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After «Full Count» with Kim Rae-won, baseball is definitely making a big splash in K-dramas. On October 20, tvN released photos from the script reading for « Gift », his new weekend drama starring Kim Woo-bin. A story of second chances and pushing one's limits, coming December 5.
A fired coach, a winless team
Based on the webtoon of the same name, «Gift» follows Jung Min-yong, the former pitching coach for the Manders professional team. His career fell apart after false accusations—which painted him as a coach who used abusive language—and then an unexpected accident.
But this accident leaves him with a strange gift—the «gift» of the title—a special ability whose nature remains a mystery. It is with this gift that he takes the helm of the Deokcheon High School baseball team, ranked last in the entire country.
During the table read, Kim Woo-bin brought to life a character with unfiltered confidence and a fierce competitive spirit. He said he felt a wonderful atmosphere right from the first meeting, fueled by the energy of the young actors.
The Result vs. the Journey
Facing him, Seo Eun-soo She plays Yoon Seo-jin, the passionate head coach of the baseball team, who looks after her players as if they were her own children. The actress summed up the central conflict of the series: a coach obsessed with results versus a mentor who believes that the journey matters just as much as the victory.
Seo Hyun-woo rounds out the trio as Ahn Ki-man, the Manders’ interim manager, who judges his players solely by their statistics. He is a direct rival of Jung Min-yong, a figure from his past.
A full supporting cast
In addition to the main trio, the series features a large cast. Kim Won-hae plays the principal of Deokcheon High School, Yang Hyun-min plays Coach Yang, Hyun Bong-sik plays Son Hyung, and Park Sang-nam plays Oh Dong-jae. Lee Bong-ryun and Park Ji-ah play the mothers of Seung-il and Chae-hwan, respectively, two players on the team.
On the field, the Deokcheon team is led by Cha Bin—formerly known as Lim Su-bin—as captain Heo Seung-il, and Han Si-hyun as pitcher Cha Tae-hoon. Park Sung-hyun (Im Chae-hwan), Han Tae-ha (Oh Tan-hee), and Kim Gun-woo (Kim Chan-young) round out the roster.
At the end of the reading, Kim Woo-bin promised a series filled with positive energy and said he hoped the audience would join the team on this adventure.
Kim Woo-bin Reunites with the Director of «Our Blues»
Behind the camera, the series is co-directed by Kim Kyu-tae—with whom Kim Woo-bin had previously worked on «Our Blues»—and Ham Seung-hoon. The screenplay was written by Min-jung, Hae-ju, and Seong-eun.
Consisting of 12 episodes, «Gift» will air starting Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 9:10 p.m. (Korean time)—which is 1:10 p.m. in France—on tvN, on Saturdays and Sundays. An international streaming platform is still to be announced.
