The First Night With the Duke

The First Night With the Duke is a South Korean fantasy-romance television series that aired on KBS2 from June 11 to July 17, 2025. The drama consists of 12 episodes and was broadcast in the Wednesday and Thursday 21:50 time slot. The series is an adaptation of the web novel Namjuui Cheotnalbameul Gajeobeoryeodda, written by Hwang Dotol, which was serialized on Naver from March 4 to October 11, 2019.

Plot

The story follows a university student named K, who unexpectedly finds herself transported into the world of her favorite romance novel. She inhabits the body of a minor character named Cha Sun-Chaek, the daughter of a wealthy noble family. While her goal is to live a quiet and normal life, she inadvertently spends a night with Yi Beon, the novel's male lead. Yi Beon is a cold-blooded man of royal lineage, known for his martial arts prowess and a tragic past. Despite K's attempts to steer the plot toward the original female lead, Jo Eun-Ae, Yi Beon's affections remain directed toward her.

Promotional poster for The First Night With the Duke

Cast

The series features an ensemble cast, including:

Seohyun as K / Cha Sun-Chaek
TaecYeon as Yi Beon
Kwon Han-Sol as Jo Eun-Ae
Seo Bum-June as Jung Su-Gyeom
Ji Hye-Won as Do Hwa-Seon
Lee Tae-Sun as Prince Yi-Gyu

Production

The drama was directed by Lee Woong-Hee with a screenplay by Jeon Sun-Young. It occupied the KBS2 time slot previously held by Pump Up the Healthy Love and was succeeded by My Girlfriend is the Man on July 23, 2025.