Korean drama Between Steps (Korean title: 연애박사) tells the story of Park Min-jae, a Ph.D. student who was a competitive swimmer in high school until an illness cost him a leg, and Im Yoo-jin, a master’s student who lost her direction and has just started down a new path.
The two meet in the robotics lab of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Seohan University. A spicy, bitter, and sweet romance begins in the lab, alongside the colorful daily lives of its graduate students.
Choo Young-woo, known for The Tale of Lady Ok, The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, Mercy for None, and Head Over Heels, plays Park Min-jae and takes on the new challenge of a character who has never dated.
Kim So-hyun, known for Love Alarm and River Where the Moon Rises, plays Im Yoo-jin and shares the screen with him.
Table of Contents
K DRAMA Between Steps Information
- Japanese: 恋愛の博士課程 | Hanja: 戀愛博士 | Korean: 연애박사
- Genre: Romance, Youth, Human Drama, Slice of Life
- Episodes: 12
- Release Date: October 5, 2026
- Original Work: Original
- Broadcast Time: Mondays and Tuesdays at 10 PM
- Director: Ahn Pan-seok | Writer: Min Hyo-jung
- Cast: Choo Young-woo, Kim So-hyun, Kim Min-seok, Seo Jung-yeon, Park Hyuk-kwon, Shim Hye-jin, Lee Gyu-sung, Lee Seok-hyeong, Kim Min, Im Jin-hyo, Lee Chang-hoon, Jang In-sub, Ryu Kyung-in
- Filming Period: November 26, 2025 – February 28, 2026 (pre-produced)
- Production Company: Studio Goti (Planning: KT Studio Genie)
- Streaming: South Korea: Genie TV, Disney+ | United States: Hulu | Worldwide: Disney+
- Rating: 15+
- OTT: Genie TV, Disney+, Hulu
Between Steps: Director Ahn Pan-seok
Between Steps is the final work of director Ahn Pan-seok. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2025 and fought the illness. He kept working on Between Steps even after a cerebral hemorrhage compounded his condition, and he passed away on August 12, 2026, at the age of 64. Fortunately, all filming and post-production had been completed, so he left behind his final work.
Ahn directed dramas for nearly 40 years and was especially known for realistic romances with delicately drawn emotional arcs in the melodrama genre. His directing was characterized by a gaze that watches characters up close rather than explaining them from a distance, and by true-to-life mise-en-scène.
He was also praised for running sets that rejected last-minute scripts and all-night shoots and protected the basic rights of actors and staff. At the 2018 press conference for Something in the Rain, Son Ye-jin said that the set was one where people’s rights were respected.
Ahn Pan-seok Filmography
- White Tower (2007, MBC)
- Secret Love Affair (2014, JTBC)
- Heard It Through the Grapevine (2015, JTBC)
- Something in the Rain (2018, JTBC)
- One Spring Night (2019, MBC)
- The Midnight Romance in Hagwon
- Between Steps (2026, ENA)
Writer Min Hyo-jung previously wrote Attic Cat and Full House.
K drama Between Steps CAST
Park Min-jae (Choo Young-woo): A Ph.D. student in robotics at Seohan University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the teaching assistant and lab leader in Professor Ahn Jae-hong’s lab. He was a swimmer in high school but gave up his dream after losing a leg to osteosarcoma. He is a deep thinker who has never dated, held back by a fear of getting hurt.
Im Yoo-jin (Kim So-hyun): A master’s student in robotics at Seohan University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and a research student in Professor Ahn Jae-hong’s lab. She was the top student in the Department of Clothing and Textiles, but switched to mechanical engineering after a conflict with her mentor. Quirky, cheerful, and straightforward, she falls for her lab senior Park Min-jae at first sight and charges ahead…
Im Yu-seong (Kim Min-seok): Im Yoo-jin’s older brother
Seo Mi-young (Seo Jung-yeon): Im Yoo-jin’s mother, who runs an auto repair shop
Im Yong-seok (Park Hyuk-kwon): Im Yoo-jin’s father, who runs an auto repair shop
Hong Eun-ju (Shim Hye-jin): Park Min-jae’s mother
Uhm Tae-ho (Lee Gyu-sung): A graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the robotics lab
Bae Chan-soo (Lee Seok-hyeong): A graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the robotics lab
Choi Han-gyul (Kim Min): A graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a member of the robotics lab
Kim Se-jin (Im Jin-hyo): The lab’s newest member
Ahn Jae-hong (Lee Chang-hoon): A professor of robotics in Seohan University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering
Lee Ji-hoon (Jang In-sub): The youngest professor in Seohan University’s Department of Mathematics
Kang Mi-ran (Ryu Kyung-in): A professor in Seohan University’s Department of Clothing and Textiles
Between Steps: Character Relationship Chart
Between Steps: Filming Locations
Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Address: 29 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Hanyang University ERICA Campus Address: 689 Haean-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-d
※ The Seohan University scenes were filmed at the Hanyang University ERICA campus, including Engineering Building 1, Engineering Building 3, and Science and Technology Building 2.
Everland, Yongin (KFC and other spots) Address: 199 Everland-ro, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do
Genexine Headquarters Address: 172 Magokjungang-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
Other Filming Locations
- Sogang University
- Aunt’s Raw Beef Restaurant, Seongdong-gu : Address: 19-54 Haengdang-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
- Yeonhui Espresso Bar: 39 Yeonhui-ro 11ga-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
- Atelier Tium: 39 Yeonhui-ro 11ga-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
- Mangwon-ro 10-gil: 16 Mangwon-ro 10-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
- Hasimjeong: 21 Mangwon-ro 10-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
- Teum: 46 Wausan-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
- Seoul National University Museum of Art: 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
- Soongsil University Station Exit 3: 514 Sangdo-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul
- Hanyang University Station: 206 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul
- Cheongdam Bridge: 824 Jayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
- Seoul Gangdong Police Station: 57 Seongnae-ro, Gangdong-gu, Seoul
- Yetnal Sigol Bapsang: 110 Saeori-ro, Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do
- MI Police Studio: 502 Songsan-ro, Ilsanseo-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do
- Urbanworks Studio: 3-2 Howon-gil, Deogyang-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do
We will add more filming locations after the broadcast.
What to Watch for in Between Steps
Unlike typical campus romance dramas, Between Steps is set in a graduate school and a robotics lab, and portrays young people who excel at their studies but are clumsy when it comes to love. The contrast between a reserved man and a woman who charges straight ahead stands out, so enjoy watching how Choo Young-woo’s character gradually opens his heart.
