A surprising behind the scenes story about “Secret Garden” was shared on Ha Ji Won’s YouTube show “Ji Won Class of ’26”.
In the June 25 episode, Ha Ji Won appeared with Cha Tae Hyun and Jang Hyuk for a casual and funny talk. During the conversation, it was revealed that Jang Hyuk had once been considered for the male lead role in the hit SBS drama “Secret Garden”.
The drama later became widely loved with Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won as the main couple, but the new story revealed that Jang Hyuk and Ha Ji Won nearly worked together on the project.
Ha Ji Won surprised the others by saying she already knew about it, adding, “I knew too.”
The cast then joked about how the two stars finally met after many years, saying, “After going around in circles, Chuno and Gil Ra Im finally met”.
Jang Hyuk is well known for his role in “Chuno”, while Ha Ji Won remains strongly remembered for her role as Gil Ra Im in “Secret Garden”.
The episode also brought up Jang Hyuk’s past as rapper TJ. Cha Tae Hyun jokingly called him “the legendary TJ,” and Jang Hyuk made everyone laugh by honestly saying, “I lip synced”.
Although Jang Hyuk and Ha Ji Won have both had long acting careers, they shared that they have still never worked together in the same project.
The unexpected “Secret Garden” story left viewers imagining how different the drama might have felt if Jang Hyuk had taken the role instead of Hyun Bin.
