Some actors perfectly play the villain you can’t help but want to punch in the face when you watch them on screen. However, here we have the villain actors who are actually sweethearts in real life: Kim So Yeon in SBS The Penthouse: War in Life and Lee Hyun Wook in tvN’s Mine.
Kim So Yeon played Chun Seo Jin in Penthouse excellently well, and many would laud her as the best role in her whole career. Lee Hyun Wook is the public enemy in Mine that unites the three female protagonists, Lee Bo Young, Kim Seo Hyung and Ok Ja Young. Han Ji Yong, who Lee Hyun Wook plays, turned out to be dead by falling down the stairs. But still, he is the greatest menace in the drama since the circumstances of the incident have yet to be revealed. �
The reason for their popularity is that they have an intriguing gap between the villain character and their real-life personalities. Kim So Yeon has demonstrated her fun, humble nature in various shows, and such aspect became more distinctive since she has starred in Penthouse.
Recently, she revealed the personal side of her life with her husband, actor Lee Sang Woo and earned much love from the public. Kim So Yeon didn’t forget to express her gratitude to him when she won the Best Actress award in the 2020 SBS Acting Award, followed by numerous occasions where she expressed her affection for him. Lee Sang Woo made a special appearance in Penthouse as a journalist. One source said, “She has shown her humble personality in many reality TV shows. And when she pulled off the villain perfectly well in The Penthouse, she surprised everyone with her remarkable transformation. Also, the public is always curious about the stars’ married life, and the way she opens her personal life makes the public like her even more.”
Lee Hyun Wook looks icy and cold-blooded, but he has a sweet and friendly personality in real life. His Instagram postings give a sneak peek of his jolly nature. In it, he wrote, “Thanks for watching Mine. Ratings reached 8%. I think I’ll end up living a long life (Korean idiom) since you hate me so much in the show. The downside is that I can’t get in touch with my mom so easily nowadays. Don’t ditch me, Mom.” And he added witty phrases like “I wonder how many more would hate me tomorrow” and “Saturday’s approaching. I must stay inside.”
One official from the program shared that “Professional actors must have decent acting skills, which Lee has beyond our expectation. And since he shows the likable side of his personality different from the role, it attracted more attention to the actor himself.”
Translator Cho EK: I’m a big fan of Korean dramas and movies.
