam as Kim Ok-hee

Mi-ji and Mi-rae's mother who is an elementary school lunch lady. She is a strong-willed single mother who has been the head of her household for nearly 30 years.

• Cha Mi-kyung as Kang Wol-soon

The grandmother of the twins who was formerly a beauty salon owner. She helps with childcare and housework.

• Moon Dong-hyeok as Song Gyeong-gu

The assistant manager of Kyunggu Mart as well as Mi-ji's ex-boyfriend and current best friend.

People around Lee Ho-soo

• Im Chul-soo as Lee Chung-goo

Lee Ho-soo's senior colleague and a highly capable lawyer known for his impressive win rate.

• Kim Sun-young as Yeom Beon-hong

Lee Ho-soo's mother and vice principal of an elementary school. She has been a long-time neighbor of Yoon Mi-ji's family in Duson-ri.

Korea Finance Management Corporation staff

• Jeong Seung-gil as Choi Tae-gwan, director of Planning and Coordination Bureau. • Lee Si-hoon as Shin Gyeong-min, head of Planning Strategy Team. • Go Ae-ri as Ahn Mi-jung, a member of the Planning Strategy Team. • Yang Dae-hyeok as Hwang Yun-ho, a member of the Planning Strategy Team. • Sim So-young as Lee Hyo-kyung, a member of the Planning Strategy Team. • Hong Sung-won as Kim Tae-yi, a data analyst. • Park Ye-young as Kim Soo-yeon, former member of the Planning Strategy Team.

Others

• Jung Eun-pyo as Jo Myeong-gap, President of the Duson-ri Youth Association. • Kim Kyung-duk as Kong Il-nam, a shopkeeper at Seedong Market and Youth Association member. • Won Mi-kyung as Kim Ro-sa/Hyeon Sang-wol • Moon Su-a as young Hyeon Sang-wol • Kim Do-eun as child Hyeon Sang-wol, the owner of Rosa's Restaurant who is diagnosed with dyslexia. • Park Hwan-hee as Kim Ro-sa • Kim Tae-yeon as child Kim Ro-sa, a poet who graduated from Seoul National University.

Special appearance

• Kim Joo-hun as Ho-soo's father

Episodes

Our Unwritten Seoul

<table><thead><tr><th>No.</th><th>Title</th><th>Directed by</th><th>Written by</th><th>Original release date</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>"Mi-ji, Yet Unknown" Transliteration: "Mi-ji; ajik moreunda" (Korean: 미지; 아직 모른다)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>May 24, 2025 (2025-05-24)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>"Review and Reassess" Transliteration: "Manjeomja-ui odapnoteu" (Korean: 만점자의 오답노트)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>May 25, 2025 (2025-05-25)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>"Knock, Knock! Please Open Your Heart" Transliteration: "Ttokttok! mun jom yeoleojuseyo" (Korean: 똑 똑 문 좀 열어주세요)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>May 31, 2025 (2025-05-31)</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>"My Nemesis" Transliteration: "Na-ui cheonjeok" (Korean: 나의 천적)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 1, 2025 (2025-06-01)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>"Alone With You" Transliteration: "Geudae-wa honjaseo" (Korean: 그대와 혼자서)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 7, 2025 (2025-06-07)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>"The Silent, Ever-Present Fool" Transliteration: "Dalgat-eun babo" (Korean: 달같은 바보)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 8, 2025 (2025-06-08)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>"A Child Underneath it All" Transliteration: "Namu sok ai" (Korean: 나무 속 아이)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 14, 2025 (2025-06-14)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>"An Unconventional Whole" Transliteration: "Isanghan hana" (Korean: 이상한 하나)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 15, 2025 (2025-06-15)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>"Back Again, Once More" Transliteration: "Dasi, geugot-euro" (Korean: 다시, 그곳으로)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 21, 2025 (2025-06-21)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>"Reading You" Transliteration: "Dangsin-eun ilgneun sigan" (Korean: 당신을 읽는 시간)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 22, 2025 (2025-06-22)</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td>"At the End of the Sentence" Transliteration: "Geu munjang-eui kkeut-eseo" (Korean: 그 문장의 끝에서)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 28, 2025 (2025-06-28)</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td>"The End is a First Page" Transliteration: "Majimak cheot peiji" (Korean: 마지막 첫 페이지)</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>June 29, 2025 (2025-06-29)</td></tr></tbody></table>

Production

Development

Our Unwritten Seoul was initially a KBS drama, but they encountered difficulties in casting due to the declining competitiveness of their channels. KBS then approached Studio Dragon to co-produce the series and signed a MOU with CJ ENM, handing the drama over to tvN.

