On July 18, 2025, the long-awaited K-drama The Good Man will hit the screens. Cast? Lee Dong-wook in the role of Park Seok-cheol, a man caught up in the ruthless world of thieves because of his family. But behind his gangster looks, Park harbors an unexpected dream: become a writer, like his idol Ernest Hemingway. A complex character, torn between his literary (and amorous) aspirations and his brutal reality, embodied with perfect emotional depth by Lee Dong-wook.
Lee Dong-wook torn between violence and redemption
3 video teasers were unveiled on June 20, each offering a different facet of this contradictory character.
The 1st teaser plunges the viewer into Park's dark world, as he tightens a bloody bandage around his wound, a metaphor for his relentless struggle to protect what he holds dear. Park's empty, determined gaze hints at his inner and outer struggle, heralding a spiral of violence and redemption.
The 2nd teaser reveals a more intimate side of Park Seok-cheol. As he leafs through a Hemingway book, a quotation appears: "As long as the sun rises, there is hope." This moment, marked by poetry and pain, illustrates his desire to rewrite his destiny, while drowning in his personal dilemmas.
Finally, in the 3rd teaser, Park shares a quote from Robert Frost: "I took the road less travelled. And that changed everything. A choice that echoes his own life, full of forks in the road and difficult choices. Each teaser leaves us with a cliffhanger, making us want to follow this hero in search of meaning and redemption.
The Good Mana darkly emotional melodrama, will air every Friday on JTBC and on Disney+ and Hulu (availability by country). This drama, directed by Song Hae-seong and Park Hong-su, is one of the most eagerly awaited of the summer.
