Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated Kim Hoyeun
Seo In Guk made his debut in 2012 with the KBS series Love Rain. That was three years after he became the winner of Mnet’s survival show Superstar K1, beating out 720,000 other applicants. He later said that with the role of Kim Chang Mo in Love Rain, he found the charm in the craft of acting that allows him to vent out his emotions.
In 2012, Seo solidified his position as an actor with tvN’s Reply 1997, a nostalgic series set in Busan in the 1990s. Yoon Yoon Jae, who has a big crush on his old friend of Sung Si Won, was greatly loved for his line, “Should I not see her? Tell me not to see her.” Some view that Seo played a big role in raising a curtain to the Reply series. The duet song “All For You” that he sang with Jung Eun Ji, who played Sung Si Won, showed great results on music charts in 2012.
For five years after the success of Reply 1997, Seo worked nonstop. For example, in tvN’s High School King of Savvy (2014), he neatly took on the role of Lee Min Seok, a clueless high schooler who takes his brother’s place in the company per his request. At the time, his improvised lines became a hot topic.
Then he made another great leap forward with MBC’s Shopaholic Louis (2016). Seo played Louis, who suffers from amnesia after an accident, and portrayed a man who desperately goes after a woman named Go Bok Sil. The way his eyes disappear when he smiles gives off a gentle vibe. And thanks to his puppy-like facial expression, he won the nickname “puppy.” Besides the romance genre, Seo proved himself capable of various genres through various projects. He then played a historical figure Prince Gwanghae in The King’s Face (2014), genius crime profiler Lee Hyun in Hello Monster (2015), and a conman Yang Jeong Do in Squad 38 (2016).
Recently, he returned to the small screen after three years with tvN’s new fantasy romance series Doom at Your Service. He was cast as Myul Mang, a messenger between gods and humans. In the recent interview, the actor shared, “I’m focusing on expressing emotions that derive from Myul Mang’s uncountable age, especially his boredom and indifference towards everything.” Later this month, he will also greet the audience with his new caper film Pipeline.
There are no highs and lows in the “superstadium” that started when he became the winner of Superstar K1 in 2009. I hope that he will continue to be the superstar that we can trust in the future.
Editor Seo Hayne: I like actors as they faithfully lead through their long running-time. I also like idols who accomplish everything on stage within 3 minutes.
Translator Kim Hoyeun: If you are a fan of K-drama, K-movie, and K-pop, I am your guy. I will continue to provide you with up-to-date K-entertainment news.
