High School Friends Build Fashion Empire in “My Bias, My Boss”

tvN’s upcoming romance drama “My Bias, My Boss” centers on the fashion industry, where ambition, business partnership, and unexpected love converge. Based on a webtoon, the story explores what happens when a young woman’s obsession with meeting her celebrity bias leads her into a company run by two childhood friends who could not be more different in temperament and approach.

The Apello Fashion Platform and Its Leadership

At the heart of the drama lies Apello, a fashion platform run by two men who forged their partnership through years of friendship. The company serves as both workplace and battleground for conflicting leadership styles, corporate ambition, and the personal dynamics that emerge when business partners have a shared past.

CEO Kang Ha Gi: The Perfectionist Executive

Kang Hoon portrays Kang Ha Gi, the CEO of Apello and a self-made leader whose reputation precedes him. Known for his meticulous attention to detail and uncompromising standards, Kang Ha Gi embodies the cool, charismatic executive archetype. His polished styling and serious demeanor reflect a man who controls every aspect of his professional environment. As a perfectionist, he demands excellence from himself and those around him, creating a workplace atmosphere that values precision and discipline. The newly released stills showcase Kang Hoon’s professional bearing, capturing the CEO’s focused intensity.

Lee Chan: The Modern, Multi-Talented Director

Cha Woo Min takes on the role of Lee Chan, Apello’s director and fashion director. Unlike his counterpart, Lee Chan brings a different energy to leadership—one shaped by his dual career as both an entertainer and a successful actor. His business acumen developed alongside his entertainment industry experience, giving him insight into creative thinking and public-facing operations. Lee Chan communicates actively with employees and demonstrates a stylish, modern approach to leadership that contrasts sharply with Kang Ha Gi’s rigid perfectionism. This tension between two contrasting management philosophies forms much of the workplace dynamic that the drama will explore.

From School Friends to Business Partners

The foundation connecting these two men runs deeper than professional collaboration. Kang Ha Gi and Lee Chan were friends during their high school years before circumstances led them to become partners at Apello. This shared history suggests both unresolved tensions and deep understanding between them. The drama promises to examine how childhood friendships transform when two people build a company together, balancing nostalgia with present-day competition and mutual respect.

The Central Love Triangle and Office Romance

Read also: “The Husband” Unveils the Dark Bond Forging Its Villain Couple · Our Sticky Love Unveils Expansive Cast for August 7 Premiere · White Scandal Assembles Star-Studded Cast with Ryu Hye Young

The narrative gains momentum when Nam Da Reum, portrayed by Kim Hye Jun, joins Apello as a new employee. Nam Da Reum harbors a specific motivation for joining the company: she has been a devoted fan of Lee Chan for years. Her decision to work at his company is not driven by generic career ambitions but by the concrete goal of meeting her longtime bias and idol. The office becomes the setting where her fandom meets reality, a collision that the drama uses to create romantic tension and comedy.

However, Nam Da Reum’s plan becomes complicated when she finds herself romantically entangled with both Lee Chan and CEO Kang Ha Gi. The love triangle at the center of the story is not a simple matter of two men competing for one woman’s affection. Instead, it explores the messiness of workplace relationships, the gap between idol fantasy and human reality, and the way professional hierarchies complicate personal attraction. Being caught between the director she admires and the CEO she must answer to places Nam Da Reum in an emotionally and professionally precarious position.

Adapting the Webtoon for Television

The source material for “My Bias, My Boss” originates from a webtoon, a format that has proven rich territory for Korean drama adaptations. Webtoon stories often excel at character development through visual storytelling and rapid-fire emotional beats, elements that translate well to television. The adaptation brings the fashion industry setting to life, transforming the webtoon’s illustration style into a live-action exploration of style, aesthetics, and corporate culture. The fashion platform setting allows the drama to showcase contemporary design sensibilities and the visual language of the industry itself.

Production and Cast Details

The casting brings together actors with different career trajectories. Kang Hoon and Cha Woo Min represent the contrasting energies embedded in their character roles. Kang Hoon’s portrayal of the precise, controlled CEO relies on conveying authority through restraint and focused intensity. Cha Woo Min’s characterization of Lee Chan requires balancing his entertainer background with a business professional’s credibility, a duality that mirrors his character’s own dual identity as idol-turned-director. Kim Hye Jun anchors the love triangle as the protagonist whose naïveté and determination drive the central conflict.

Premiere and Streaming Information

“My Bias, My Boss” will premiere on tvN on August 3 at 8:50 p.m. KST, marking the official debut of the webtoon adaptation. For international audiences, the drama will be available to stream on Viki, making it accessible beyond Korea’s borders. The choice to air on tvN positions the drama within a network known for character-driven narratives and workplace comedies, suggesting the production expects strong storytelling rather than relying solely on high-concept premises.

What to Anticipate

The drama’s appeal rests on multiple layers. The workplace setting taps into the popularity of office-based narratives, a subgenre that has found consistent viewership in recent years. The fashion industry backdrop provides visual appeal and relevance to contemporary audiences interested in style and design. The love triangle introduces classic romantic tension elevated by the corporate hierarchy that complicates every interaction. Most significantly, the childhood friendship between Kang Ha Gi and Lee Chan suggests the drama will explore emotional depth beyond surface-level competition, asking how shared history shapes present-day dynamics and whether past connection can coexist with present conflict. The interplay between these two men will likely drive much of the emotional resonance, while Nam Da Reum’s journey from fandom to reality provides the narrative engine for change.