The hook here is a wooden box that’s been sealed for roughly three centuries, and the unlucky civil servant who pries it open. Inside is a book of spells nobody was ever supposed to read again, and the moment Lee Hong-jo cracks it, she’s roped into the orbit of a lawyer who’s been quietly carrying a family curse the whole time. Destined with You (이 연애는 불가항력) takes that creaky old-magic premise and plays it mostly for warmth rather than dread, which is exactly why it lands as comfort viewing. This is the 2023 JTBC fantasy romance that paired Jo Bo-ah and Rowoon, and it’s streaming on Netflix.
The premise
Lee Hong-jo is a low-level public servant whose life changes when she inherits a wooden box holding a forbidden book of spells, locked away some 300 years ago. Opening it tangles her up with Jang Shin-yu, a lawyer dealing with a generations-old curse bound to that same book. The two of them set out to break it, and the longer they spend trying, the harder it gets to tell the curse apart from the chemistry.
What keeps it watchable isn’t the supernatural machinery so much as the tone. The spellbook gives the show a reason to throw these two together, but the real engine is a slow-burn, fated-pair romance with a streak of low-key comedy running through the office and small-city scenes.
Where to watch
Destined with You originally aired on JTBC in South Korea, running 16 episodes from August 23 to October 12, 2023, on a Wednesday/Thursday schedule. Internationally it streams on Netflix, where it’s available in many regions. As always with Netflix licensing, the exact catalog shifts by country and over time, so confirm it’s live in yours before you commit your weekend to it.
The cast
Jo Bo-ah plays Lee Hong-jo, the reluctant keeper of the spellbook, while Rowoon (of the group SF9) plays Jang Shin-yu, the cursed lawyer. Rowoon’s run of romantic leads makes him a natural fit here, and the pairing carries most of the show’s weight. Around them, Ha Jun appears as Kwon Jae-kyung and Yura (of Girl’s Day) as Yoon Na-yeon, rounding out the relationship tangles. The series was directed by Nam Ki-hoon, with a screenplay by Noh Ji-sul.
Filming locations
One thing to flag up front: there’s no official production location list floating around for this one. What we have comes from K-drama travel coverage (KoreaTravelPost and similar), so treat it as well-reported rather than studio-confirmed. The most consistently cited spots are in Pohang, on the southeast coast. Pohang City Hall stood in for the fictional Onju City Hall where Hong-jo works, and the striking Pohang Space Walk — a walkable, roller-coaster-shaped steel sculpture in Hwanho Park — turns up as a backdrop. Both are credible and frequently mentioned.
Two café locations also circulate online: the Ohnunone Café near Gimpo Airport in the Seoul area, and Now Here Café in Incheon. Those are more thinly sourced, so consider them likely-but-unverified if you’re planning an actual visit.
Worth your time?
This is one for viewers who like their fantasy romance on the gentle, cozy end of the spectrum — closer to a fated-love fairy tale than a high-stakes supernatural thriller. If you came for Rowoon’s particular brand of earnest leading man, or you just want a 16-episode slow burn built around an old curse and a likable civil servant in over her head, it delivers exactly that without overcomplicating things. Skip it if you need your fantasy dramas dense with plot twists; lean in if a warm, predictable-in-the-best-way romance is the point.
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