Meet the Charming Cast of 'Better Late Than Single,' the Makeover Show for People Searching for Their First Love

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5 days ago

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Netflix's reality dating shows are known for offering tons of sun, skin, and drama, but its new series Better Late Than Single offers a refreshing reset this summer. The Korean reality show, which premiered on the streamer on July 8, centers on "the first love stories of people who have been single since birth," known in Korea as 모태솔로 (which the show translates as an "eternal single").
Before filming, nine "eternal singles" were given six-week makeovers, during which the show's hosts/Cupids, Seo In-guk, Kang Han-na, Lee Eun-ji, and Car, the Garden, advised them on how to gain more confidence while dating. After receiving coaching in the area of their choice—from beauty to fitness to speech to therapy—the cast spent nine days together at a resort on Jeju Island, for a dating bootcamp where they can look for love among each other. (Like in Single's Inferno, their ages and professions are kept secret.)
In an age when reality show casts are mostly compiled of rising influencers, Better Late Than Single chose nine everyday people out of 4,000 applicants, who are all determined to start their romantic lives with style. Below, get to know the sweet cast, including their dating goals and where to follow them on Instagram (for those whose accounts are public).
Singles
Noh Jae-yun
Noh Jae-yun, 27, is a VFX artist and 3D designer for TV, film, and video games. Though others describe him as handsome and caring, Jae-yun is extremely timid. In the show, a colleague says the anime fan is "hard to approach because he seems to be in his own world."
Jae-yun tells his Cupid, Seo In-guk, that his goal is to become more comfortable talking to women and to be seen as sincere. The artist works with a speech coach during his makeover to practice speaking with a more confident voice. "I'd like to feel more proud of myself and get used to talking people so I can start a relationship," he adds.
Kang Ji-su
Kang Ji-su, 26, is a ballet teacher and self-described homebody who insists she's never had a crush. She says she's uncomfortable around men, partly because she has attended all- or mostly-female schools as a teenager. She adds that once she didn't leave her apartment for a month, after which she thought, "At this rate, I really won't be able to get married."
"I want to have natural, comfortable relationships," Ji-su says. "I'm ready to go out and flirt."
Kim Seung-li
Kim Seung-li, 27, was born in South Korea and moved to Brazil at age 8, living there for 12 years before moving back after graduation. He works in international marketing and speaks four languages. In his intro, Seung-li says that he was bullied when he was younger, and gained more confidence after getting fit. He also felt more conservative than Brazilians when it comes to skinship and dating.
Kim Yeo-myung
Kim Yeo-myung, a 26-year-old college student studying business administration, is a bubbly, outgoing woman described as "the sunny bulldozer." She was never originally interested in dating, but when her friends turned 26, everyone got boyfriends except her, and she felt like she "had no one to hang out with."
For her makeover period, Yeo-myung focused on fitness with Physical: 100 alum Shim Euddeum while "working really hard on my glow-up." She says that if she gets a crush on a guy, she'll confidently tell him that she likes him.
Kim Sang-ho
Kim Sang-ho, 27, is an engineer who went from an all-boys high school straight to mandatory military service. His hobbies include going out to drink with friends and singing karaoke daily, but all of his friends are guys.
Sang-ho's looking for a fashion makeover, to shift to a neater style than his graphic T-shirts featuring cartoon characters. He also focuses on his fitness and taking better care of himself. After losing almost 20 kilos, he says that he's "in his prime," adding, "I think I'll be able to get a girlfriend."
Lee Min-hong
Lee Min-hong, a 28-year-old who works in fashion marketing, arrives at Better Late than Single after going on 20 to 30 blind dates over the past seven months, after her mom set her up with two matchmaking services. Though she's confident in her looks, she admits that she can be blunt, and she has high standards regarding everything from how a person walks to whether they hold chopsticks weirdly.
Kang Han-na encourages Min-hong to be more open to the possibility that someone who may seem stubborn can change in a relationship. "I think it'll be good for me to try opening up more, at least until I see the other person's strengths," Min-hong says.
