'Next Byeon Woo-seok' Lee Chae-min eyes Higashino adaptation post-breakout

Lee Chae-min, frequently dubbed Korea's "next Byeon Woo-seok," is lining up his next major project following his breakout turn opposite Girls' Generation's Lim Yoon-a in tvN's "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty."

The actor is reportedly in talks to headline the Korean series adaptation of Keigo Higashino's "The Miracles of the Namiya General Store," one of the most widely read Japanese novels officially published in South Korea. "The project is not confirmed, but we are positively reviewing it," Lee's agency Varo Entertainment told The Korea Herald.

The book is one of the most popular novels in Korea -- ranking as the top-selling Japanese title at Kyobo Book Centre over a decade from 2007 to 2016. The story follows three thieves who take refuge in a mysterious shop that connects past and present, leading them to respond to letters seeking advice. The property has previously been adapted into live-action films in Japan and China, with the Chinese version starring A-listers including Jackie Chan and Dilraba Dilmurat.

The Korean adaptation also reportedly courting a high-profile ensemble, including Kim Hye-yoon ("Lovely Runner"), Yum Jung-ah ("Sky Castle"), and Ryu Seung-ryong ("Moving," "Kingdom"), with production tentatively slated to begin in May.

Lee's potential casting underscores his rapid ascent following his romance drama breakthrough, a trajectory that has drawn comparisons to Byeon Woo-seok, who shares the same agency and experienced a similarly swift surge in global visibility. Originally cast in a supporting role in tvN's "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" (2025), Lee was elevated to the male lead just weeks before the series premiered, after its initial top-billed star Park Sung-hoon exited the project amid controversy over uploading "Squid Game"-related pornographic content on social media. The series went on to become a global hit, propelling the then lesser-known Lee to international prominence as a K-drama heartthrob virtually overnight.

The parallels to Byeon’s career arc have fueled industry buzz. Like Lee, Byeon rose from relative obscurity in the K-drama landscape to global recognition following his breakout turn as the male lead in "Lovely Runner," cementing the comparison between the two agency labelmates.

Since "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," Lee has been attached to a string of tentpole projects. He recently appeared as the primary antagonist in 2PM's Lee Jun-ho-led Netflix fantasy series "Cashero" earlier this year and is also part of the main cast of Na Young-seok's upcoming Netflix unscripted series "Take a Hike!", slated for a third-quarter release. The show features emerging Korean entertainment personalities including Car the Garden, Do-woon and Tarzzan of K-pop group All Day Project, and marks one of Na's rare collaborations with Netflix. Na, one of Korea’s most influential producers, is behind hit unscripted franchises including "2 Days & 1 Night" and "New Journey to the West."