''True Beauty'' () is a South Korean television series starring

Moon Ga-young Moon Ga-young (; born July 10, 1996) is a German-born South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Heartstrings'' (2011), ''EXO Next Door'' (2015), '' Tempted'' (2018), ''Welcome to Waikiki 2'' (2019), ''Find Me in Your Memory'' ...

Cha Eun-woo Lee Dong-min (; born March 30, 1997), known professionally as Cha Eun-woo (), is a South Korean singer, actor, and model under the label Fantagio. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Astro. Early life Cha Eun-woo was born on March 30, ...

Hwang In-youp Hwang In-youp (; born January 19, 1991) is a South Korean actor, model, and singer. He began his career in modeling industry before making his screen debut with a main role in the web series ''Why '' (2018). He rose to international prominence ...

, and

Park Yoo-na Park Yoo-na (born December 23, 1997) is a South Korean actress under 8D Creative's WIP sub-label. She is best known for her roles in the television series '' My ID is Gangnam Beauty'' (2018), ''Sky Castle'' (2018–2019), '' Hotel del Luna'' ( ...

. Based on the

Line Webtoon Webtoon (stylized in all caps) is a South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation. As the name suggests, it is a platform for posting webtoons, compact digital comics in South Korea. The platform first launched in Korea as ...

of the same name by Yaongyi, it centers on a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

girl who, after being

bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an im ...

and discriminated against because of being perceived as ugly, masters the art of

makeup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

to transform herself into a gorgeous "goddess". It aired on

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

from December 9, 2020 to February 4, 2021, every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 ( KST).

Plot

This series is about Lim Ju-kyung, a high school student who always had a complex about her appearance since she was young. To hide her bare face, she started to wear heavy make-up. Her excellent make-up skills enhance her beauty, and persuade others that her beautiful, made-up face is her natural appearance. She befriends with her high school mate Lee Su-ho, a wealthy, but cold boy, and Han Seo-jun, an aggressive student with good talents. This plot follows Ju-kyung as she navigates her daily life and goal of becoming a

cosmetologist Cosmetology (from Greek , ''kosmētikos'', "beautifying"; and , ''-logia'') is the study and application of beauty treatment. Branches of specialty include hairstyling, skin care, cosmetics, manicures/pedicures, non-permanent hair removal such as ...

Cast

Main

as Lim Ju-kyung **

Lee Go-eun Lee Go-eun (born November 6, 2009) is a South Korean actress. Lee starred as daughter of Lee Jang-woo's character in the Korean drama ''Rosy Lovers'' (2015). Career In January 2022, Lee Go-eun signed an exclusive contract with Big Smile Enter ...

as young Ju-kyung : A newcomer student of Class 2-5 recently transferred to Saebom High School; Having been constantly discriminated by her family and

by her peers in previous school due to being perceived as ugly, she masters to wear makeup by binge-watching tutorial videos in the Internet and her makeover proves to be transformative as she quickly rises to fame and her peers in new school call her a "goddess", unaware of her real appearance. Ju-kyung prefers reading horror

comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

and listening to

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

. *

as Lee Su-ho **Lee Seung-woo as young Su-ho : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School; He is very popular for his handsome looks and being the top of his class. His dysfunctional family and a tragic incident from a year ago have turned him into an ice-cold boy who hates being the center of attention. He is formerly best friends with Seo-jun. Su-ho shares Ju-kyung's penchant for horror comic books. *

as Han Seo-jun : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School; Seo-jun is a handsome and equally-popular student at his school who, despite being a tough-looking, is a kind, loving and soft person, especially to his mother and sister. He is formerly best friends with Su-ho and a former idol trainee but a tragic incident a year ago leads to him abandoning his path to stardom and severing his friendship with Su-ho, with whom he has since become extremely hostile. *

as Kang Su-jin : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School; She is Su-ho's childhood friend and becomes close friends with the transferee Ju- but is being forced by her parents to excel at school and always being compared with Su-ho.