Yi Do
Yi Do, 27, is a current student focusing on geography education at Seoul National University (Korea's version of Harvard). She's also the youngest tutor at her company, teaching geography and integrated social studies to high schoolers studying for the CSAT. Though she's very busy, she has been approached for reality TV before. She was recruited for the popular series EXchange, but she needed an ex-boyfriend to apply.
As her Cupid Lee Eun-ji points out, Yi Do tends to talk at double speed due to her work. During her makeover, she works with a speech coach to practice listening to people more carefully and having better conversations. "The lesson gave me courage," Do says.
Ha Jeong-mok
Ha Jeong-mok (above, right), a 26-year-old college student studying biochemical engineering, was encouraged by his twin brother to come on the show; they used to do everything together until his brother got a boyfriend. The producers find him funny and charming, but he comes across as awkward on his first impression.
For his glow-up, Jeong-mok wants to find his own style, instead of always buying the same clothes as his brother. After working with Seo In-guk's styling team, his confidence appears to rise. "My number-one goal is to start my first relationship. I'll escape the single life," he says.
Park Ji-yeon
Park Ji-yeon, 26, is a music producer who grew up attending all-girls schools for middle school, high school, and university. She says she has avoided dating because she didn't have an ideal father figure. "I'm always thinking, 'Oh, he must always be like that. Or, eventually, he'll become like that," she admits.
Ji-yeon worked with a therapist during her makeover period. "I want to show people how I can overcome the biases and stereotypes I feel toward men and move forward with my life," she says. "I'm arriving single, but when I leave here, I won't be."
Kang Hyun-kyu
Kang Hyun-kyu, 26, is a medical student at Chung-Ang University and a part-time mixologist. He says he's been so busy studying throughout his childhood and young adult years that he didn't socialize much. "When I'm interested in a girl, my brain completely stops working," he admits. Still, he's determined to try his best to find a girlfriend.
Lee Seung-chan
Lee Seung-chan, 31, is a surgeon who graduated from Korea University and trained at Samsung Medical Center's surgery department. Unlike the rest of the singles, Seung-chan is not technically an eternal single, since the "game changer" previously had a 100-day relationship. However, as he points out, 100 days only counted for "less than 1 percent" of his life, and his friends treat him as if he's been single from birth anyway.
Kim Mi-ji
Kim Mi-ji, a 27-year-old Japanese teacher who prepared for her Better Late Than Single interview by binge-watching dating shows in search of flirting tips. Upon arriving in episode 4, she says she joined the show because she wants to date before she turns 30, and that she plans to express her feelings honestly and smile a lot.
Hosts
Seo In-guk
Seo In-guk, 37, rose to fame when he won the singing competition show Superstar K in 2009, before making his acting debut in 2012's Reply 1997. The actor and singer-songwriter is best known for his roles in the K-dramas The Master's Sun, Hello Monster, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Doom at Your Service, Café Minamdang, and Death's Game. Next year, he's set to star alongside BLACKPINK's Jisoo in Netflix's rom-com K-drama Boyfriend on Demand.
Kang Han-na
Kang Han-na, 36, is an actress who made her debut in 2009 and earned a Baeksang Arts Award nomination in 2017 for playing the villainous princess in the historical K-drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. Her best-known roles include the K-dramas Just Between Lovers, Familiar Wife, Start-Up, My Roommate is a Gumiho, and Bloody Heart. She has also guest-starred in over 20 episodes of Running Man, making her the guest with the most appearances in the variety show's history.
Lee Eun-ji
Lee Eun-ji, 33, is a former dance sports athlete who debuted as a comedian in the 2014 season of the sketch show Comedy Big League. She's best known as a main cast member in producer Na Young-seok's popular variety show Earth Arcade, alongside rapper Lee Young-ji, OH MY GIRL member Mimi, and IVE member An Yu-jin. In 2023, Eun-ji won the award for Best Female Variety Entertainer at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
Car, the Garden
Cha Jung-won, 34, is an indie-rock singer-songwriter better known by his stage name, Car, the Garden. (His surname "cha" translates to "car" in English, while "jung-won" means "garden.") Since his debut in 2013, Cha has appeared on soundtracks for dramas including True Beauty, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Alchemy of Souls, and Taxi Driver season 2. He also won the singing competition show The Fan in 2018.
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