Hit the Top

Did You Know?

• Yoo Hyun-jae mysteriously disappears in 1994 and is presumed dead.
• The drama is set in both 1993 and 2017.

Cast

Yoo Hyun-jae, played by Yoon Shi-yoon, was a top 1990s Korean pop idol and one half of the duo J2. Famous for his looks, skill, and scandals, he accidentally time-travels to 2017 and struggles to navigate modern life. He is also the biological father of Lee Ji-hoon. Choi Woo-seung, portrayed by Lee Se-young, is a bright and lively student studying for the civil service exam alongside Lee Ji-hoon. After catching her boyfriend cheating with her roommate, she moves into Ji-hoon's apartment against her will. Kim Min-jae takes on the role of Lee Ji-hoon, the adopted son of Lee Gwang-jae. Though he is preparing for the civil service exam, he secretly trains to become an idol at Star Punch Entertainment. Later, it comes out that he is the child of Yoo Hyun-jae and Hong Bo-hee. Cha Tae-hyun plays Lee Gwang-jae, Ji-hoon's adoptive father and CEO of World Planning Entertainment. He runs a struggling management company and was once Yoo Hyun-jae's top manager. For years, he has carried a one-sided love for Hong Bo-hee. Yoon Son-ha appears as Hong Bo-hee, Ji-hoon's mother. She was a hugely popular K-pop singer in the 1990s, but her controversial relationship with Hyun-jae ruined her career. Now she runs a bakery next to the agency and keeps trying to make a comeback. Dong Hyun-bae plays MC Drill, an aspiring rapper who secretly lives with his best friend Ji-hoon in the latter's loft. He is also a trainee at Star Punch and has a hidden past, including his time in the military. Lee Deok-hwa is Lee Soon-tae, the head of the Entertainment Management Association and chairman of World Entertainment, who constantly tries to keep the failing company afloat. Hong Kyung-min plays Park Young-jae, the other member of J2, who was always in Hyun-jae's shadow. He now runs Star Punch Entertainment and secretly keeps Hyun-jae's lost songs in his office. Im Ye-jin plays Cathy, the critical chairwoman of Star Punch. Cha Eun-woo is MJ, a popular idol at Star Punch who often receives Hyun-jae's lost material and is forced to pass it off as his own. Bona plays Do Hye-ri, a trainee close to debuting who is constantly stressed about her weight and looks. The rest of the cast includes Lee Han-soo as Mal-sook, Lee Jung-min as Heol-re, Son Soo-min as Beol-ddeok, Choi Seung-hoon as Shin Hwa, Kim Seung-hyun, Lim Sung-min, Kim Ji-hyun, Choi Ri-yoon, Ha Nam-woo, Lim Ji-seob, and Kim Tae-bin.

Production

Hit the Top marked KBS’s second attempt at a variety-drama, following 2015’s The Producers. Director Seo Soo-min, who oversees KBS’s Happy Sunday block and previously helmed the canceled Gag Concert, took charge; he had also directed select episodes of The Producers. The production company Chorokbaem Media, which handled The Producers, was brought in to produce the series. Script duties went to sitcom writer Lee Young-chul, whose credits include Potato Star 2013QR3, High Kick!, and Once Upon a Time in Saengchori. The initial script reading occurred on April 3, 2017, in Seoul’s Sangam-dong district.