table of content table of content
A basketball game with friends, and then nothing. New footage from « The Substitute »show what might be the last carefree moment for the three heroes of the thriller" TVING. The three actors also open up about their chemistry—which is very real this time—as the November 23 release approaches.
Three friends, a pact, an exam
As a reminder, the series follows three high school students who, driven by their desires and emotional wounds, commit an irreversible crime on the day of the suneung, the national college entrance exam. At the heart of the plot is Kang Geon-tae (Cha Kang-yoon), a brilliant scholarship student from a modest background, who was forced by a blackmailer to take the exam in someone else's place.
The new photos feature a striking contrast. In the first ones, Nam Jae-yeop (Bae Hyeon-seong), Kang Geon-tae and Joo Hee-dong (Park Yoon-ho) look just like any ordinary high school students in the middle of a basketball game.
But other photos show them with stern expressions, in an atmosphere thick with tension. A sign of a rift between these once-close friends.
The whole question is how a one-day deal—sealed by their mutual silence—will transform their relationship. Each harbors their own desires, and their choices, in an extreme situation, promise betrayals and plot twists. The first teaser already hinted at a shift in the balance of power.
A genuine bond off-camera
While their characters eventually become suspicious of one another, the actors themselves are full of praise. Bae Hyeon-seong, who appeared in «Family by Choice,» says that each character was already clearly distinct from the moment he read the script. He praises the way Cha Kang-yoon portrayed Geon-tae’s integrity and determination, and the emotional depth Park Yoon-ho brought to Hee-dong.
Cha Kang-yoon believes that his two co-stars embodied their roles so well that his own character was able to find its place naturally. He thanks Bae Hyeon-seong, who is more experienced, for capturing Geon-tae’s emotions. And he finds it amusing how much Park Yoon-ho resembles his character: on set, he would sometimes call him Hee-dong instead of his real first name.
Finally, Park Yoon-ho describes Bae Hyeon-seong as a reassuring senior on set and says he has learned a lot from Cha Kang-yoon, who is the same age as him.
«The Substitute» will be available on TVING starting November 23, 2026 (no international streaming platform has been announced at this time).
