Fans of hit K-drama Crash Landing On You briefly rejoiced when news broke yesterday that screen couple Seo Ji-hye, 36, and Kim Jung-hyun, 31, had been secretly dating for a year.

However, their management agencies swiftly crushed fans' dreams by refuting the rumours.

News outlet Sports Chosun reported that the two actors had fallen for each other after filming the drama, which aired from 2019 to 2020. After that, Kim had made a special appearance in Seo's latest drama, Dinner Mate (2020). They had previously worked together on 2016 drama Don't Dare To Dream.

Yesterday, entertainment news outlet Dispatch released photos of the pair reportedly arriving at the carpark of their homes for secret dates and alleged that they spent a lot of time together and even celebrated birthdays together in the past year.

However, Seo's agency Culture Depot said: "We have checked with her and she said she is definitely not dating Kim Jung-hyun. We are bewildered."

It added: "Kim Jung-hyun would be looking for a new agency soon, so he met Seo Ji-hye over this matter. They met at home because of Covid-19."

A source from Kim's agency also denied the rumours. "As far as we know, Kim Jung-hyun and Seo Ji-hye are not dating. They are only maintaining a close relationship as senior and junior after working together in tvN's Crash Landing On You."

Another screen couple from the drama, Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, confirmed earlier this year that they are dating, much to the joy of fans of the wildly popular drama.