In Your Radiant Season drops its first episode, introducing the lives of Song Ha-ran and Seonu Chan and how their worlds intersect.
On February 20, episode 1 of In Your Radiant Season was released via MBC and Disney+. The premiere narrates the contrasting worlds of Song Ha-ran and Seonu Chan—one with a cold, winter-bound heart, and the other radiating the warmth of summer.
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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers about the series. Read at your own discretion.
In Your Radiant Season Episode 1: Ha-ran’s Boyfriend
In Your Radiant Season episode 1 opens in a quiet laboratory in Boston, where Seonu Chan focuses on his research. While working, he speaks on the phone with Song Ha-ran, who is back in South Korea. The contrast between them is immediate.
Chan sounds reserved and rarely smiles. Whereas Ha-ran fills the call with bright energy and easy laughter. Despite his stoic nature, he shows affection in subtle ways. He engraves her name on a pen and mails it to her.
Later, Ha-ran excitedly shares that she won a design contest using that very pen. When she mentions how much she loves the scent of rain, Chan responds in his own quiet style—by sketching a cartoon girl sneezing in a downpour.
Meanwhile, the story shifts to Seoul. There, we learn that Chan is the younger brother of Ha-ran’s boss, Eun-chan. As their office announces a four-day holiday, Ha-ran spots a plane streaking across the sky and suddenly feels inspired.
Without hesitation, she decides to fly to Boston and surprise Chan. She sends him a heartfelt video message, announcing her arrival and confessing her love.
However, Chan doesn’t see the message until she has already landed and is heading to his university. Alarmed, he runs through campus and races toward a set of blue doors. Just as he reaches them, a massive explosion erupts and hurls him backward.
Moments later, Ha-ran arrives to find the campus in chaos, surrounded by firefighters and police. Then her phone rings. Eun-chan delivers the devastating news—Ha-ran’s boyfriend didn’t survive.
Seven Years Later in In Your Radiant Season
Seven years pass, and the story returns to Seoul. A high-profile fashion shoot unfolds at Nana Atelier, founded by legendary designer Kim Na-na. Now a pillar of the industry, the atelier thrives under her legacy.
Ha-ran works there as a leading designer and carries her grandmother’s creative spark. However, time has reshaped her. She no longer radiates warmth. Instead, she keeps her distance, avoids small talk, and often slips away to sit alone with her thoughts.
At the same time, Seonu Chan lands in South Korea with his colleague Ben for a new project. Burn scars mark his arm, yet they do not define him. He moves with ease, smiles freely, and greets people with warm hugs. Although work brings him back, he eagerly looks forward to exploring his hometown again.
Meanwhile, Ha-ran spends a quiet afternoon at her favorite café, absentmindedly sketching in her notebook. The café owner hands her an invitation to a painting exhibition and encourages her to attend.
Later, Chan visits the same gallery. The moment he sees Ha-ran, shock washes over him. He follows her outside, still processing the sight. Suddenly, he notices loose construction material that’s about to fall on her and calls out her name. It saves Ha-ran but before Ha-ran can see who called her, Chan run away.
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A Familiar Stranger in the Boardroom
Soon after, Chan and Ben attend their scheduled business meeting—only to discover that their potential partner is Nana Atelier. Chan, an animator, presents his idea with confidence. He wants the atelier to design wardrobe pieces for his female character, Won. With clear vision and passion, he wins over Kim Na-na, who agrees to collaborate.
However, things shift the moment Chan steps outside to retrieve a USB from his car. There, he unexpectedly runs into Ha-ran. Shock freezes him in place. She, on the other hand, looks at him without recognition. The distance of seven years shows.
They return to the meeting, but Chan struggles to focus. Distracted, he spills coffee on himself. As a result, Ha-ran brings him a fresh shirt. During the awkward exchange, she accidentally walks in on him changing and notices a “memento mori” tattoo etched across his skin. The phrase lingers in her mind.
Afterward, Chan tells Ben he plans to withdraw from the project and return to the US. Ben protests the impulsive decision. Chan reconsiders. Since the collaboration will only last three months, he decides he can endure it.
Meanwhile, at home, Na-na attempts to set Ha-ran up with one of their photographers. Ha-ran refuses without hesitation. The next morning, her sister Ha-young spots a news report about the construction accident that nearly injured Ha-ran. Though the man who saved her appears blurred, both sisters recognize his shirt. They dismiss it as coincidence—at least for now.
Back at the atelier, however, Ha-ran discovers that very shirt in the changing room. Inside its pocket lies the same painting exhibition invitation she received earlier. The discovery unsettles her. Then the situation escalates. The office receives an envelope filled with candid photos of Ha-ran, taken without her awareness. Ha-young immediately suspects a stalker.
As the pieces connect, Ha-ran notices something else—the animated character Won bears an uncanny resemblance to her. A troubling thought forms.
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Echoes of the Past
That evening, Chan stops by the café Ha-ran frequents. He greets the owner like an old acquaintance, which hints at a shared history. Over quiet conversation, they reflect on how memories always find their way back. Fighting them, they agree, only makes them stronger.
Meanwhile, Na-na pulls Ha-ran to a hotel in hopes of setting her up with Photographer Yoon. Ha-ran resists from the start and refuses to participate. She finally confesses her fear: everyone she loves ends up hurt or gone. Later, during the drive home, Na-na notices a date marked “DD” on her calendar. The sight dims her mood. It falls just two months away. As the car moves through the city, memories flood back—Ha-ran’s parents’ tragic death and the devastation that followed Chan’s supposed passing.
Back in the present, Ha-ran meets Photographer Yoon out of courtesy and clearly states she has no interest in dating. However, as she leaves, she spots Chan inside the hotel. Frustration boils over. She marches toward him and demands answers, pressing him on how he knows her name. Chan stands speechless.
A flashback interrupts the confrontation. It shows the younger Chan searching for Ha-ran in the United States, only to miss her at every turn. In voiceover, he describes her as the warm spring that softened the harshest winter of his life. Then the memory shifts. We hear Ha-ran’s familiar confession of love once more—but this time, she says a different full name. Not Seonu Chan. But rather, it’s Kang Hyeok-chan.
In Your Radiant Season Episode 1 Review
In Your Radiant Season opens at an unhurried pace, yet it builds an atmosphere that feels intimate and quietly haunting. The episode introduces Song Ha-ran and Seonu Chan across two distinct phases of their lives, first framing them as lovers before subtly unraveling that assumption.
By the final moments, the story pivots with a reveal that another “Chan” exists, shifting the emotional ground beneath the audience. The twist itself feels foreseeable, but the unanswered details surrounding it create the real intrigue—and raise cautious hope that the narrative avoids an overused deception trope.
Although the episode runs long and moves deliberately, that restraint allows the weight of Ha-ran’s grief and Chan’s inner conflict to settle in. The lighter scenes occasionally feel exaggerated, yet the actors anchor the heavier moments with convincing restraint and depth.
A gentle, melodic soundtrack reinforces the show’s emotional texture, while carefully framed visuals—such as Ha-ran before a stark winter painting—enhance its symbolic tone. The plot may still be unfolding, but the series clearly understands how to craft mood and leave viewers curious for what follows.
Episodes of In Your Radiant Season airs every Friday and Saturday at 10:00 PM (KST) and 9:00 PM (PHT) via MBC and Disney+. The next episode will be on February 21.
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