IU and Byun Woo-seok, a contract marriage couple

MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama, 'The Grand Prince's Wife in the 21st Century,' will premiere on April 10th, and has unveiled its first couple poster featuring IU and Byun Woo-seok. The drama, highly anticipated for the first half of 2026, will be specially scheduled to air at 9:40 PM. The story is set in a unique backdrop of a constitutional monarchy in 21st-century South Korea.

In the drama, Sung Hee-joo (IU) faces the limitations of her commoner status, while Grand Prince Ian (Byun Woo-seok) is the second son of the royal family. To overcome these limitations, they choose to enter into a contract marriage and will join forces as a married couple. The released poster showcases their strong determination to move forward together towards their goals.

The poster captures attention by creating an atmosphere akin to a wedding photoshoot for the Grand Prince and his wife, utilizing traditional Korean aesthetics in their attire and accessories. Through the couple's poster, 'The Grand Prince's Wife in the 21st Century' signals the beginning of their journey to forge their own destiny, amplifying curiosity about the changes they will experience upon meeting.

The production team stated that Sung Hee-joo and Grand Prince Ian, while seemingly having everything, are characters with inner deficiencies. They asked viewers to look forward to the story of a couple who will overcome their individual limitations through a contract marriage and dream the same dream. The drama, set in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy South Korea, depicts a romance of breaking down social barriers between a woman from a chaebol family but of commoner status, and a man who is the king's son but is destined to have nothing.

Meanwhile, actor Byun Woo-seok has taken first place in the daily vote for the film and drama male category on Startrend, receiving considerable attention for his upcoming role in 'The Grand Prince's Wife in the 21st Century.' In this drama, he will play Grand Prince Ian alongside IU, portraying a character who is the second son of the royal family but lacks practical authority. The narrative will showcase how these two individuals, each with their own deficiencies, forge their lives and destinies through a contract marriage.