Park Shin-woo, who directed Lovestruck in the City (2020–2021), was attached to direct, and Lee Kang of Youth of May (2021) was reported to write the screenplay in December 2024. The series was planned by Studio Dragon and co-produced by Monster Union, Higround, and Next Scene. Screenwriter Kang shared that she wrote the series to tell "stories of people who look fine on the outside but are already wavering and exhausted inside." She imagined how nice it would be if a person who looked exactly like her could replace her, but at the same time wondered if her twin's life would be more peaceful than hers, thus deciding to write about two twin sisters swapping lives.

Casting

Park Bo-young as Mi-rae (left) and Mi-ji (right)

On July 25, 2024, Newsen reported that Park Bo-young had received an offer for the series, with Ten Asia confirming her appearance on the same day. On September 26, BH Entertainment told Newsen that Park Jin-young was considering the drama as the next project following his discharge from the army. On October 8, News 1 reported that Ryu Kyung-soo had joined the series as one of the leads. On December 3, Park Bo-young and Jin-young were confirmed to appear.

Park Bo-young received the script one year before the series went into production and decided to participate after reading the first episode and being favorably impressed by it. Although there was neither a director nor a broadcaster yet, she thought she would never have a similar opportunity again; she also wanted to play a strong character that would contrast with the sweet and cheerful ones she had played up to that point. Although Park had already played two different roles in Oh My Ghost (2015), she found Our Unwritten Seoul more difficult because she could not imitate another actress' performance to differentiate the two characters: she therefore started from the small details that made Mi-ji and Mi-rae unique, distinguishing them in their voice, clothing, makeup and hairstyle.

Park Jin-young was drawn to the narrative centered on victims or the weak, and found it fascinating that Lee Ho-soo, who is deaf in one ear, tried to listen to others better than a healthy person could. Hong Sung-won had initially auditioned for the roles of Ho-soo and Gyeong-gu before the director offered him the part of Kim Tae-yi.

Filming

Principal photography began at the end of 2024. The series joined the promotional campaign "Seoul, My Soul" and throughout the episodes, many attractions of the metropolis appear, such as the park north of Dongjak Bridge, the rainbow fountains of Banpo Bridge, Seongsu Naknak, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Gwangtonggyo Bridge in Cheonggyecheon, Hanbit Square, the LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Myeong-dong and the hanok district. The countryside scenes were filmed in Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk and Damyang, South Jeolla Province; filming also took place in Dangjin, Gwangju, Suncheon and Hapcheon.

Original soundtrack

Our Unwritten Seoul

The soundtrack features artists such as Choi Yu-ree, 10cm, Hong Isaac, dori, and Elaine. It was led by music director Nam Hye-seung.

Reception

Our Unwritten Seoul

Our Unwritten Seoul was well received by both critics and audiences. It was praised for its direction, solid screenplay containing words of comfort for modern people, and the actors' performances, in particular Park Bo-young's, who was appreciated for having distinguished the two sisters naturally, without unnecessary emotional excesses.

The popularity of Our Unwritten Seoul was attributed to its greatly empathetic approach to youth, depicting the confusion of a generation that despises itself, but gradually grows and overcomes its self-hatred when it realizes that everyone is suffering from something, creating a ripple effect similar to that of a self-help book, and giving courage to those who were facing difficult challenges. Pop culture critic Jung Deok-hyun observed that, through the fantasy of exchanging lives with another person, the series illustrated the process of finding the true self, forgotten by living without much thought, as well as highlighting an absurd reality in which people survive by thinking they are wrong compared to others. Fellow critic and activist Baek Su-jeong appreciated that disabled people were not portrayed stereotypically as incompetent, marginalized, or geniuses suffering from "savant syndrome," but as people who live their lives and work, taking the successful lawyer Lee Chung-goo as an example.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 5 critics' reviews are positive.