Supporting

Lim Ju-kyung's family

* Jang Hye-jin as Hong Hyun-sook : Lim Jae-pil’s wife and mother of Hee-kyung and, Ju-kyung and Ju-young. She is the matriarch of the Lim family who owns a beauty shop named Pandora which is popular among older women. *

Park Ho-san Park Ho-san (박호산; born October 18, 1972), birth name Park Jung-hwan (박정환), is a South Korean actor. He is notable for his supporting roles in television series like ''Prison Playbook'', ''My Mister'', ''Lawless Lawyer'' and '' The Pe ...

as Lim Jae-pil : Hong Hyun-sook’s husband and father of Hee-kyung and, Ju-kyung and Ju-young. He loses a great sum of money to a dubious investment which leads to the family having to move back to their old house. *

Im Se-mi Im Se-mi (born May 29, 1987) is a South Korean actress. Career In January 2019, Im signed with new agency YNK Entertainment. On February 3, 2022, Im signed an exclusive contract with Noon Company, after her contract with YNK Entertainment has ...

as Lim Hee-kyung **Park Seo-kyung as young Hee-kyung (Ep. 1) : Ju-kyung's older sister; She is adored by the family for being pretty and intelligent. She works at Move Entertainment and develops feelings for Ju-kyung's homeroom teacher Han Joon-woo. *

Kim Min-gi Kim Min-gi ( ko, 김민기; born November 22, 2002), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in '' True Beauty'' (2020), ''Racket Boys ''Racket Boys'' () is a 2021 South Korean television drama. The series, directed by Cho Y ...

as Lim Ju-young **Park Ju-hwan as young Ju-young (Ep. 1) : Ju-kyung's younger brother; He harbors a crush on Han Seo-jun’s younger sister Go-woon after hearing her sing.

Lee Su-ho's family

Jung Joon-ho Jung Joon-ho (; born October 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who gained fame in the 2000 series, Women Like You, (왕추). His recent hits are '' Last Scandal'' (내 생애 마지막 스캔들) and ''IRIS''. Jung Jun-ho has a passionate interes ...

as Lee Joo-heon : Su-ho's father; He is a famous actor and CEO of Move Entertainment who is quick to find a new woman after his wife died, much to Su-ho's resentment.

Han Seo-jun's family

* Yeo Joo-ha as Han Go-woon : A student at Saebom High School; Seo-jun's younger sister. She has great singing talent, but is bullied by her peers for being perceived as ugly. She befriends with Ju-kyung after Ju-kyung saves her from bullies. * as Lee Mi-hyang : Mother of Seo-jun and Go-woon; an acquaintance of Hyun-sook (Ju-kyung’s mother). She suffers from an illness requiring a kidney transplant.

Kang Su-jin's family

Seo Sang-won Seo Sang-won (, November 11, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He has appeared in supporting roles in various films and television dramas, but is better known for his work as a stage actor. His most known works in television series are ''Record of ...

as Kang Jun-hyuk : Su-jin's father; professor and doctor-in-charge of a medical school. He teaches Su-jin to be competitive and abuses her mentally and physically. * Yoo Dam-yeon as Kim Ji-yeon : Su-jin's mother. Passive with her husband's abuse at first. Later divorces him and leaves Korea with Su-jin.

Saebom High School

Oh Eui-shik Oh Eui-shik (오의식, born November 1, 1983) is a South Korean actor. Oh made his musical debut in 2006 and has since built up his acting skills in a number of plays and television drama. He is known for roles in television dramas such as '' O ...

as Han Joon-woo : Homeroom teacher of Class 2-5 and literature teacher in Saebom High School. He falls in love with Hee-kyung. *

Kang Min-ah Kang Min-ah (; born March 20, 1997), is a South Korean actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such ...

as Choi Soo-ah : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School; Ju-kyung and Su-jin's best friend and classmate; Tae-hoon's girlfriend. * as Yoo Tae-hoon : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School; Soo-ah's boyfriend. Tae-hoon often seeks the approval of Su-ho and later becomes friends with him. * Lee Sang-jin as Ahn Hyun-gyu : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School. * Han Yi-young as Ha Ji-young : A student of Class 2-5 in Saebom High School. * Lee Woo-je as Kim Cho-rong : A student in Saebom High School; Seo-jun's friend. * Kim Hyun-ji as Kim Si-hyun : A student in Saebom High School. * as Jin Hee-jeong : A Year 1 student in Saebom High School; webmaster of school's online community. She once bullied Go-woon. * as the vice-principal of Saebom High School.

