“Queen of Tears”, the most popular Korean drama of 2024, quickly shot up the charts and became the most-watched drama in Netflix's global top 10. “Queen of Tears” set the highest viewership ratings in tvN history, at an average of 24.85%, breaking the iconic “Crash Landing onto You” in 2020, which had 21%. The most popular drama of 2024 dethroned “Crash Landing onto You”, which is often termed the greatest romance K-drama of all time. Starring the highest-paid and most popular actor in Korea, Kim Soo-Hyun, and “Descendants of the Sun” star, Kim Ji-Won, “Queen of Tears” features a cast of popular and excellent actors and actresses.

Hidden throughout the show, references to various dramas and iconic moments in Korean TV history are numerous and subtle. From “Crash Landing onto You” playing in the background, to Song Joong-Ki's entrance in Episode 8 where he plays the popular Italian mafia “Vincenzo” from 2021, here are six hidden details and easter eggs you missed in “Queen of Tears”.

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Kim Ji-Won's outfits

Throughout the episodes, audiences notice that Kim Ji-Won, acting as the company heiress Hong Hae-In, changes her outfit countless times throughout. From a stylish striped blue button-on to a star-speckled coat, the costume designers of “Queen of Tears” did not fall short when designing Kim Ji-Won's outfits. However, beyond fashion and style, Kim Ji-Won's outfits also reflect her mood from scene to scene.

When Kim Ji-Won wears a fancy red dress to work, she demonstrates her anger with Kim Soo-Hyun, as illustrated when her secretary tells others to stay away from her because she looks like a “gorgeous peacock.” When Hong Hae-In sleeps over at Baek Hyun-Woo's house, she wears a casual, oversized T-shirt to symbolize her ease and relaxation in her escape from her hectic work life. As you watch through the drama again, her various outfits stand out as one of the most subtle and consistent details the director planned for avid “Queen of Tears” fans.

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Kim Ji-Won's gray cardigan

Kim Soo-Hyun's most famous Korean drama before “Queen of Tears” was “My Love from the Star", where he played a handsome and eternal alien living next door to a celebrity who fell in love with him. One of the outfits he wore during the drama was a gray, white-striped cardigan.

When Kim Ji-Won wore the same gray cardigan, viewers were quick to point out the similarities between the two cardigans, calling it a “couple outfit”. Whether this was a direct reference to Kim Soo-Hyun's iconic performance in “My Love from the Star” or a fitting coincidence, this is another exciting easter egg to watch out for!

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Na Young-Hee and Kim Soo-Hyun's reunion

“Queen of Tears” contains numerous references to Kim Soo-Hyun's time as Do Min-Joon from “My Love from the Star”. In particular, one of the subtlest and yet in plain sight easter eggs is Na Young-Hee, who plays Hong Hae-In's (Kim Ji-Won's) mother, and thus, Kim Soo-Hyun's mother-in-law. Coincidentally, or perhaps purposefully, Na Young-Hee plays the mother of Cheon Song-Yi in “My Love from the Star”, and Kim Soo-Hyun's mother-in-law.

The two actors meet again for a reunion once again as son-in-law and mother-in-law. Although Kim Seon-Hwa (Na Young-Hee) is initially antagonistic and verbally abusive to Baek Hyun-Woo in “Queen of Tears”, she slowly warms up to him over time, as she realizes that he is Hong Hae-In's continual savior and worthy of being her husband.

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Song Joong-Ki and Kim Ji-Won's reunion in Episode 8

It is no surprise that “Queen of Tears” includes allusions to Kim Ji-Won's prominent role as the supporting lead in one of the most famous romance Korean dramas of all time, “Descendants of the Sun”. The main character and male lead of the drama, acting as Captain Yoo, is Song Joong-Ki. Although the two characters were never romantically involved in the drama, they were both comrades and soldiers together.

Song Joong-Ki is also known for his starring role as the Italian mafia, Vincenzo, in the 2021 revenge drama, “Vincenzo”. When Song Joong-Ki enters the scene in Episode 8 as Hong Hae-In's divorce attorney, with the “Vincenzo” theme playing in the background, audiences are shocked into disbelief and astonishment. As the two stars reunite in Episode 8, “Queen of Tears” draws together fans from different drama fanbases, united under the chemistry the two leads create.

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Crash Landing On You

“Crash Landing On You”, released in 2020, is the most famous and legendary romance Korean drama of all time, and so it is unsurprisingly the subject of several easter eggs throughout the drama. From Son Ye-Jin and Hyun Bin's moments together in North Korea playing on a TV screen in the background to Hong Hae-In and Baek Hyun-Woo's wedding imitating the two actors' wedding in real life, “Queen of Tears” does not fall short of the allusions to the famous “Crash Landing On You.” Ironically, “Queen of Tears” dethroned “Crash Landing On You” as the highest-rated Korean drama in tvN history, becoming the most popular romance Korean drama of 2024, and perhaps of all time.

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My Love from the Star cameo in Episode 15

In Episode 15, Hong Jin-Kyun appears as the leader of the detectives that Hong Beom-Jun, Hong Hae-In's father, hired to spy on Hong Hae-In and Yoon Eun-Sung when she lost her memory. Hong Jin-Kyun appears with two supporting characters wearing red and blue tracksuits.

The comedic trio originally played the comedic relief characters in “My Love from the Star”, where they stayed at a bookstore, and Hong Jin-Kyun was the best friend of Cheon Song-Yi, the love interest of Kim Soo-Hyun. Entering for a brief cameo in Episode 15, the characters pushed the plot forward while also creating a hilarious and enjoyable scene as we enter the finale of “Queen of Tears”.

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The most popular Korean drama of 2024, “Queen of Tears” is worth rewatching to find all the hidden easter eggs that are scattered throughout the show, as well as enjoy the various cameos referring to other Korean dramas the main leads have acted in previously. From Ae-ra in “Fight For My Way” to Sang-Tae in “It's Okay to Not Be Okay”, there is nothing more satisfying than watching old actors reunite. Have fun digging for hidden details as you watch “Queen of Tears” again with a fresh set of eyes!