Hit Korean reality dating program Single’s Inferno, features a group of singles looking for love on a deserted island known as Inferno. The main objective is to find love and escape to Paradise where couples can communicate freely and form a deeper bond. Although the contestants’ professions and ages are not the main focus, their range and overlap can be interesting to take note of. One common overlap is that most contestants worked as models, either freelance or as their full-time career. The second most common one is that at least one female contestant from each season competed in a Miss Korea pageant. The third is, of course, contestants working as actors. It seems like an acting bug must’ve been present on the set of Singles Inferno 2 because three participants from that season are currently carving a path in the field! EnVi presents a list of Single’s Inferno’s rising actors to look out for.
Lee So-e
Lee So-e from the second season of Singles Inferno, although new to the acting scene, is the most experienced actor among her fellow participants. Prior to her appearance in the reality dating series, she had bit parts in romance series Snowdrop and dark fantasy Netflix series Hellbound.
A few months before Singles Inferno 2 aired, Lee landed a minor role in season 1 of The First Responders playing as Kim Hyeon-seo, a girl who has been missing for seven years. The main character in the series, Jin Ho-gae (Kim Rae-won), was the last person who saw her on the day she got kidnapped and feels an immense sense of guilt. The Glory presented Lee another opportunity to play a minor role and make her second Netflix appearance. Lee played Yoon So-hee, the girl who was bullied by Yeon Jin (Lim Ji-yeon) and her friends, before Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) came along.
In 2023, Lee secured two minor roles in Heartbeat, and The Matchmakers. After gaining experience through various minor roles, she recently landed a supporting role in upcoming series In the Net. The series features stars like Kim Seon-ho and Park Gyu-young as leads. The story follows Ai (Park Gyu-young) who is distraught at the death of her younger sister who was a victim of cyberbullying. She meets N (Kim Seon-ho), a hacker, and they work together to uncover the truth of her sister’s passing.
Shin Seul-ki
Shin Seulki from season 2 of Single’s Inferno is making her acting debut in Pyramid Game on February 29, 2024. She is set to play a main role as Seo Do-ah, the class president and top student in Baekyeon Girls High School. Other actors in the cast include Kim Ji-yeon (WJSN’s Bona), Ryu Da-in, Kang Na-eon, and Jang Da-a who is the sister of IVE’s Wonyoung. The series centers on transfer student Sung Soo-ji who becomes a victim of school bullying after she received zero votes in the “Pyramid Game.” She works to dodge the bullying and put an end to the unnecessary popularity game.
Kim Jin-young (DEX)
Kim Jin-young, also known as DEX, has been making his mark in the entertainment industry since the conclusion of Single’s Inferno 2. He had made countless appearances on variety shows before he participated in Single’s Inferno, and is now taking the next step.
In 2024, Kim is set to make his acting debut in Studio X+U drama, Tarot. The thriller series will have seven episodes that focus on themes from tarot cards. Kim’s episode is titled “Abandon Me.”
Action thriller iShopping is set to be Kim’s second acting project. The series is adapted from webtoon Child Shopping (아이쇼핑), and tells the story of an abandoned, adopted child who is seeking revenge on an adoption broker agency. The release date of the drama and Kim’s role have not been confirmed at this time.
Yu Ha-bin
Yu Ha-bin, the lone actor of Single’s Inferno 3, only has one acting credit so far. He made an appearance in SBS romance drama My Demon. He had a bit part playing as No Suh-ahn’s (Lee Yoon-ji) secretary in episode 2, where he acted as her confidant and provided her information on competitors in the market. No is the CEO of Mirae apparel and the second daughter to Joo Cheon-sook (Kim Hae-sook), the chairwoman and founder of Mirae Group.
Interested in Korean reality dating shows? Check out our article about Love Alarm Clap! Clap! Clap! here!