Yongpa High School

Shin Jae-hwi Shin Jae-hwi is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''Class of Lies'', ''The Good Detective ''The Good Detective'' () is a South Korean television series starring Son Hyun-joo, Jang Seung-jo, Lee Elijah, Oh Jun ...

as Lee Sung-yong : A student in Yongpa High School. He is a bully who formerly acquainted with Seo-jun. *

Jeon Hye-won Jeon Hye-weon (; born April 02, 1998) is a South Korean actress. She is known for roles in television dramas such as '' Our Beloved Summer'' (2021–2022) and '' Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)'' (2021). Filmography Film Television ser ...

as Park Sae-mi : A student of Yongpa High School. A popular girl with pretty face, who used to bully Ju-kyung before she transferred to Saebom High School. * Oh Yoo-jin as Joo Hye-min : A student in Yongpa High School who later transfers to Saebom High School after being bullied tremendously at her old school. * Seo Hye-won as Park Ji-hee : A student in Yongpa High School; a friend of Park Sae-mi.

Others

* as Wang Ja : The owner of Prince Comics, the comic book store that Ju-kyung and Su-ho frequents. * as Columbus Park : The man who tricks Ju-kyung's father out of his money.

Special appearances

Kang Chan-hee Kang Chan-hee (강찬희; born January 17, 2000), also known by his stage name Chani, is a South Korean singer and actor. He began his career as a child actor, in the television dramas '' Listen to My Heart'' (2011), '' The Innocent Man'' (2012 ...

as Jung Se-yeon
(Ep. 1, 4–5, 11–12, 16) : Su-ho and Seo-jun’s late best friend. Se-yeon was a member of a

boy group A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many ...

under Move Entertainment. A victim of harsh

online shaming Online shaming is a form of public shaming in which targets are publicly humiliated on the internet, via social media platforms (e.g. Twitter or Facebook), or more localized media (e.g. email groups). As online shaming frequently involves expos ...

and fake scandals, he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

by jumping off a tall building. His tragic death becomes the center of the broken friendship between Seo-jun and Su-ho, Seo-jun's animosity towards Su-ho's father and Su-ho's life of immense guilt. *

Go Woo-ri Go Woo-ri (; born February 22, 1988), better known by the mononym Woori or as Go Na-eun is a South Korean singer, rapper and actress. She was a member of the South Korean girl group Rainbow and its sub-group, Rainbow Blaxx. Early life Go Woo ...

as Selena : A famous makeup-artist whom Ju-kyung idolizes and later works for. *

Lee Tae-ri Lee Tae-ri () (born Lee Min-ho; June 28, 1993) is a South Korean actor. He is well-known for his role as young Yang Myung in ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (2012), Song Man-bo in ''Rooftop Prince'' (2012), Jung Joo-hwan in '' The Beauty Inside'' (20 ...

as Wang Hyun-bin (Ep. 1) : A handsome nutritionist of Yongpa High School's canteen whom Ju-kyung had a crush on. * Ok Joo-ri as a neighbourhood woman (Ep. 1) * as a neighbourhood woman (Ep. 1–2) * Lee Jae-eun as Su-ho's housekeeper (Ep. 3) * Song Hoon as a history teacher (Ep. 3) * Uhm Tae-yoon as a customer (Ep. 3) * as Joo-heon's associate (Ep. 3) * Jang Young-hyun as a guy at the convenience store (Ep. 3) * as a guy at the convenience store (Ep. 3) * Ham Tae-gyun as a guy at the convenience store (Ep. 3) *

Kim Hye-yoon Kim Hye-yoon (born November 10, 1996) is a South Korean actress and model. She first became known through her portrayal as Kang Ye-seo in JTBC's television series ''Sky Castle'' (2018–2019) and received her first leading role with MBC's ''Extr ...

as Eun Dan-oh (Ep. 4) : Baek Kyung's classmate and fiancée; Ha-ru's girlfriend whom Suho mistakes as Jugyeong *

