Who is in the Cast of What Comes After Love and Why the Chemistry Works

If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen those muted, melancholic clips of two people staring at each other in a rainy Tokyo park or a snowy Seoul street. It’s moody. It’s gorgeous. Honestly, it’s a bit of a tear-jerker. The cast of What Comes After Love is the main reason this joint production between Korea and Japan actually sticks the landing instead of just being another "star-crossed lovers" trope.

Most romance dramas rely on a simple formula. Boy meets girl, they fight, they kiss. But this show—based on the collaborative novel by Gong Ji-young and Hitonari Tsuji—is different. It’s about the "after." What happens five years after the messy breakup? To pull that off, you need actors who can communicate everything through a single, shaky exhale.

The Central Duo: Lee Se-young and Sakaguchi Kentaro

The heart of the show is Choi Hong and Aoki Jungo. If you don't get the chemistry right here, the whole thing collapses.

Lee Se-young plays Choi Hong. You might know her from The Red Sleeve or The Law Cafe. She’s got this incredible ability to look completely fragile and terrifyingly stubborn at the same time. In the flashbacks, she’s a bubbly student in Japan. In the present day, she’s hardened. She’s cold. It’s a massive transition that feels earned.

Then there is Sakaguchi Kentaro.

Japanese audiences have loved him for years, but this project is his big handshake with the K-drama world. He plays Jungo. Jungo is a novelist who basically spent five years writing a book as a public apology. Kentaro plays him with this puppy-dog sadness that makes you want to yell at the screen. He’s tall, he’s soft-spoken, and he looks exactly like a man who has lived in regret since 2019.

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The way these two interact is fascinating because of the language barrier. In the flashback scenes, they speak a mix of Japanese and Korean. It’s clumsy. It’s realistic. They misinterpret things. That’s a huge part of why the cast of What Comes After Love feels so grounded—they aren't just reciting lines; they are navigating the actual frustration of not being able to say exactly what they mean.

The Supporting Players Who Complicate Everything

It’s never just about the two leads. That would be too easy.

Hong Jong-hyun plays Min-jun, Hong’s current boyfriend. It’s a thankless role in a way. He’s the "stable" guy. He’s kind, he’s supportive, and he’s clearly a second choice. Jong-hyun plays him with a dignity that makes your heart ache for him. You want Hong to love him, but you know she’s still stuck in that park in Tokyo.

On the other side, we have Nakamura Anne as Kobayashi Kanna. She’s Jungo’s editor and ex-girlfriend. She represents the life Jungo could have if he just let go of the past. Nakamura brings a very specific, sharp energy to the screen that contrasts with the dreamy, slow-burn vibe of the rest of the show.

Why the Casting Matters for This Specific Story

K-dramas and J-dramas have very different "flavors." K-dramas tend to be high-emotion and glossy. J-dramas are often more understated, focusing on the atmosphere and silence.

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By mixing the cast of What Comes After Love with heavy hitters from both industries, the director (Moon Hyun-sung) created something hybrid. It feels like a Japanese indie film but with the emotional payoff of a high-end Korean production.

• Lee Se-young brings the "K-drama" intensity.
• Sakaguchi Kentaro brings the "J-drama" subtlety.
• The result is a show that moves slowly but feels incredibly heavy.

The Misconception About Jungo’s Character

A lot of people watching the show for the first time think Jungo is just a "sad boy" trope. That’s a mistake. If you look at Kentaro’s performance closely, Jungo is actually quite selfish in the beginning. He’s a guy who didn't know how to prioritize a partner.

The growth isn't just about them getting back together. It’s about Jungo realizing that "loving" someone isn't the same as "showing up" for them. The cast of What Comes After Love had to portray people who were genuinely unlikable at times. Hong is impulsive. Jungo is passive-aggressive. It’s messy. It’s human.

Production Value and Visual Language

The cast doesn't work in a vacuum. The cinematography is basically a third lead actor. The transition between the warm, golden hues of their past in Japan and the cold, blue-tinted reality of modern-day Seoul is jarring.

When you see Sakaguchi Kentaro standing in the middle of a bustling Korean airport, he looks out of place. He’s a fish out of water. That visual storytelling supports the acting. You don't need a monologue to tell you he feels lost; you can see it in the way he holds his shoulders.

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What You Should Watch Next

If you finished the series and you’re staring at a blank wall wondering what to do with your life, you have options.

First, check out The Red Sleeve to see Lee Se-young at her absolute peak of historical acting. It’s a very different vibe but the same emotional weight.

If you want more of Sakaguchi Kentaro, find The Last 10 Years. It’s a Japanese film that deals with similar themes of time, love, and the inevitability of loss. Bring tissues. Seriously.

The cast of What Comes After Love succeeded because they didn't try to make a "perfect" romance. They made a story about two people who broke each other and then had to decide if the pieces were worth glueing back together.

Actionable Insights for Fans

1. Watch the BTS: The behind-the-scenes footage of Lee Se-young learning Japanese and Sakaguchi Kentaro practicing Korean adds a whole new layer of appreciation for their performances.
2. Read the Source Material: The novel is unique because it was written by two authors from two different countries. It gives Jungo and Hong's perspectives in a way the show sometimes has to compress.
3. Pay Attention to the OST: The music isn't just background noise; it specifically cues which "timeline" you are in.

There is no "perfect" way to move on from a first love. This show just happens to be a very beautiful exploration of why we sometimes choose not to move on at all. Keep an eye on the upcoming projects from this ensemble, as this series has significantly boosted the crossover appeal for all involved actors.