Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated by Hana Lee
Netflix movie 20th Century Girl fascinated many viewers with its heartwarming story, and Poong Woon Ho became ‘the icon of first love’ through this project. Despite being in his 30s, Byeon Woo Seok perfectly portrayed a teenage boy in the movie and surprised many viewers. In one of his interviews, he humbly said, “If I had been famous, I wouldn’t know what it would feel like to experience my first love.” He reportedly spent his 20s trying hard to become recognized as an actor as he began his career in the modeling industry. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the five K-dramas that will let you taste his charm.
Dear My Friends (2016)
Byeon Woo Seok debuted with Dear My Friends, a star-studded series centering on a group of friends in their twilight years. The show carefully follows them as they rediscover themselves through love and family. The actor appeared as Jong Sik, the nephew of Chung Nam (played by Youn Yuh Jung). Chung Nam is an old lady in her 60s who enjoys living her single life. He created a realistic character as a loving and caring nephew who sometimes bickered with his aunt. Although he had a minor role in the show, it was a great opportunity for him to begin his career as an actor.
Search: WWW (2019)
Search: WWW is a series about the work and love lives of women working at the top competitive web portal companies. Byeon Woo Seok played Han Min Gyu, the top star with a dark past. He is always at the center of attention, regardless of whether he likes it or not, and tops the trending search list as a much-loved public figure. One day, a controversial video of him leaks online, and he rushes to meet Unicorn’s head, Song Ga Kyeong (played by Jeon Hye Jin), to beg for the removal of his name from the trending search list of her website. However, she turns down his request, and he attempts to commit suicide. This episode asks us what is more important between the public’s right to know and a person’s right to privacy through the star on the brink of collapse. Byeon Woo Seok successfully portrayed the desperate emotions of the weathered top star.
Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)
Based on the novel of the same name, Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency is a historical romance drama that revolves around matchmakers in the Joseon dynasty. Joseon’s best dating agency ‘Flower Crew’ does their best to help King Lee Soo (played by Seo Ji Hoon) to find and marry his first love Gae Ttong (Gong Seung Yeon), as per his request. Byeon Woo Seok played Do Joon, a knowledgeable informant working for Flower Crew. Do Joon is a carefree man who doesn’t seem to have worries about anything in his life. Although he seems to be idling away his time in Wolhyang Gwan, he greatly helps Ma Hoon (Kim Min Jae) by eavesdropping on everyone who stays there. Byeon Woo Seok perfectly pulled off traditional Korean attires in the series as a former fashion model and received favorable reviews for depicting a lovely yet cunning character.
Record of Youth (2020)
Record of Youth is a drama about young people struggling to pursue both their dreams and love. Byeon Woo Seok plays Won Hae Hyo in the series, a model and actor who seems to be taking a very similar career path to his. Hae Hyo’s motto is to take on new challenges. As he tries to face the world head-on by himself, he has conflicts with his mom, Yi Young (Shin Ae Ra), who is always ready to help him. What’s notable is how Hae Hyo deals with his first failure, as he has never really experienced frustration before, even without the help of others. He also portrayed his youthful friendship with Sa Hye Jun (Park Bo Gum) and Kim Jin Woo (Kwon Soo Hyun). In one of the interviews he did in the past, Byeon Woo Seok once said that he sympathized more with Sa Hye Jun than he does with Hae Hyo as a rookie actor. This might have been due to his late-blooming success as an actor.
Moonshine (2021)
Set in the Prohibition era, Moonshine follows the love story between a poor woman (played by Hyeri) who brews and smuggles alcohol and an inspector (Yoo Seung Ho) who sets out to catch her. Byeon Woo Seok played the charming and tall crown prince Lee Pyo, who excels in martial arts and drinking but has no interest in studying. People are drawn to what’s prohibited, and the crown prince is no exception to this rule. He does not hesitate to jump over the palace wall to get himself a drink. Lee Pyo makes a big decision for his loved ones and himself in the palace, where almost everything is prohibited and forbidden. In his second historical fiction series, Byeon Woo Seok exuded a romantic charm and convincingly showed his portrayal of the crown prince who agonizes over the heartbreaking truth surrounding him.
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.
