A Trap Called Desire () is an ongoing South Korean revenge drama television series written by , directed by and Jung Kwang-soo, and starring Jang Seo-hee, Jeon Hye-won, Seol Jung-hwan, , and . 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). It is also available for streaming on Kocowa.
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, and her first plan is to track down the fake witness, Lee Jung-tae, who accused her of murder. She subsequently joins the Cheongma Group, where she becomes involved with her first love Cha Seok-jin and her rival Kang Hae-ra while searching for the real culprit.
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. She is the real murderer who killed Park Hee-jung and framed Eun-seol for it. Jeon Hye-won as Go Eun-seol, who was wrongly framed and served 10 years in prison. Seol Jung-hwan as Cha Seok-jin, the Cheongma Group Head of Strategic Planning. He is Eun-seol's first love, but was engaged in an arranged marriage to Hae-ra. as Kang Hae-ra, the sole heiress of the Cheongma Group and the head of the design team. as Seo Hyun-jae, the head of the legal team at Cheongma Group.
Supporting Yoon Hae-young as Kim Jeong-seon, a former actress who is the chairperson of the Cheongma Scholarship Foundation. as Kang Young-hoon, Jeong-seon's husband, who is the CEO of Cheongma Holdings. Son Seong-yoon as Seo Mi-rae, Hyun-jae's older sister. as Wang Geum-ja, Eun-seol's adoptive grandmother. as Go Gi-han, Eun-seol's adoptive father. as Park So-yeon, Seok-jin's mother. Park Sung-kyu as Go Eun-guk, Eun-seol's adoptive older brother.
Special appearance Seo Yoo-jung as Park Hee-jung, Eun-seol's adoptive mother.
Production Development The series is directed by and Jung Kwang-soo, written by , and co-produced by Studio Bom, Bamboo Network, and Highline Company.
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). Nine actors were announced the following month.
Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share Nielsen KoreaNielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 August 10, 2026 6.4% 5.2% 2 August 11, 2026 4.6% 3 August 12, 2026 6.2% 4 August 13, 2026 6.8% 4.9% 5 August 14, 2026 7.0% 5.7% 6 August 17, 2026 6.9% 5.3% 7 August 18, 2026 6.5% 4.8% 8 August 19, 2026 7.3% 5.6% 9 August 20, 2026 6.3% 4.8% 10 August 21, 2026 7.5% 6.3% 11 August 24, 2026 7.5% 6.2% 12 August 25, 2026 7.2% 5.7% 13 August 26, 2026 7.5% 5.6% 14 August 27, 2026 7.2% 5.9% 15 August 28, 2026 7.9% 6.1% 16 August 31, 2026 7.8% 6.3% 17 September 1, 2026 7.9% 6.0% 18 September 2, 2026 7.6% 5.7% 19 September 3, 2026 7.1% 5.5% 20 September 4, 2026 7.9% 6.1% 21 September 7, 2026 7.6% 6.3% 22 September 8, 2026 7.6% 6.1% 23 September 9, 2026 7.9% 24 September 10, 2026 7.5% 6.2% 25 September 11, 2026 6.9% 5.4% 26 September 14, 2026 6.4% 27 September 16, 2026 7.2% 5.6% 28 September 17, 2026 7.4% 6.0% 29 September 18, 2026 7.7% 6.1% 30 October 5, 2026 7.1% 5.9% 31 October 6, 2026 6.7% 4.9% 32 October 7, 2026 33 October 8, 2026 34 October 9, 2026 Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings.
References
External links