If you’ve been watching My Royal Nemesis (멋진 신세계) and felt a song hit at exactly the right moment, you’re not imagining it. The soundtrack is doing as much storytelling as the script. Six OST parts were released between May 8 and June 6, 2026, each one mapped to a specific emotional turn in the romance between Shin Seo‑ri and Cha Se‑gye. The lineup pulls from K‑R&B, K‑pop royalty, and one of Korea’s most respected drama music directors. This My Royal Nemesis OST guide walks through every track, the artist behind it, and the exact scene each song was written for.
Drama Overview — What Is My Royal Nemesis About?
My Royal Nemesis, also known internationally as Brave New World, is SBS’s Friday‑Saturday drama starring Lim Ji‑yeon and Heo Nam‑jun. The premise is unusual even by K‑drama standards. Shin Seo‑ri, a nameless actress, becomes inhabited by the soul of Joseon’s most notorious villainess Kang Dan‑sim. Cha Se‑gye, a ruthless chaebol heir nicknamed “the monster of capitalism,” is the reincarnation of Crown Prince Lee‑hyun — the man Kang Dan‑sim loved and lost three hundred years earlier.
The story moves between two timelines: modern Seoul and Joseon palace flashbacks. The music has to carry that weight. Each OST part isn’t just a mood piece. It’s tied to a specific narrative beat — the first awareness, the denial, the confession, the kiss, the recognition. That’s what makes this My Royal Nemesis soundtrack worth listening to in order.
The international fanbase on Netflix has been pulling individual songs into TikTok edits since Part 4 dropped. The full picture only makes sense when you hear all six together.
Complete OST Track List at a Glance
| Part | Title | Artist | Release | Scene Anchor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anyway (하여튼) | Nam Jong | May 8, 2026 | First meetings, episodes 1–2 |
| 2 | Season of Us (다시 돌아온 계절) | Young K (DAY6) | May 16, 2026 | Denial phase, episodes 3–4 |
| 3 | Losing My Heart (마음을 놓치다) | Gwyn Dorado | May 23, 2026 | First confession, episodes 5–6 |
| 4 | Universe | CHEEZE | May 29, 2026 | First kiss, episodes 7–8 |
| 5 | Everyday Miracle (조용한 기적) | Seo Ja Yeong | June 5, 2026 | Recognition, episodes 9–10 |
| 6 | Into You | ONEW (SHINee) | June 6, 2026 | Mutual confession kiss, episode 10 |
Music director Park Sung‑il (Studio Curiosity) is the through‑line. He scored My Mister, Itaewon Class, and When Life Gives You Tangerines, and he personally composed Parts 1, 2, 3, and 5 of this drama. If you’ve ever wondered why certain K‑drama soundtracks feel emotionally precise rather than just decorative, his name is the answer.
Part 1 — “Anyway (하여튼)” by Nam Jong
About the Artist
Nam Jong is the kind of vocalist Korean drama music directors hire when they need a voice that sounds unique the first time you hear it. His tone sits somewhere between Indie R&B and synth‑pop, with a slight rasp that makes even straightforward lyrics feel a little off‑kilter. He’s not a household name internationally yet, which makes his lead position on Part 1 a deliberate creative choice — the producers wanted the opening theme to feel discovered, not anthemic.
Scene Breakdown & Lyrics Meaning
“Anyway” is the show’s first OST and it plays during the early episodes (1–2) when Cha Se‑gye’s perfectly controlled life starts cracking open. The Korean title 하여튼 literally means “anyway” or “in any case” — the kind of word you mutter when you’ve given up trying to explain why something is happening. That’s the song.
The lyrics describe a man whose eyes keep drifting toward someone against his will: “My eyes go to you without me knowing. Anyway, everything feels strange.” Park Sung‑il built the track on retro synthesizers and drums, and the production deliberately keeps the emotional pressure low. This isn’t a love song yet. It’s a what is happening to me song. The instrumentation matches Cha Se‑gye’s character arc — corporate, calculated, just slightly destabilized.
Listen for the line “All of it went according to plan, until the variable showed up.” That’s not just a lyric. That’s the show’s entire premise in one sentence.
Part 2 — “Season of Us (다시 돌아온 계절)” by Young K (DAY6)
About the Artist
Young K is the bassist, lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of DAY6, one of K‑pop’s most internationally respected band acts. He’s known for emotionally literate writing and a clean, bright vocal tone. DAY6’s global fanbase (My Day) is significant, which made his OST participation a major signal moment for My Royal Nemesis‘s international rollout. Within 24 hours of release, the YouTube MV crossed major view thresholds in Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Scene Breakdown & Lyrics Meaning
“Season of Us” plays through episodes 3–4, during Cha Se‑gye’s denial phase. This is the stretch where he starts dreaming about a previous life — fragmented memories of Kang Dan‑sim and Crown Prince Lee‑hyun — and spends most of his waking hours trying to convince himself it isn’t real. The song is the part of him that already knows it is.
