After the Knock Off Fallout, This New Disney+ K-drama Could Be the Surprise Comeback

In a bold move to bounce back from recent setbacks, Disney+ has unveiled its newest original K-drama series The Nine Puzzles, directed by hit-maker Yoon Jong-bin and led by star actors Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku.

A press conference for The Nine Puzzles was held on May 14 at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Seoul, where director Yoon and lead actors Kim Da-mi, Son Suk-ku, Kim Sung-kyun, and Hyun Bong-sik gathered to discuss the highly anticipated series.

Set against the backdrop of an unresolved serial murder case from a decade ago, The Nine Puzzles follows a profiler—once the only witness to the crimes—who teams up with a detective that suspects her involvement. Together, they chase down a dark mystery in this stylish crime thriller.

Known for hits like Nameless Gangster, The Spy Gone North, and Netflix’s Narco-Saints, director Yoon Jong-bin took a different approach this time. He skipped scriptwriting entirely to focus solely on directing.

“I always strive to try something new, but my style inevitably seeps in,” Yoon said. “When I first read the script, I thought, ‘This is a story I’ve never told before.’” He added that instead of his usual grounded realism, he aimed for a heightened, almost comic book–like tone, incorporating surreal set pieces and stylized character expressions.

At the center of the story is ‘Yoon Ena,’ played by Kim Da-mi, the traumatized niece of the first victim who lost her memory after witnessing the murder. “She’s honest with her emotions and childlike in some ways, but I wanted to portray the pain and vulnerability beneath,” Kim shared.

Son Suk-ku plays ‘Kim Han-saem,’ the relentless detective with doubts about Ena’s past. “The word that best defines Han-saem is persistence,” he said. “I wanted to go beyond the typical detective mold and show something unpredictable.”

He emphasized that his relationship with Ena was the most complex and vital. “It’s a vague dynamic—not quite friends, not siblings, not enemies. I had to rely on imagination to fill in the blanks,” he explained.

Their on-screen chemistry has already drawn attention. Son noted, “We have similar personalities, which helped us connect without misunderstandings. It made us good partners on set.” Kim added, “Thanks to him, we were able to talk a lot and rely on each other throughout filming.”

The main trailer for The Nine Puzzles, released on May 7, has already surpassed 1 million views in just a week. Viewers flooded the comments with excitement: “The cast AND director? This can’t fail,” “Finally, a must-watch thriller,” “I’ve been waiting for this forever,” “Kim Da-mi as a genius character and Son Suk-ku as a detective? Say no more,” and “I kept my Disney+ subscription just for this.”

Disney+ previously faced a major setback with its drama Knock Off, which had a production budget of 60 billion KRW. The project was indefinitely postponed after lead actor Kim Soo-hyun became embroiled in a controversy over an alleged past relationship with actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. Despite season 2 already entering production, the entire series was shelved, causing widespread fallout in the industry.

Now, all eyes are on The Nine Puzzles, which many view as Disney+ Korea’s comeback swing.

The series will consist of 11 episodes. The first six will drop on May 21, followed by three more episodes a week later, and the final two episodes a week after that.

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