Reply 1988 Season 2 (2025) – Park Bo Gum , Lee Hyeri, Park Shin Hye & Kim Soo Hyun Return!

TVN dramas no one can beat them right? 2015, was a blessed year because, Reply 1988 stole all of our hearts with its whimsical and freshly served storyline of the 19’s and the bitter-sweet love story between Sung Deok, Kim Jung Hwan, and Choi Taek. Since the end of the series fans and netizens have been feeling void, and have been craving to see the pairs again! Don’t worry because Reply 1988 is having a second season in June of 2025! A decade-long year of waiting is finally becoming a reality! 

TVN and director, Shin Won Ho and writer Lee Woo Jung have been carefully planning to make their next move and recently the two of them had a meeting! So it is happening, the plotline will be refreshing and will involve many elements that will keep viewers hooked to the core, we will get to see new cast members, special compilations, talk shows, and even alternate endings! But before that, we really need to refresh our memories regarding the first season of Reply 1988! The 19’s drama centered around the life of five childhood best friends living in the neighborhood of Ssangmundong, they try to navigate the challenges of life, and get to experience first-hand breakups, flunky moments, and embarrassing situations, all while maintaining family dramas. The chemistry and love story between the trio, Sung Deok which was played by Lee Hyeri, Kim Jung Hwan played by Ryu Jun Yeol, and Choi Taek portrayed by the nation’s little brother Park Bo Gum. The tension and uncertainty while the heartwrenching goodbyes between the leads tore our hearts right? Especially when we saw Sung Deok in the end choosing Choi Taek, despite Kim Jung Hwan’s unwavering love and devotion towards Sung Deok, some things didn’t work out, it was a tear-jerky moment for all of us, but Choi Taek valued Sung Deok as a woman, saw through her vulnerabilities and was just there for her through thick and thin, which was enough for Sung Deok to know Taek was the one for her. As the drama proceeded, everyone got to discover themselves, some got accepted into their dream university while others came to terms with the fact that life has a different timeline for everyone. Remember the family, discrimination, and what all, well everything boils down at some point! Truly, Reply 1988, was one of the best series of all time. 

Now, prepare yourself for the exciting ride because season 2 has so much potential. While the ending showcased, Sung Deok's choice, the moments of nostalgia, how everyone once gathered. In Season 2, everyone’s individual life will be explored. They will heavily focus on Choi Taek and Sung Deok’s love life, and how differences in career and university selection will affect their relationship, there will be moments of uncertainty, friendship rivalry, and yes, the iconic love triangle moment will be present for sure after all feelings and memories are something which cannot be wiped away easily. Kim Jung Hwan will still harbor feelings for Sung Deok, which will create tension between them. Whenever she is in trouble Choi Taek will appear late because of the move to different parts, and guess what, it has been hinted by writer Lee Woo Jung, that there will be a particular episode, where Kim Hung Hwan will end up confessing that he still is deeply in love with Sung Deok, despite all he still could not understand what he lacked, was his unwavering devotion and love was not enough? Sung Daek tries her best to fix the moment and try to wipe Jung Hwan’s tears, and he ends up hugging her and at that moment Choi Taek appears and this causes a massive misunderstanding because it was that day, Choi Taek was planning to surprise Sung Deok with an engagement ring! Talk about misunderstandings after misunderstandings. 

Their friends, Sung Sun Woo and Ryu Dong Ryong will try to resolve the tension, families will get involved, and it will be filled with drama but aside from that there will be heartfluterring moments when the fights will dissolve, the proposal scene and Choi Taek's confession will be extremely sweet and romantic. Kim Jung Hwan will be emotionally in pain but eventually will come to terms with the fact not everything you desire will be yours! There will be a total of 20 episodes because of each and everyone’s life update, their relationship, dream goals, and heartbreaking moments, and a whole episode will be there showcasing the family dynamics and how everyone has grown mature at one point. All these will bring back nostalgia with a pinch of drama and spice of course! 

Now in the series, there are two huge fan bases, one supporting Choi Taek and Sung Deok, while others are still sad over, Sung Deok and Kim Jung Hwan’s love life, well do not worry because, the director and writer decided to showcase two alternative endings to satisfy all those hungry souls, so this time we will be getting everything without any doubt! 

Moving on to the casting! This will be both sad and happy news for many, because yes, Lee Hyeri will be there, and so will be Park Bo Gum, unfortunately, Ryu Jun Yeol will not take the role of Kim Jung Hwan, because after the drama ended, Lee Hyeri and Ryu Jun Yeol dated for years remember but their breakup news in November 2023, which was a shock to many because everyone believed, they would have gotten married in real life but that did not happen. Ryu Jun Yeol later ended up dating Han So Hee for two weeks which was a massive drama and many believed that it was because of Han Soo, Lee Hyeri, and Ryu Jun Yeol split ways! That was not the case, in the end, Han Soo Hee also broke up with Ryu Jun Yeol. In the process both their names got tarnished to the point, that many directors dropped them off from future projects. 

Naturally, the production company and everyone will not take the risk and most importantly Lee Hyeri would not want to associate with Ryu Jun Yeol, his role will be taken by Byeon Woo Seok! This will be perfect honestly, because Woo Seok is already skilled at playing versatile roles and remembers his role as Ryu Sun Jae. Kim Jung Hwan’s role will be a piece of cake for him! More actors most likely, Kim Soo Hyun, Park Seo Joon, BTS V, and others are in talks of being part of the Second Season so it will be amazing! 

Apart from that, Reply 1988 has been famous to the point that it garnered a massive viewership rating! Season 2 will be the same, we will also get to see more new areas of South Korea as it will be filmed in various locations including, Nam San Tower, Bukchon Hanok Village, Lotte World, Jeju Island, and other historical dramas which will add a fresh touch to the overall performance of the drama! New OSTS will be added and various singers including AILEE, CBX, GIRLS GENERATION TAEYEON, BIGBANGS TAEYANG, and other notable artists will make us feel giddy, emotional, and cry with their melodious voices!

While all these good sides of the series made it popular but the drama was not safe from accusations either because, the company which was responsible for producing the drama music, ROY ENTERTAINMENT,  was accused of many things including the fact that the musical composers were exploited and were forced to work under harsh conditions without knowing which dramas their music would be used in, worse off their contribution were not credited properly, only Kim Han Jo’s name appeared in the credits section, which was unfair, as many worked tirelessly to add live to the drama series. Furthermore, the composers were forced to sign a contract with ROY ENTERTAINMENT, which meant all their rights including copyright and moral rights were forcefully transferred to the company. 

Later the issue was resolved but this still remains one of the most concerning issues in the South Korean industry! 

Even, so Reply 1988 to this day is one of the best series out there! Are you excited about Season 2? Drop your thoughts!