Kim Jung-hyun, Jang Dong-yoon
What would high school be without its broody bad boys and its all-star golden boys? The leads have now been finalized for School 2017, the seventh installment of KBS’s long-running high school franchise. Joining Gugudan idol Kim Se-jung are rookie actors Kim Jung-hyun (Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People, Jealousy Incarnate) and Jang Dong-yoon (Solomon’s Perjury), who have signed on to headline.
The “fresh and lively coming-of-age drama” will tell the stories of 18-year-olds who have already been pigeonholed by their class ranks. In a world where life after high school seems like it will be no different for them, they’ll challenge that idea with their growth. Kim Se-jung will play the heroine, a cheerful student with good grades and a talent for drawing webtoons, who dreams of dating the college boy she has a crush on. One day she gets mistaken for a delinquent at school, which is only the start of her troubles.
Kim Jung-hyun has been cast to play the rebel, which makes perfect sense since he played the reformed bad boy in Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People and the prickly little brother in Jealousy Incarnate. His character is a rude, prideful, tempestuous student who caused all manner of trouble in America, then transferred to this school and conquered it in a day with one kick. He’s trouble with a capital T, but because his wealthy father is an investor of the school’s foundation, teachers and students alike can’t do much to control him.
Jang Dong-yoon has been cast to play his total opposite, the school’s golden boy graced with good looks, good grades, good leadership, a sense of humor, athleticism, charisma, and a strong sense of justice to boot. Does he also poop rainbows? He seems too perfect to be true. The character is beloved by his classmates and serves as the student body president, but the one thing he doesn’t have is parents with a vested interest in him.
Han Sun-hwa
Jang Dong-yoon was a standout among the newbie cast of Solomon’s Perjury, where he played a similar smart, popular type of character, but with a dark and complex history hidden underneath his perfect facade. It was a strong debut, so I’m not surprised to see him snag a leading role here; both he and Kim Jung-hyun seem pretty perfect for their roles. I know it’s not likely that the jjang and the class president would be friends anytime soon, but I can hope, right?
Han Joo-wan (Blow Breeze), Seol In-ah (Strong Woman Do Bong-soon), and idol group SF9’s Ro-woon are also up to co-star. Additionally, an offer is out to Han Sun-hwa (Radiant Office) to play a police detective who gets demoted for mishandling a case, and ends up assigned to the high school as the school police officer. She’s an ace detective and a stickler for rules, and she’s desperate to get back to the field where she belongs.
Well now I’m curious why the school needs a police officer in the first place, when previous seasons just had teachers and principals. Is she just there to keep the bullies in check, or are there going to be skeletons in people’s closets?
School 2017 airs on Mondays and Tuesdays following Fight My Way in July.