A Trap Called Desire

A Trap Called Desire
Promotional poster
Hangul
욕망의 덫
Hanja
慾望의 덫
Lit.Trap of Desire
RRYongmangui deot
MRYongmangŭi tŏt
GenreRevenge drama
Written byKoo Ji-won
Directed by
  • Lee Dae-kyung
  • Jung Kwang-soo
Starring
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes15
Production
Production companies
  • Studio Bom
  • Bamboo Network
  • Highline Company
Original release
NetworkKBS2
ReleaseAugust 10, 2026 (2026-08-10) –
present

A Trap Called Desire (Korean: 욕망의 덫) is an ongoing South Korean revenge drama television series written by Koo Ji-won, directed by Lee Dae-kyung and Jung Kwang-soo, and starring Jang Seo-hee, Jeon Hye-won, Seol Jung-hwan, Joo Sae-byeok, and Jang Se-hyun. The series centers on a woman wrongfully convicted of murder as she seeks to clear her name. It premiered on KBS2 on August 10, 2026, and airs every Monday to Friday at 19:50 (KST).[1] It is also available for streaming on Kocowa.[2]

Synopsis

Joo Ae-suk, consumed by envy of another woman's life, orchestrates a switch between her own daughter and the heiress of a wealthy family. Under the new identity of Joo Mi-ran, she infiltrates the household as their manager to observe her biological daughter, Kang Hae-ra. Meanwhile, the true heiress, Go Eun-seol, is adopted by Ae-suk's former friend, Park Hee-jung. By fate, both daughters attend the same school, where Eun-seol faces conflict with Hae-ra and is framed and bullied by her. When Hee-jung discovers the truth about the swap, she plans to reveal it to Eun-seol's biological parents. However, she is killed by Joo Mi-ran after being pushed off a building rooftop. Eun-seol arrives to find her adoptive mother already dead. She is unexpectedly framed for the crime and arrested during the funeral. Upon her release from prison, Go Eun-seol vows to clear her name, reveal the truth, and take revenge.

Cast and characters

Main

  • Jang Seo-hee as Joo Mi-ran / Joo Ae-suk, the head of the PR department at the Cheongma Scholarship Foundation.[3]
  • Jeon Hye-won as Go Eun-seol, whose life crumbles after being wrongly framed.[4]
  • Seol Jung-hwan as Cha Seok-jin, Eun-seol's first love.[4]
  • Joo Sae-byeok as Kang Hae-ra, the heiress of the Cheongma Group.[4]
  • Jang Se-hyun as Seo Hyun-jae, the head of the legal team at Cheongma Group.[4]

Supporting

  • Yoon Hae-young as Kim Jeong-seon, a former actress who is the chairperson of the Cheongma Scholarship Foundation.[4]
  • Yoo Tae-woong as Kang Young-hoon, Jeong-seon's husband, who is the CEO of Cheongma Holdings.[4]
  • Son Seong-yoon as Seo Mi-rae, Hyun-jae's older sister.[4]
  • Seo Kwon-soon as Wang Geum-ja, Eun-seol's adoptive grandmother.[4]
  • Choi Jae-won as Go Gi-han, Eun-seol's adoptive father.[4]
  • Park Hyun-jung as Park So-yeon[1]
  • Park Sung-kyu as Go Eun-guk, Eun-seol's adoptive older brother.[1]

Special appearance

Production

Development

The series is directed by Lee Dae-kyung and Jung Kwang-soo, written by Koo Ji-won, and co-produced by Studio Bom, Bamboo Network, and Highline Company.[3]

Casting

On June 13, 2026, Ilgan Sports reported that Jang Seo-hee was cast as the main antagonist, and her appearance was confirmed on June 30. The series marks Jang's return to KBS dramas after 12 years since Two Mothers (2014).[5][3] Nine actors were announced the following month.[4]

Viewership

A Trap Called Desire : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
EpisodesEpisode number
12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
1–25122712241212129213241324130913841260141613961343140913561484TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
26–50TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
51–75TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
76–100TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[6]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
Nielsen Korea[6]
Nationwide Seoul
1 August 10, 2026 6.4% (4th) 5.2% (5th)
2 August 11, 2026 6.0% (4th) 4.6% (5th)
3 August 12, 2026 6.2% (5th) 4.6% (6th)
4 August 13, 2026 6.8% (4th) 4.9% (4th)
5 August 14, 2026 7.0% (4th) 5.7% (6th)
6 August 17, 2026 6.9% (3rd) 5.3% (5th)
7 August 18, 2026 6.5% (4th) 4.8% (5th)
8 August 19, 2026 7.3% (3rd) 5.6% (4th)
9 August 20, 2026 6.3% (3rd) 4.8% (5th)
10 August 21, 2026 7.5% (3rd) 6.3% (6th)
11 August 24, 2026 7.5% (3rd) 6.2% (3rd)
12 August 25, 2026 7.2% (3rd) 5.7% (4th)
13 August 26, 2026 7.5% (2nd) 5.6% (4th)
14 August 27, 2026 7.2% (4th) 5.9% (4th)
15 August 28, 2026 7.9% (4th) 6.1% (5th)
16 August 31, 2026
17 September 1, 2026
18 September 2, 2026
19 September 3, 2026
20 September 4, 2026
Average — —
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Son, Bong-seok (July 7, 2026). '장세희 표 악역' 여름 안방극장 뒤흔든다···'욕망의 덫' 대본 리딩 현장 공개 ['Jang Se-hee's signature villain' to shake up the small screen this summer... A Trap Called Desire script reading scene revealed]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  2. ↑ Sushmita Dey (August 2, 2026). "Seven K-Dramas to watch in August 2026 on OTT: Our Sticky Love to Four Hands Two Sonatas to Mousetrap". The Economic Times. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Jang, Da-hee (June 30, 2026). 장서희, 악역 컴백...'욕망의 덫' 최종 빌런 됐다 [Jang Seo-hee makes a comeback as a villain... Becomes the final villain of A Trap Called Desire]. iMBC (in Korean). Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kim, Ji-hye (July 2, 2026). 전혜원·설정환·주새벽 합류...'욕망의 덫', 장서희와 캐스팅 완성 [Jeon Hye-won, Seol Jung-hwan, and Joo Sae-byeok join the cast... A Trap Called Desire completes casting with Jang Seo-hee]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  5. ↑ Kim, Ji-hye (June 13, 2026). [단독] '아내의 유혹' 장서희, 드라마 '욕망의 덫' 주연... KBS 연기대상 꿈 이룰까 [[Exclusive] Temptation of Wife Jang Seo-hee to star in drama A Trap Called Desire... Will she fulfill her dream of the KBS Drama Awards?]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Nielsen Korea ratings:
    • "Ep. 1". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 10, 2026. Retrieved August 11, 2026.
    • "Ep. 2". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 11, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
    • "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 12, 2026. Retrieved August 13, 2026.
    • "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 13, 2026. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
    • "Ep. 5". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 14, 2026. Retrieved August 15, 2026.
    • "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 17, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
    • "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 18, 2026. Retrieved August 19, 2026.
    • "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 19, 2026. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
    • "Ep. 9". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 20, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
    • "Ep. 10". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 21, 2026. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
    • "Ep. 11". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 24, 2026. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
    • "Ep. 12". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 25, 2026. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
    • "Ep. 13". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 26, 2026. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
    • "Ep. 14". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 27, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
    • "Ep. 15". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). August 28, 2026. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
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