The key lyric: “A season that traveled long and far to finally arrive here — this dazzling day of us. I won’t let go of these joined hands this time.” It’s not a song about falling in love for the first time. It’s a song about recognizing a love that already existed across lifetimes. The mid‑tempo synth‑pop arrangement gives it forward momentum, like the timeline itself is moving the characters together whether they consent or not.
This is the OST track international fans most commonly cite as their first “I’m hooked on this drama” moment.
Part 3 — “Losing My Heart (마음을 놓치다)” by Gwyn Dorado
About the Artist
Gwyn Dorado is a vocalist with one of the most distinctive higher registers in current K‑drama OST work. Her clear, slightly fragile upper range carries emotional weight without tipping into melodrama — which is exactly what Park Sung‑il needed for this part of the story. She’s collaborated previously with Studio Curiosity on other drama projects, and the producer team specifically requested her for Part 3.
Scene Breakdown & Lyrics Meaning
Episodes 5–6 are the show’s first emotional peak. Cha Se‑gye admits his feelings out loud. Shin Seo‑ri pushes him away, swearing she will never let herself love him. Choi Moon‑do orchestrates an assassination attempt. Shin Seo‑ri saves Cha Se‑gye’s life — the kind of save that contradicts everything she just said.
“Losing My Heart” plays under this whole arc. The Korean title 마음을 놓치다 literally means “to drop one’s heart” or “to lose grip of one’s heart” — an accident, not a choice. The lyrics: “My heart that keeps running toward someone, no matter how I hold my breath… I’ll hide this anxious, painful feeling.” It’s the soundtrack of someone losing a fight against their own emotions.
The arrangement opens with delicate piano and acoustic guitar, then adds strings as the emotion deepens. Gwyn Dorado’s restrained delivery makes the chorus feel like a confession spoken at a whisper.
Part 4 — “Universe” by CHEEZE
About the Artist
CHEEZE is one of Korea’s most beloved indie‑adjacent vocalists, with international recognition built on songs like “Mood Indigo” and a string of fan‑favorite OST contributions. Her voice is instantly identifiable — warm, slightly breathy, intimate in a way that makes every song sound like it’s being sung directly to you. Her inclusion on Part 4 marked the OST’s mainstream pivot. After “Universe” dropped, the soundtrack started charting in Korea.
Scene Breakdown & Lyrics Meaning
Part 4 is the kiss episode. Episodes 7–8 build toward it through a brutal sequence — Shin Seo‑ri gets lost at an advertising shoot, spirals into a past‑life trauma flashback, and the two of them hurt each other with words that mean the opposite of what they feel. Then Cha Se‑gye confesses, properly this time. The kiss confirms what the lyrics have been building toward.
The chorus: “You’re my only universe, the reason for everything I am.” This is the only OST in the lineup where the title and lyric are in English, which is a deliberate signal. Park Sung‑il and the production team built “Universe” as the international fan anthem — the song most likely to be clipped, captioned, and shared on TikTok with the kiss scene. It worked. The clip dominated K‑drama edit accounts within 48 hours.
The arrangement starts with lyrical guitar, opens into a bright sound with a playful rhythm, and lets CHEEZE’s warm vocal carry the moment when restraint finally gives way to feeling.
Part 5 — “Everyday Miracle (조용한 기적)” by Seo Ja Yeong
About the Artist
Seo Ja Yeong is a vocalist with a distinctively wistful tone — the kind of voice that sounds like it’s remembering something even when it’s singing about the present. She’s less internationally known than Young K or ONEW, which makes her placement on Part 5 a Park Sung‑il signature move. He tends to save his most emotionally precise vocalists for the soundtrack’s quietest moments.
Scene Breakdown & Lyrics Meaning
Episodes 9–10 are when the show shifts gears. Shin Seo‑ri and Cha Se‑gye are officially seeing each other. Cha Se‑gye starts having full past‑life dreams — Joseon, the palace, Kang Dan‑sim — and begins to suspect that Shin Seo‑ri is the woman from those dreams. The episode 9 ending kiss happens under this song’s instrumental. So does the episode 10 truck crash cliffhanger.
The Korean title 조용한 기적 means “quiet miracle.” The lyrics: “You inside me, you saved me again today. The reason for all my days, all my breaths — my you.” It’s a song about the kind of love that doesn’t announce itself — it just keeps you alive through ordinary moments until you realize it’s the only reason any of it mattered.
Park Sung‑il composed this one personally, and you can hear his fingerprints. Minimalist intro, then drum and bass enter and the song expands into a polished pop ballad. The arrangement gives Seo Ja Yeong’s lonely, love‑warm voice room to do the emotional work. This is the track Korean fans have flagged most often as “the OST that makes me cry.”
