K-drama Queen Of Tears: All the Easter eggs, cameos and little things you might have missed

Kim Soo-hyun has a proven track record of dropping easter eggs and making references to his past shows in his K-dramas, so it’s no surprise the popular actor went all out in the recently concluded Queen Of Tears (QOT).

Starring alongside actress Kim Ji-won, Soo-hyun made his long-awaited comeback to the small screen after four years – and the finale episode of the series, which aired on Sun (Apr 28), was reported to have achieved the highest rating in tvN history, surpassing Crash Landing On You.

The K-drama’s lead stars and riveting plot no doubt had a lot to do with it. But throughout the series, it would seem viewers also had plenty to look forward to that had nothing to do with the storyline. With star-studded cameos and references to other shows in the K-drama universe, QOT did it like no other. How many did you catch?

BAE SUZY’S VIRAL ‘FLIRTING SMILE’ (EP 4)

Kim Soo-hyun and actress Bae Suzy go way back, having started out as co-stars in the 2011 K-drama Dream High. The two stars have since supported each other in various ways, including the time the actress had a cameo in the actor’s 2013 drama My Love From The Star.

In Queen Of Tears, Soo-hyun flashes a rather unique smile at co-star Ji-won in an attempt to charm his on-screen wife, revealing only a wee bit of his upper teeth. If it looked familiar, it was because it was the same exact smile Suzy had during an interview with singer Jo Hyunah, which went viral. It was dubbed the “flirting smile”.

SONG JOONG-KI AS VINCENZO (EP 8)

This was the cameo that couldn't be ignored: Superstar Song Joong-ki appearing in Queen Of Tears as one of his beloved on-screen characters, Vincenzo Cassano, from the 2021 drama. With a whole bunch of nods to other shows.

As he made his grand slow-mo entrance, he was introduced as “the youngest heir of a conglomerate family”, referring to the chaebol drama Reborn Rich from 2022.

He was also described as ”someone who came here on a spaceship”, referencing his role in the 2021 movie Space Sweepers; and was rumoured to be “a werewolf,” alluding to Joong-ki’s breakthrough role in the 2012 movie A Werewolf Boy.

Finally, there was the nod to the character being “a former soldier stationed abroad”, which paid homage to the mammoth 2016 hit Descendants Of The Sun, where actress Ji-won played second lead.

Still keeping track? Ji-won and Joong-ki also both acted in the 2019 series Arthdal Chronicles, while QOT actor Kwak Dong-yeon, who played the brother of Ji-won’s character, was also part of Vincenzo.

THE REBORN RICH COUPLE (EP 12)

Speaking of Reborn Rich, Joong-ki’s cameo wasn’t the only nod to that other popular chaebol drama series.

In QOT, actor Kim Do-hyun plays Soo-hyun’s older brother who happens to have an absent wife. When said wife finally appears in a flashback scene, it’s none other than actress Kim Shin-rok.

If the pairing looked oddly deja vu, it’s because the two had acted as a couple in Reborn Rich – as a mayor and a chaebol’s daughter, which was an interesting contrast to their more humble backgrounds in QOT.

CRASH LANDING ON YOU REFERENCES (EPS 1 AND 5)

Eagle-eyed fans have pointed out that the wedding in QOT was aesthetically similar to that of Hyun-bin and Son Ye-jin’s in Crash Landing On You (CLOY).

That wasn’t the only CLOY moment in the show. In another scene, the show actually plays in the background on TV.

To add to the meta layers, Soo-hyun had a cameo in CLOY – where he appeared as another of his characters from another show, a North Korean agent in Secretly, Greatly.

MY LOVE FROM THE STAR CAMEOS (EP 15)

Actress Hong Jin-kyung also joins the list of cameos in episode 15, as a private investigator hired by the Queens Group. Her character mentions owning a comic book store, which clearly referenced her character in My Love From The Star. 

Plus, her sidekicks in QOT, Jo Sae-ho and Nam Chang-hee, are decked out in tracksuits, just like their characters in the 2013 K-drama.

In fact, there’s another tie-in with MLFTS – QOT’s Na Young-hee and Soo-hyun are alumni of the show, and they more or less play the same type of roles in relation to each other (with the former acting as the latter's mother-in-law).

IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY’S OH JUNG-SE (EP 1)

One actor from the 2020 show that appeared in QOT was Oh Jung-se – right at the start.

In It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Soo-hyun and Jung-se were affectionately named the Moon brothers, where Soo-hyun played the part of a psych ward caretaker.

In QOT, the tables were turned and Jung-se plays Soo-hyun’s much-needed psychiatrist in Queen Of Tears.