The plot

True Beauty follows the story of high school student Lim Ju-gyeong, who feels insecure about her appearance after being bullied in middle school. She learns to properly put on makeup on herself to gain confidence and becomes a so-called “goddess” (or a really pretty student treated like a celebrity) in her school. Only one person on campus, her handsome classmate Lee Su-ho who seems to have it all, has seen her without makeup, and she wants to keep it that way. (Though she seems to be having a hilariously difficult time trying to do that.)

It’s actually based on a webtoon

The drama is based on a popular webtoon of the same name. The webtoon is often at the top 10 titles of Naver Webtoons, where it was originally published. People loved it for its take on the prevalence of lookism (or a standard for beauty and attractiveness) in South Korea.

Directed by the one behind Extraordinary You

True Beauty will be directed by Kim Sang Hyub, who is also the director for well-loved teen K-drama Extraordinary You that follows the story of a webtoon extra who just wants to find love. It features a pretty dreamy quality in every scene, so we can be sure to watch out for that in True Beauty. He is also bringing with him some of the cast from Extraordinary You for a cameo, which means we might get to see the characters of that webtoon in real life.

CHA. EUN. WOO.

Need we say more? Actor and singer Cha Eun-woo (from K-pop group ASTRO; starred in My ID is Gangnam Beauty, Rookie Historian) is probably enough motivation for most of us to watch the drama, if only for his good looks and cute smile. He plays the male lead of the drama, Lee Su-ho, who seems to have it all from looks to smarts to athletic skills. Girls want to be with him and boys want to be him, but he isn’t interested in other people. Until he meets Lim Ju-gyeong.

The cute transformation of Moon Ga Young

Moon Ga-young (Tempted, Welcome to Waikiki 2) takes on the role of Lim Ju-gyeong, the girl whose face breaks out a lot and wouldn’t be caught dead outside her house without makeup on. Except she is caught when visiting the local comic store in her neighborhood. By Lee Su-ho of all people.

You’ll want to see her transformation scenes, when she turns a face full of breakouts into a goddess’s beauty. Though we’re not gonna lie, Moon Ga-young is already pretty in real life, so it’s not that hard to achieve.

Strong second-lead syndrome

Yes, you’re still recovering from the Start-Up fanwars between Team Do San and Team Ji Pyeong. But you might just contract another second-lead syndrome on this new cutie from True Beauty. Rookie actor Hwang In-yeop (The Tale of Nokdu, 18 Again) plays the second lead Han Seo-jun, who’s got the same level of visuals as Lee Su-ho. He has a bit of a delinquent reputation in their school, but he’s actually really soft on the inside, especially as Lim Ju-gyeong gets to know him more.

Bonus: You might actually get some tips on make-up here

In the original webtoon, the author actually spends spreads upon spreads describing how Ju-gyeong does her makeup, listing which materials she uses and how she applies it. So it wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that you might actually learn some makeup tips through the actual drama itself.

When can you watch it?

True Beauty is set to premiere in South Korea through tvN on December 9 (that’s tomorrow!!!), while it will also be available for streaming through Viu a day after. Just on time for us to get over Start-Up, di ba?

What do you think of this show? Will you watch it? Tell us below!