Chae Jong-hyeop made his acting debut in the second season of MBC Every1’s Webtoon Hero – Tundra Show in 2016. This was followed by appearances in several web dramas such as Between Friends and No Bad Days in 2017 to 2018. In 2019, he joined the cast of the SBS sports-themed series Stove League, which was hailed Best Drama at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards. His work in the drama brought him attention from the viewers. In 2021, he acted a supporting role in JTBC’s Sisyphus, which starred Jo Seung-woo and Park Shin-hye. That same year, he was included in the main cast of the JTBC romantic series Nevertheless and the TVING dark fantasy The Witch’s Diner.

Chae Jong-hyeop goes by the English name Jimmy. During a guest appearance on Running Man, he revealed that he studied in Thailand and in Pretoria, South Africa.