Chae Jong-hyeop to star opposite Kanna Hashimoto in Japanese drama

Actor Chae Jong-hyeop will be the male lead in “Rules of Vacation,” a Japanese television series set to premiere Aug. 27 on Ameba, Chae's agency Blitzway Entertainment said on Thursday.

Chae will be starring opposite Kanna Hashimoto, playing a woman on vacation who falls in love with a man she encounters at her grandmother’s summer house.

The romantic comedy marks Chae’s second lead role in a Japanese drama, following “Eye Love You” from 2024. The appearance also marked the first time a Korean actor played the main role in a prime-time series.

His role — a Korean student who awakens the feeling of love in a telepathic woman (played by Fumi Nikaido) — earned him a loyal following in the country. He had a fan meetup in Tokyo in May and will have one in Osaka next month.