The K-drama superstar will play a pitching coach who uses supernatural abilities to turn around a struggling high school baseball team.
Kim Woo-bin. Photo: courtesy of Netflix.
Kim Woo-bin is returning to television with a new drama titled Gift (also known as Gifted), a live-action adaptation of the popular Kakao webtoon of the same name.
Gift is dipped in pure fantasy, blending a sports setting with a supernatural twist. The central narrative follows an elite professional coach whose life takes a sudden, rather unimaginable detour after a severe accident changes the man’s life forever. The incident triggers a mysterious, extraordinary ability that allows him to read and identify baseball talent at a glance. Armed with this newfound magical insight, he unexpectedly winds up as the head coach of a high school’s amateur baseball team, a struggling squad stuck at the absolute bottom of the rankings.
Kim Woo-bin will star as Jung Min-yong, a veteran pro pitching coach caught up in this strange twist of fate. Min-yong is a warm and kind mentor, prioritizing the genuine growth of his players way above scoreboards, stats, or winning games. He’s a classic softie who’d buy food for his juniors during breaks or his spare time, yet he remains a highly committed mentor and meticulous instructor on the field who refuses to let his players slack off. His heartwarming and slightly exasperating personality will guide his ragtag high school team through a passionate, intense, and emotional coming-of-age story of personal growth and self-discovery.
Gift marks the Hallyu star’s next fantasy series, following Genie, Make a Wish (2025), in which he portrayed an unpredictable and overly emotional spirit named Iblis who’s released from a lamp after a thousand years by Bae Suzy’s character, Ki Ka-young, an entirely emotionless woman. The show also reunites him with director Kim Kyu-tae, who directed the acclaimed omnibus melodrama Our Blues (2022), where Kim Woo-bin played Park Jeong-joon, a benevolent ship captain and bus driver on Jeju Island. According to The Chosun Daily, Gift will be released during the second half of 2026.
