[Dispatch=Jung Tae-yoon] 2021, 2022, and now 2026. These are the years in which TVING’s Yumi’s Cells has evolved.
There have been three rounds of “cell division” so far. (The male lead has changed three times.) Yumi (played by Kim Go-eun) has returned every season—so have the viewers.
Season 3 ranked No. 1 in paid subscriber contribution on TVING for three consecutive weeks immediately after release. Seasons 1 and 2 also re-entered the platform’s Top 10 at the same time.
In the history of Korean dramas, there has been no case of a webtoon-based series continuing through a third season. Moreover, this IP is expanding beyond the webtoon into drama and even a musical.
What is the secret behind its success? Living, breathing “cells,” an actor who has accumulated time with the character, and a super IP designed from the beginning. Yumi’s Cells has evolved on its own.
◆ The Power of a 3.5 Billion-View Original
The starting point is the original work. Writer Lee Dong-geon serialized Yumi’s Cells on Naver Webtoon for five years, from 2015 to 2020. At the time of completion, it recorded 3.2 billion cumulative views (currently 3.5 billion).
But more important than the numbers is its structural uniqueness. The story depicts the romance and growth of an ordinary woman in her 30s through the perspective of the “cells” inside her mind.
One character repeatedly experiences relationships, breakups, and new beginnings with different partners. This very structure is why Studio N paid attention to the IP.
A Studio N representative told Dispatch, “The webtoon was already hugely popular, but compared to other works, we believed it had strong expandability. We were confident that we could do a variety of things with this super IP.”
That expansion has, in turn, boosted the original again. In the two weeks following the Season 3 release (April 13–26), webtoon views increased 13-fold compared to the two weeks before airing (Feb. 28–Mar. 13).
◆ Designing a Seasonal Structure
The device of “cells,” the episodic structure, and Yumi’s growth narrative—these three elements became the foundation for expansion into different formats, including drama, animation, and musicals.
Above all, they enabled a seasonal drama structure. The production team approached the project with seasons in mind from the beginning. Seasons 1 and 2 were planned and produced simultaneously.
Given that the original spans roughly four years, it was deemed nearly impossible to condense the story into a single mini-series. However, such a choice typically comes with risks for seasonal dramas.
The strongest factor for audience immersion is character chemistry. Once that chemistry changes, the show can feel entirely different to existing fans.
But Yumi’s Cells was structured to avoid that limitation from the outset. Fans of the original already know that Yumi is a character who experiences multiple relationships and breakups.
As a result, changes in male leads became points of anticipation rather than shock. From Gu Woong (Ahn Bo-hyun) in Season 1, to Bobby (Park Jinyoung) in Season 2, and soon to Soonrok (Kim Jae-won) in Season 3, each new casting generated excitement.
The high level of synchronization between the characters imagined by fans and the actual casting also contributed to positive reception. In effect, the original narrative structure turned a typical weakness of seasonal dramas into a strength.
◆ The Language of Cell CG
What most clearly distinguishes Yumi’s Cells from other webtoon-based dramas is its use of cell CG. The series blends live-action with 3D animation—this is not merely a visual gimmick.
In the original, the “cells” are the core mechanism for externalizing the protagonist’s inner world. Emotions, logic, love, creativity, and even impulsive tendencies are personified, visually representing Yumi’s decision-making process.
Without the cells, Yumi’s inner world disappears—and without that inner world, the essence of the drama itself vanishes. Thus, the key to the series lay in how to realize these cells through CG.
Visual effects company Locus implemented the cells using Unreal Engine-based real-time technology. The production alone took approximately 10 months. It marked the first attempt in Korean drama to combine live-action with 3D animation.
Season 3 goes even further. For instance, in Episode 6, icons resembling a “fully charged battery” appear beside Soonrok while he drives, and streetlights sweep across the screen like rhythm game judgment lines.
This visually expresses how Soonrok—typically drained outside his home—becomes “fully charged” when he is with Yumi. Rather than relying solely on animated cell scenes, graphics are layered directly onto live-action footage.
In doing so, even the live-action scenes themselves begin to operate under the “language” of the cell world. The boundary between animation and reality dissolves, creating Season 3’s distinct rhythm.
◆ Yumi’s Growth
The most notable change in Season 3 is Yumi’s position. She begins as an ordinary office worker in Season 1, becomes an aspiring writer in Season 2, and evolves into a star writer in Season 3.
It’s not just her romantic partners who change—Yumi herself transforms over time. This is why viewers return each season.
They are not simply curious about the next male lead, but about where Yumi is now in her life. What begins as a romance becomes a journey of rooting for one person’s life.
Kim Go-eun has portrayed this growth consistently over five years. This is the series’ greatest asset. Her portrayal in Season 1 and Season 3 is the same—yet different.
Kim said, “Yumi was my first project as a sole lead. I think the wisdom and experience I gained while struggling as an actress in my 20s are now reflected in this role in my 30s.”
The contrast between the awkwardness of early 30s and the weight of mid-30s is not performed—it is lived. As the character aged, so did the actor. Both grew together.
That is why the series remained steady despite changes in male leads. What anchored the identity of the show was not the romance, but Yumi herself—and Kim Go-eun, who has embodied her for five years.
◆ The Strength of a Super IP
The production structure is also noteworthy. The drama is co-produced by Studio Dragon, Merrygold, and Studio N. As a subsidiary of Naver Webtoon, Studio N directly participated as the platform holding the original IP.
It was not just a co-producer. It served as a control tower, designing and managing the direction of the IP across all formats—drama, animation, and musical.
Just as Disney and Pixar expand a single IP into theme parks, musicals, and merchandise, Yumi’s Cells was planned from the beginning as a multi-format super IP.
The project did not begin with the drama. Studio N had already been preparing an animated version with Locus before Season 1. Studio Dragon later joined with a proposal to produce the drama, naturally integrating the two.
The cell CG assets developed earlier were then carried into the drama.
The original musical Yumi’s Cells was also developed around the same time. While based on Season 1, it introduced 109 original “cells” not present in the webtoon, expanding the universe once again.
In Korean drama history, no webtoon-based series has reached a third season. This achievement is not merely the result of popularity—it is the outcome of structural design, seasonal planning from the outset, and the direct involvement of the IP-owning platform.
“Yumi’s Cells Has Proven One Thing”
Yumi’s Cells has evolved. With each format shift, it preserved its core while building change—and that accumulation has strengthened the IP.
It has proven that a well-crafted IP does not end when the original story concludes. The drama expands into a musical, the musical revitalizes the drama, and that cycle ultimately breathes new life back into the original.
The cells are still alive—and still evolving.
<Photo Credit: Studio Dragon, Studio N>