Part 6 — “Into You” by ONEW (SHINee)
About the Artist
ONEW is the lead vocalist of SHINee, one of K‑pop’s most influential second‑generation groups. His vocal control, tonal warmth, and emotional restraint are textbook reference material for Korean R&B and ballad singers. His OST work is rare and deliberate — he doesn’t take many drama projects, which made his Part 6 announcement major news. Within hours of release, “Into You” was trending on Korean and international Twitter, with SHINee’s global fanbase (Shawols) driving the streams.
Scene Breakdown & Lyrics Meaning
Part 6 is the show’s mutual recognition moment. Episode 10 climaxes with Shin Seo‑ri finally understanding that Cha Se‑gye was Crown Prince Lee‑hyun — and that the letter he left her in the past life was the confession she never got to hear. She decides not to repeat that mistake. Cha Se‑gye, briefly misreading her contact with Choi Moon‑do, almost loses her — then chooses honesty instead, and kisses her with the full weight of two lifetimes behind it.
“Into You” plays over this sequence. The chorus: “I think I’m into you. The more I try to hide it, the more I see only you all day.” It’s a song about the moment of self‑recognition — the moment you stop pretending you don’t feel what you feel.
The arrangement is mid‑tempo pop with bright, rhythmic guitar and a melodic line that’s catchier than anything else on the soundtrack. ONEW’s gentle, unadorned vocal is the trick — he refuses to oversing it, which makes the song land harder. This is the OST track most likely to outlive the drama itself on streaming playlists.
Where to Stream the Full OST
All six My Royal Nemesis OST parts are available on the major global platforms:
- Spotify: Search “My Royal Nemesis OST” or “멋진 신세계 OST” — the official playlist contains all parts in release order.
- Apple Music: Each part is listed as a separate single album, searchable by song title or artist.
- YouTube Music: Official MVs are uploaded to the SBS Catch channel with English subtitles for international viewers.
- Bugs Music / Melon / Genie (Korean platforms): Higher audio quality, includes instrumental versions of each track.
If you want the listening order that matches the drama’s emotional arc, play them in release order (Part 1 → Part 6). If you want the catchiest first listen, start with “Universe” (Part 4) or “Into You” (Part 6).
How the Music Tells the Love Story — OST Analysis
The My Royal Nemesis soundtrack is structured as a six‑stage emotional arc, not a random collection. Each part marks a specific shift in the relationship between Shin Seo‑ri and Cha Se‑gye, and the artist choices follow a clear logic.
Parts 1, 2, 3, and 5 — the structural backbone of the OST — were all composed by Park Sung‑il, the music director whose previous work on My Mister, Itaewon Class, and When Life Gives You Tangerines established him as Korean drama’s most consistent emotional architect. He uses the same approach here. The early OSTs (Anyway, Season of Us) sit in a controlled mid‑tempo synth‑pop space, mirroring the controlled distance between the leads. As the romance opens up, the arrangements widen — strings enter on Part 3, brighter pop sounds on Part 4, full pop ballad on Part 5.
Parts 4 and 6 were composed by external teams (Yoon Song / Choi Chan‑young for Universe, Jung Jin‑wook / Jin Seung‑woo for Into You) — both deliberately international‑sounding tracks chosen for streaming reach. The CHEEZE and ONEW placements weren’t accidents. They were calculated to drive global discovery of the drama.
The result is a soundtrack that works on two levels. For Korean viewers, it functions as a quiet emotional companion to the script. For international viewers discovering the show on Netflix, it functions as a gateway — bright, melodic, immediately shareable.
FAQ
Q: How many OST parts does My Royal Nemesis have? Six official OST parts were released between May 8 and June 6, 2026. Each part contains a vocal version and an instrumental version of one song.
Q: Who sings the My Royal Nemesis OST? Six different artists: Nam Jong, Young K (DAY6), Gwyn Dorado, CHEEZE, Seo Ja Yeong, and ONEW (SHINee).
Q: Who is the music director of My Royal Nemesis? Park Sung‑il of Studio Curiosity, known for My Mister, Itaewon Class, and When Life Gives You Tangerines. He personally composed Parts 1, 2, 3, and 5.
Q: Which OST plays during the first kiss scene? “Universe” by CHEEZE, released as Part 4 of the soundtrack, plays during the episode 7–8 kiss sequence between Cha Se‑gye and Shin Seo‑ri.
Q: Is the My Royal Nemesis OST available on Spotify? Yes, all six parts can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and the major Korean platforms including Melon, Genie, and Bugs.
Q: What does the Korean title 멋진 신세계 mean? 멋진 신세계 translates to “brave new world” or “wonderful new world.” The international title used by Netflix is My Royal Nemesis.
For weekly episode coverage, see the My Royal Nemesis Episode 10 recap and the Episode 9 recap. For full cast and production details, visit the Complete Guide. The official drama page is on SBS, and the international discussion thread is on MyDramaList.