Lee Jae-wook Lee Jae-wook (; born May 10, 1998) is a South Korean actor and model. He made his acting debut in the science fiction thriller ''Memories of the Alhambra'' (2018–2019) and gained popularity after starring in the office romance ''Search: WWW'' ...

as Baek Kyung (Ep. 4) : Dan-oh's classmate and fiancé whom Suho mistakes as Woo-hyun, Jugyeong's blind date. *

Jung Gun-joo Jung Gun-joo (; born May 26, 1995) is a South Korean actor. He has starred in several web dramas before venturing into TV broadcasts. Career In 2017, Jung Gun-joo signed an exclusive contract with JYP Entertainment and made an appearance in ...

as Ryu Hyung-jin : A baseball star playing for Seonil High School who has a crush on Ju-kyung and asks her out. (Ep. 7) *

Woo Hyun Woo Hyun (born 1964) is a South Korean actor, and former democracy activist. Filmography Film Television series Variety show References External links * Living people People from Gwangju South Korean male television actors So ...

as the camping site manager (Ep. 8) * as MC Jaerong, recreation MC (Ep. 8) * Jung Ye-nok as the head of imaginary bullies (Ep. 9) *

Lee Han-wi Lee Han-wi (born June 17, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1983, Lee has become a prolific supporting actor on Korean film and television. He is particularly known for his mastery of ad-libbing In music and other pe ...

as Min Jae-joon (Ep. 13) : A plastic surgeon. *

Kim Young-dae Kim Young-dae (born March 2, 1996) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for the MBC high school drama ''Extraordinary You'' (2019). More recently, he appeared in the SBS television series ''The Penthouse: War In Life'' (2020) ...

as Oh Nam-joo (Ep. 15) : A stranger whom Ju-kyung runs into at

Namsan Tower The N Seoul Tower (), officially the YTN Seoul Tower and commonly known as Namsan Tower or Seoul Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on Namsan (Seoul), Nam Mountain in central Seoul, South Korea. The -tall tower marks the se ...

, and she mistaken him as Su-ho. * Lim Da-young as Chae-ni (Ep. 15–16) : A celebrity under Move Entertainment.

Episodes

Production

In July 2019, it was announced that the

''True Beauty'' would be adapted into a television series. In August 2020, the production team confirmed the casting of

and

in the lead roles. The first script reading session was held in October 2020. Filming was temporarily halted in late December 2020 after tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The first stills from filming were released on November 10, 2020, one month prior to the series premiere.

Release

The series was originally made available for streaming through Viu and Rakuten Viki. In 2021, it became available on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

from October 21. In 2023, it became available in

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in selected territories.

Original soundtrack

''True Beauty: Original Soundtrack''

The following is the official track list of ''True Beauty: Original Soundtrack'' album, which was released by

Stone Music Entertainment Stone Music Entertainment (Hangul: 스톤 뮤직 엔터테인먼트), is a South Korean music distribution company under CJ ENM, along with music streaming store Genie Music. It was one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The ...

on February 5, 2021. The tracks with no indicated lyricists and composers are the drama's musical score; the artists indicated for these tracks are the tracks' composers themselves. The album peaked on number 5 on weekly

Gaon Album Chart The Circle Album Chart, previously known as the Gaon Album Chart, is a record chart ranking the 100 most popular albums, extended plays and single albums in South Korea based on their Record sales, pure sales. It is a part of the Circle Chart, pr ...

and as of March 2021, 40,786 copies have been sold.

Singles

The following is the track list of

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

from ''True Beauty: Original Soundtrack.'' ;Part 1 ;Part 2 ;Part 3 ;Part 4 ;Part 5 ;Part 6 ;Part 7 ;Part 8

Viewership

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* {{Webtoon (platform) TVN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas Korean-language television shows 2020 South Korean television series debuts 2021 South Korean television series endings South Korean romantic comedy television series Television shows based on South Korean webtoons Television series by Studio Dragon Television series by Bon Factory Worldwide Television series by Studio N (Naver) South Korean teen dramas Television series about bullying Television series about teenagers Television shows set in Seoul Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic South Korean high school television series