LayarHijau – Ji Chang Wook and Nana’s daring scenes in Netflix’s The Scandal have become a topic of discussion among Chinese netizens on Weibo after all eight episodes of the series were released on September 18, 2026. Between September 18 and 19, several hashtags related to the two actors, their characters and scenes from the series drew attention on the Chinese social media platform.
Netizens discussed not only how far Ji Chang Wook and Nana went for their roles, but also their close friendship in real life. Their off-screen relationship has added another layer of interest to their interactions in the series.
One netizen wrote, “I finished watching it late at night, and my thought is that Ji Chang-wook and Nana really sacrificed a lot for their roles in The Scandal. (Look at the second half of episode 7; there are several other daring scenes as well.) In conclusion, this drama is best watched alone; watching it with others, especially family, could be quite awkward.”
The comment specifically pointed to the second half of episode 7, while discussions on Weibo also covered other scenes showing how the relationship between Ji Chang Wook and Nana’s characters develops throughout the series.
From Les Liaisons dangereuses to The Scandal
The Scandal is a new adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses. The story was previously adapted into the 2003 Korean film Untold Scandal, which relocated the story to the Joseon era.
Untold Scandal starred Bae Yong-joon, Lee Mi-sook and Jeon Do-yeon. The Scandal also returns the story to Joseon, but expands it into an eight-episode series, giving greater room to explore the characters’ relationships and emotional changes. Netflix describes the series as a reimagining of the classic novel through a modern lens.
Ji Chang Wook as Cho Won
Ji Chang Wook plays Cho Won, a wealthy aristocrat known as Joseon’s greatest playboy. He becomes involved in a wager proposed by his cousin, Lady Cho, who challenges him to seduce Hui-yeon, a young widow who has remained faithful to her late husband.
Because the story had already been adapted into other works, Ji Chang Wook was aware that his portrayal of Cho Won would inevitably be compared with earlier versions. He said he was particularly interested in the subtle emotions and relationships in Les Liaisons dangereuses and in seeing how the story could be reinterpreted as a series in 2026.
Rather than simply reproducing an earlier interpretation, he worked with director Jung Ji-woo to develop his own version of Cho Won.
“This isn’t something I could do by simply imitating them. This work itself is very different,” Ji Chang Wook said when discussing the series in relation to previous adaptations.
He also came to view Cho Won differently after completing the project. Although the character is introduced as a man with considerable experience with women, Ji Chang Wook questioned whether he truly deserved his reputation as Joseon’s greatest ladies’ man.
“After finishing the project, I wondered, is this person really the greatest ladies’ man? To me, he was confusion and chaos itself,” he said.
That interpretation highlights another side of Cho Won. He begins the story treating the wager as a game, but his growing feelings for Hui-yeon gradually make it harder for him to maintain control over the situation.
Nana Draws on Her Younger Self for Hui-yeon
Nana plays Hui-yeon, a young widow who becomes unexpectedly entangled in the wager between Lady Cho and Cho Won. She has remained devoted to her late husband and is unfamiliar with the world of romance that Cho Won suddenly brings into her life.
To understand Hui-yeon, Nana drew on memories of her own personality as a child.
“Hui-yeon is very similar to the personality I had when I was young,” Nana said.
She explained that she had been extremely shy and introverted as a child, relying heavily on her parents and feeling wary of the outside world. Those memories helped her reconnect with the more reserved side of herself while portraying Hui-yeon’s gradual emotional changes.
“My personality has changed a lot since then, and I’ve become much more outgoing, so those parts of me have mostly faded. But I tried to revisit the parts of my younger self that were similar to Hui-yeon,” Nana said.
Through that approach, Nana sought to preserve Hui-yeon’s innocence while showing how her experiences with Cho Won begin to challenge the boundaries that have defined her life.
Son Ye-jin as Lady Cho
Son Ye-jin plays Lady Cho, a brilliant noblewoman whose talents and ambitions are restricted by the rigid social order of Joseon. She reunites with her cousin Cho Won and proposes the wager that sets the central conflict in motion.
Lady Cho and Cho Won share a complicated history dating back to their youth. Her decision to involve Hui-yeon in their game is not simply an attempt to test Cho Won’s abilities. The series also explores the desires and frustrations that have accumulated within Lady Cho as a woman living in an era that limits what she can pursue.
Son Ye-jin said the series gave Lady Cho a more layered story and allowed her to explore the character’s hidden desires in greater detail. She also described the role as requiring a subtle approach because Lady Cho’s outward behavior and inner feelings often differ.
The Story of The Scandal
The story begins when Lady Cho reconnects with Cho Won after a long separation. She proposes a dangerous wager involving Hui-yeon, a young widow who is not easily persuaded to abandon her devotion to her late husband.
Cho Won accepts the challenge and begins approaching Hui-yeon. What initially appears to be a game gradually becomes more complicated as genuine emotions emerge.
As Cho Won and Hui-yeon grow closer, the boundary between manipulation and sincere affection becomes increasingly difficult to maintain. At the same time, Lady Cho must deal with the consequences of a game that is no longer unfolding according to her original plan.
The relationship among the three characters forms the core of The Scandal, which combines a Joseon-era setting with the themes of desire, temptation, secrecy and the consequences of treating romantic feelings as a game. Netflix describes the series as a dangerous love game involving a gifted noblewoman, a famed lover and an unsuspecting woman drawn into their scheme.
The growing relationship between Cho Won and Hui-yeon also provides the context for the intimate scenes that drew attention on Weibo following the series’ release on Netflix.
