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MBC has unveiled the first images of Perfect Crownthe upcoming drama starring IU and Byeon Woo-seok. The project is already intriguing for its unique setting: a contemporary Korea reimagined as a constitutional monarchy, where rules of status and power still dictate individual destinies.
In this set, IU plays Sung Hee-jooHeiress to an economic empire, brilliant, beautiful and ambitious, but paradoxically treated like an ordinary citizen. On her side, Byeon Woo-seok interprets Grand Prince Yi Wan, son of the king, but deprived of any real power. Two figures seemingly at odds with each other, yet united by the same invisible wounds.
A heroine ready to defy her destiny
Production is handled by Park Joon-hwa, already at work on What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and the Alchemy of Souls saga, while the screenplay is by Yu Ain, winner of the Excellence Award at the MBC 2022 writing competition.
IU lends her features to Sung Hee-joo, a young woman who lacks nothing except the status she feels she deserves. Tired of being limited by a system that refuses to recognize her worth, she decides to bypass society itself. Determined to break through the invisible ceiling that stands in her way, she chooses a radical solution: "she boldly enters into a contractual marriage".
This decision sets off a chain of events that will turn both her and the prince's lives upside down.
A muzzled prince with a fiery heart
Byeon Woo-seok plays Yi Wan, a minor prince who is silenced by protocol. Despite his title, "it is forbidden to surpass or even speak louder than the Crown Prince", which forces him to live in the shadows, hiding a temperament much hotter than it appears.
When Hee-joo and Yi-wan meet, their opposing worlds collide. Both have cracks that no one else sees, and this meeting becomes the tipping point that allows them to finally face up to who they really are. A story of healing as well as passion unfolds, promising a blend of romantic tension, heartfelt emotion and social critique.
Perfect Crown will be broadcast in 2026 on MBC and Disney+. A release to keep an eye on for fans of modern royal romances.
