Meet Heo Nam-jun, the Rising Heartthrob Who Plays Cha Se-gye from 'My Royal Nemesis'
The 33-year-old actor stars opposite Lim Ji-yeon in this year's most surprising K-drama romance.
Netflix's rom-com K-drama My Royal Nemesis has become the latest Korean series to catapult a rising actor into global fame. Written by Kang Hyun-joo, the weekly SBS series stars former The Glory villain Lim Ji-yeon as Kang Dan-shim, a Joseon-era commoner-turned-royal consort who finds herself transported into the body of a modern-day actress named Shin Seo-ri. Soon, she crosses paths with Cha Se-gye (Heo Nam-jun), a third-generation chaebol heir born out of wedlock who's determined to prove himself to his family. Thus begins the pair's enemies-to-lovers romance, a connection shown to span 300 years thanks to some past-lives plot twists.
Since its premiere on May 8, the time-travel romance has grown into one of the year's most popular K-dramas so far, catapulting Heo Nam-jun into the spotlight. After flying under the radar on acclaimed shows, the actor has doubled his Instagram following as fans have fallen for Dan-shim and Se-gye's swoon-worthy love story. Below, read on to learn more about Heo Nam-jun, from his own humble roots to his other shows to watch after My Royal Nemesis.
Heo Nam-jun grew up on a farm and first pursued music before becoming an actor.
Heo Nam-jun, 33, grew up on a farm in Korea's Gangwon province. (His birthday falls within My Royal Nemesis's run, on June 9.) According to The Korea Herald, he initially wanted to major in applied music for college; when it didn't work out, he turned to acting and decided to pursue it as a career.
"I realized in high school that no matter how hard I worked, music just wasn't going to work out for me," Heo explained in 2024. "That was the point where I realized that some things simply don't work out no matter how hard you try. It was the first time I really ran into a wall."
Before 'My Royal Nemesis,' Heo Nam-jun was best known for playing a sadistic villain.
After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University's Department of Acting Arts, Heo eventually made his acting debut in 2019. His first roles included supporting parts in dramas like Missing: The Other Side, Snowdrop, and The Impossible Heir; and movies including Double Patty and Night in Paradise. Netflix fans may also recognize him from his role playing soldier Kang Seok-chan in seasons 2 and 3 of Sweet Home.
In late 2024, Heo caught the attention of the K-drama industry in back-to-back roles. He played ruthless villain Kim Sang-hyuk in the Korean thriller adaptation of Your Honor, and warm second-lead Ji Sang-woo in When the Phone Rings. For the former, Heo received one of Korean television's biggest honors, a Blue Dragon Series Award nomination for Best New Actor.
Heo was lauded for giving great performances of the very different characters, and soon landed both a supporting role in Netflix's space drama When the Stars Gossip. He later got his first lead role, in the historical coming-of-age drama A Hundred Memories.
In a November 2025 interview, he told Forbes, "The past year was filled with both pressure and happiness. Being able to continue acting with great people in good projects is truly a blessing. For me, being able to do what I love for a living is already a success."
He's a fraternal twin and a loving uncle.
Though Heo mostly keeps his personal life private, he recently opened up about his bond with his sibling. While appearing on the popular YouTube show Salon Drip, hosted by Jang Do-yeon, the actor revealed that he's a fraternal twin and the elder of the brothers.
"We don't look alike at all," he explained. "My brother is totally a T [a Thinking type in MBTI] and a planner. He's taller than me and has darker features. My brother grew much faster than me so even though I'm the older brother in name, I was treated like the younger one. I ended up inheriting all the clothes."
When asked who was more popular with girls when they were young, Heo added, "My brother was more popular. I've never really been popular. I've received [love] confessions before, but not many."
Nam-jun's brother is also a new dad. Last January, the actor posted a sweet Instagram picture holding his nephew. Per Zapzee, he also mentioned the newborn in his acceptance speech at the 2024 MBC Drama Awards. "“Father, Mother, my brother and my nephew born just a few days ago, I love you," he said at the time.
He called starring in an IU music video the "biggest credit of his life."
Before My Royal Nemesis and A Hundred Memories, Heo starred in his first lead role alongside one of Korea's biggest stars. In May 2025, he played the romantic lead opposite IU in her nostalgic music video for the ballad "Never Ending Story."
A few months later, during his appearance on his former cast mate Yoo Yeon-seok's YouTube channel, Heo opened up about the video's filming, calling the video the "biggest credit of [his] life" so far.
"When the offer first came in, this thought hit me: 'IU knows I exist in this world.' I could say that I've made it. I want no more but to just work hard like how I did," he said. "Because I adored her when I was young. I really enjoyed her song and I was a big fan. I went up with my hands shaking and said hello, and couldn't say anything else. Even meeting her felt like a dream."
"I got more messages than ever in my life," he added. "They all said the same thing: 'You made it.' My parents said it was their happiest moment."
