Beloved K-Drama Actress Addresses 10-Year Age-Gap With New Male Lead—And What She Did To “Overcome” It

Actress Kim Go Eun opened up about her age gap with co-star Kim Jae Won.

On April 7, 2026 (KST), a press conference for the beloved TVING original series Yumi’s Cells Season 3 was held. Returning after four years, Yumi’s Cells Season 3 stars Kim Go Eun reprising her role as Yumi for the third time.

Reflecting on returning to the role, she shared, “I rewatched Seasons 1 and 2 before filming. After that, I started shooting.”

Honestly, I have a strong ‘comedy cell’ in me. I enjoy making people laugh. Yumi has a lot of comedic elements, so it was really fun to act. The director laughed loudly, and if I couldn’t hear him laughing from behind the monitor, I’d actually feel a bit disappointed.

— Kim Go Eun

This season is also drawing attention for the romance between Kim Go Eun and new male lead Kim Jae Won. Born in 1991 and 2001 respectively, Kim Go Eun and Kim Jae Won have a real-life age gap of 10 years.

Speaking candidly about it, Kim Go Eun said, “I went to the dermatologist diligently and even learned some Gen Z slang,” drawing laughter. However, she added, “Jae Won is quite mature for his age, so I didn’t really feel like there was a 10-year gap.”

Kim Jae Won echoed similar sentiments, saying, “Sometimes younger colleagues can actually feel more difficult to approach, but I didn’t feel the age difference at all.”

It wasn’t intimidating or hard to approach her in any way. She was a kind, pretty noona who would treat me to meals. But once filming started, her gaze would completely change… She was very professional.

— Kim Jae Won

Yumi’s Cells Season 3 will be released starting on April 13, with two episodes pre-released every Monday at 6 PM on TVING. It will also air on tvN every Monday and Tuesday at 8:50 PM, one episode at a time.

Watch the official trailer here: