You know that feeling when you start a K-drama expecting just another high school trope, but then the lead actor stares into the camera with this chilling, hollow look and suddenly you're hooked? That's basically the experience of watching the Revenge of Others cast do their thing. It wasn't just another teen thriller. It was dark. It was messy. Honestly, it felt a lot more like a noir film than a Disney+ original.
Shin Ye-eun and Lomon didn't just play characters; they lived in that weird, violent intersection of grief and vigilante justice. If you’ve spent any time on MDL or Twitter lately, you’ve probably seen people still debating the ending or asking when this group is going to reunite. The chemistry was just... different. It wasn't about romance, really. It was about survival.
The Raw Power of Shin Ye-eun as Ok Chan-mi
Most people knew Shin Ye-eun from A-TEEN or He is Psychometric. She had this "nation's little sister" vibe for a while. Then Revenge of Others happened. She plays Ok Chan-mi, a high school shooter—the athletic kind, not the American news kind—who is hunting down the truth about her twin brother's death.
She's gritty here.
I remember watching the scene where she’s practicing her aim, and you can see the literal blisters and the metaphorical weight on her shoulders. It’s a physical performance. She isn't wearing a lot of makeup. She looks exhausted. That authenticity is why the Revenge of Others cast felt so grounded compared to more "polished" school dramas like True Beauty.
Shortly after this, she went on to play the younger version of the villain in The Glory. That’s a wild pivot. Going from the girl seeking justice to the girl inflicting trauma shows just how much range she was building during her time on this set.
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Why Lomon Was the Perfect Ji Soo-heon
Let's be real. A huge chunk of the audience showed up because of Lomon (Park Solomon). Coming off the massive global success of All of Us Are Dead, everyone wanted to see if he could actually lead a series without a horde of zombies chasing him.
He could.
As Ji Soo-heon, he had to balance being a terminal patient—he has a brain tumor in the show—with being a brutal vigilante who beats up bullies for money. It sounds like a comic book plot, but Lomon makes it feel tragic. There’s this specific scene where he’s at the bowling alley, and he’s trying to stay normal, but his hand starts shaking. It’s subtle.
The contrast between his soft features and the violence he inflicts is what made the show's "revenge" theme actually land. He didn't look like a killer. He looked like a kid who was out of options. That’s a nuance that a lot of younger actors miss, but Lomon nailed it.
The Supporting Players Who Kept Us Guessing
If the show was just about Chan-mi and Soo-heon, it would have been fine. But the Revenge of Others cast was stacked with actors who were essentially human red herrings.
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- Seo Ji-hoon (Seok Jae-beom): Talk about a complicated role. He plays someone with memory loss. Usually, that’s a lazy writing trope, but Seo Ji-hoon plays it with this haunting confusion. You never quite know if you should hug him or run away from him.
- Chae Sang-woo (Gi Oh-sung): Every good thriller needs a character you absolutely loathe. Oh-sung was manipulative, wealthy, and terrifyingly calm. Chae Sang-woo has been acting since he was a literal child, and that experience shows in how he controls a scene without raising his voice.
- Lee Soo-min (Kuk Ji-hyun): She added that necessary layer of high school social politics. It wasn't all just "who killed who," it was also "who is ruining whose reputation."
Production Context: The Disney+ Influence
It's worth noting that Revenge of Others was part of that initial wave of Korean originals on Disney+. Because it wasn't airing on traditional Korean cable networks like tvN or SBS, the creators had more freedom with the rating.
They used it.
The violence is visceral. The language is "kinda" foul. This freedom allowed the Revenge of Others cast to lean into the darker aspects of their characters without having to worry about being "likable" for a general family audience. It’s why the show feels more like Extracurricular than Boys Over Flowers.
Debunking the "Just Another Bully Drama" Label
A lot of critics tried to lump this in with every other "school violence" show that came out in 2022 and 2023. That’s a mistake. While Weak Hero Class 1 was about the psychology of the victim, and The Glory was about the long-term scar tissue of trauma, Revenge of Others was a whodunnit.
The mystery of who pushed Park Won-seok out that window was the engine. The Revenge of Others cast had to play every scene with a double meaning. If you re-watch the early episodes, you’ll see the way Gi Oh-sung looks at the others—it’s full of clues that most of us missed the first time around.
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The Career Trajectory Post-Revenge
Where are they now? This is usually the best way to judge a cast's impact.
- Shin Ye-eun is now a certified A-lister. The Glory made her a household name for her villainous turn, and she’s continued to pick roles that challenge her "good girl" image.
- Lomon has become a fashion icon and a staple in the "next-gen Hallyu" conversation. He's picky with his projects, which keeps his mystery alive.
- Seo Ji-hoon has stayed busy in the romance and thriller genres, recently appearing in My Lovely Liar.
It’s rare for a teen cast to stay this relevant, but these guys weren't just "teen actors." They were professional performers handling heavy themes like terminal illness, suicide, and systemic corruption.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you’re a fan of the Revenge of Others cast or someone looking to analyze why this show worked for your own creative projects, here is the breakdown of the "secret sauce":
- Cast against type: Taking "sweet" actors like Shin Ye-eun and making them cold and calculated creates instant tension.
- Physicality matters: Don't just give a character a backstory; give them a physical toll. The brain tumor and the rifle training weren't just plot points; they dictated how the actors moved.
- The "Silent" Performance: Some of the best moments in the show have zero dialogue. Watch the scenes where the characters are just walking through the school hallways alone. Their posture tells the whole story.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you haven't seen it, or you're planning a re-watch, keep your eyes on the background characters. The Revenge of Others cast includes several students who don't have many lines but are present in almost every major "incident" scene. Their reactions—or lack thereof—are the keys to the mystery.
The show is currently streaming on Disney+ (and Hulu in some regions).
Next Steps for Deep Dives:
- Watch the behind-the-scenes "making of" clips on the Disney+ Korea YouTube channel. It’s fascinating to see Lomon and Shin Ye-eun joke around right after filming a scene where they’re literally covered in fake blood.
- Compare Shin Ye-eun’s performance here to her role in The Secret Romantic Guesthouse. The contrast in her vocal tone and facial expressions is a masterclass in acting.
- Look up the cinematography team. The lighting used for the Revenge of Others cast—lots of high-contrast shadows—was intentional to highlight the "two-faced" nature of high school life.
The series is a complete story, which is a bit of a rarity in the "everything needs a Season 2" era. It starts with a fall and ends with a resolution that, while heavy, feels earned. That’s the legacy of this cast: they took a dark, winding script and made us care about the people caught in the gears.