Viewership

Our Unwritten Seoul premiered on South Korean cable television channel tvN on May 24, 2025. Its first episode recorded a viewership rating of 3.6%, reaching 5% with the second episode. The ratings grew over the weeks, reaching a national average of 8.4% by the final episode, the highest among the programs in its time slot. It became tvN's highest-rated Saturday and Sunday drama to date, surpassing Resident Playbook. The series was distributed in Korea and internationally on TVING and Netflix; on the latter, it ranked third among the most-watched non-English language programs for the week of May 26 – June 1, 2025. It stayed in the top 10 for five consecutive weeks, garnering more than 112 million hours of viewing.

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)
Nationwide	Seoul
1	May 24, 2025	3.628% (1st)	4.193% (1st)
2	May 25, 2025	5.049% (1st)	5.577% (1st)
3	May 31, 2025	4.523% (1st)	5.418% (1st)
4	June 1, 2025	5.897% (1st)	6.532% (1st)
5	June 7, 2025	4.358% (1st)	4.883% (1st)
6	June 8, 2025	6.368% (1st)	7.144% (1st)
7	June 14, 2025	6.452% (1st)	6.735% (1st)
8	June 15, 2025	7.377%(1st)	8.325%(1st)
9	June 21, 2025	7.105% (1st)	7.800% (1st)
10	June 22, 2025	7.744% (1st)	8.509% (1st)
11	June 28, 2025	6.951% (1st)	7.232% (1st)
12	June 29, 2025	8.413% (1st)	8.960% (1st)
Average	6.155%	6.776%

Accolades

Awards and nominations

<table><thead><tr><th>Award ceremony</th><th>Year</th><th>Category</th><th>Nominee</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>APAN Star Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Best Drama</td><td>Our Unwritten Seoul</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Top Excellence Award (Actress) - Mid-length Drama</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Director</td><td>Park Shin-woo</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Screenwriter</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Won Mi-kyung</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Best Creative</td><td>Our Unwritten Seoul</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Jang Young-nam</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Writer</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Original Song</td><td>"Sunset" by 10cm</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Asian Television Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Best Original Screen Play</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bechdel Day</td><td>2025</td><td>Bechdel Choice 10</td><td>Our Unwritten Seoul</td><td>Top 10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bechdelian of the Year</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cine21 Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Series Category – Actress of the Year</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Series of the Year</td><td>Our Unwritten Seoul</td><td>1st Place</td></tr><tr><td>Screenwriter of the Year</td><td>Lee Kang</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>CJ ENM Visionary Awards</td><td>2026</td><td>2026 Visionary</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Lee Kang</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>DAP Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Special Award (Unknown Park Bo-young)</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Daejeon Special FX Film Festival (DFX OTT Awards)</td><td>2025</td><td>Grand Prize (Daesang)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>FUNdex Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Best TV Drama</td><td>Our Unwritten Seoul</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress of TV Drama</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Popular Star Prize (Female)</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Popular Star Prize (Male)</td><td>Park Jin-young</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Korea Drama Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Popular Couple Award</td><td>Park Jin-young and Park Bo-young</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Drama</td><td>Our Unwritten Seoul</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Top Excellence Award, Actress</td><td>Park Bo-young</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actor</td><td>Park Jin-young</td><td>Nominated</td></tr></tbody></table>

Listicles

<table><thead><tr><th>Publisher</th><th>Year</th><th>Listicle</th><th>Placement</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Time</td><td>2025</td><td>The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2025</td><td>5th Place</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Teen Vogue</td><td>15 Best K-Dramas of 2025</td><td>Included</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cineplay</td><td>Cineplay's 2025 Best Scripted Shows</td><td>Included</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>South China Morning Post</td><td>The 15 best K-dramas of 2025</td><td>12th</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Collider</td><td>10 Best K-Romances of 2025</td><td>9th</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Screen Rant</td><td>10 Best K-Dramas of 2025, Ranked</td><td>4th</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Entertainment Weekly</td><td>The 21 best Korean shows on Netflix to watch now</td><td>Included</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>