Kim Jeong-heon: Frankly Speaking character explained

Kim Jeong-heon is On Woo-ju’s ex-boyfriend who is still in love with her. In Frankly Speaking, Joo Jong-hyuk plays Kim Jeong-heon.

Kim Jeong-heon is a celebrity entertainer, best known for appearing on variety shows. With his squeaky-clean image, he is known as everyone’s ideal son-in-law. 

However, Woo-ju, a variety show writer, keeps her distance from him and refrains from working with him due to their shared history.

Jeong-heon’s feelings for Woo-ju

Jeong-heon and Woo-ju dated when they were both rookies in their respective fields. Back then, they were happy together. 

Eventually, Jeong-heon broke Woo-ju’s heart, leading to their breakup. However, Jeong-heon still has feelings for Woo-ju.

Jeong-heon is now a star entertainer, and Woo-ju is a head writer, but they rarely ever work together, as Woo-ju tries to keep her distance. 

Unlike Jeong-heon, who keeps looking for a chance to be close to Woo-ju, Woo-ju seems to be completely over him.

When her show gets canceled and she starts working on a new one, Jeong-heon refuses all the offers he gets in the hope of getting the opportunity to work with Woo-ju. 

Woo-ju eventually swallows her pride and takes Jeong-heon’s offer to cast him for the success of her new show, despite her reservations about working with him.

Before they start filming, Woo-ju makes it clear that she is only interested in having a professional relationship with him and is unwilling to discuss anything personal.

The past complicates the present 

Jeong-heon not only has a history with Woo-ju but also with Ki-baek. Jeong-heon and Ki-baek were friends when they were in school. 

Frankly Speaking Kim Jeong-heon
Jeong-heon was friends with Ki-baek in high school

Jeong-heon can be a pushover, similar to how Ki-baek used to be before he got electrocuted. He entertains his fans’ demands even when they make him uncomfortable.

However, on the show, Jeong-heon and Ki-baek come across as opposites. While Jeong-heon is the professional, Ki-baek is just an amateur, whose sole purpose is to provoke Jeong-heon. 

What complicates matters further is that they both used to like the same girl, Cho-hui, and fought over her in high school. Now, they are appearing on Woo-ju’s variety show alongside Cho-hui. 

If that was not enough, Jeong-heon grows insecure about Ki-baek’s relationship with Woo-ju, who also joins the show as a contestant. 

As Jeong-heon navigates his relationships with people from his past, it remains to be seen how his star status changes.


Also Read: On Woo-ju: Frankly Speaking character explained

Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan Chhatwani
Muskan is an editor at The Envoy Web. Her name translates to smile in English, but she likes shows and films that do anything but make you smile. She believes that analyzing and interpreting the tiny little things on-screen can reveal a story that is not visible to everyone, a story of your own.

More from The Envoy Web