K-drama fans are falling head over heels for actor Byeon Woo-seok in his latest K-drama Lovely Runner, and here are his other acclaimed on-screen roles to watch.
Lovely Runner is a rom-com time travel storyline focusing on Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) as she goes back in time to save her favorite K-Pop idol Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok). Sun-jae inadvertently saved Im Sol’s life and owes everything to him, when she learns he has died by suicide, she finds herself 15 years in the past.
She wakes up back as a high schooler to realize she’s been given a chance to change the events that led to Sun-jae’s death. Actor Byeon has captured fans’ hearts as Sun-jae for his carefree demeanor, handsomeness, and overall acting. Sun-jae is a male lead to remember that has fans swooning.
K-drama fans will recognize Byeon for a few other works as a rising actor who got his start as a model. Here’s a list of his must-watch roles.
Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency
One of Byeon Woo-seok’s first major leading roles was in the 2019 historical K-drama Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency. He starred as the character Do Joon, alongside an ensemble cast.
The storyline follows Lee Soo, the son of a blacksmith who’s in love with Gae-ddong. She lives a lonely life in the pursuit of finding her brother who was separated from her at an early age. Lee Soo hopes to ask Gae-ddong to marry him and hires the Flower Crew Matchmaking Agency. It consists of three handsome men: Ma Hoon, Do Joon, and Ko Young-sok.
But on the day of their wedding, Lee Soo suddenly disappears and leaves his future bride and the agency stuck with the bills. They are unaware of Lee Soo’s secret identity even though he has no idea about it.
Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency is available to stream on Viki and Netflix.
Record of Youth
In 2020, actor Byeon Woo-seok starred in his first Netflix K-drama. Record of Youth captured fans’ hearts for its realistic portrayal of love and relationships amid the turmoil of pursuing a career.
The storyline focuses on three main characters: Sa Hye-jun, Ahn Jeong-ha, and Won Hae-hyo. Hye-jun comes from a working-class family and dreams of becoming an actor. He pursues his dream despite failing and being told to find a new career.
He soon meets Jeong-ha, a makeup artist who’s a fan of his work. She begins working at a beauty studio after quitting her office job. Intermixed is the character Hae-hyo who shifted careers from being a model to an actor. He feels constricted due to his mother’s overbearing control over his career.
Record of Youth follows the budding romance between Hye-jun and Jeong-ha in the entertainment industry. They find themselves in love but facing the challenges of their demanding careers.
Record of Youth is available to stream on Netflix.
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Moonshine
Moonshine takes place during the late Joseon period when there were strict laws against alcohol. The main focus is on the romance between Kang Ro-Seo and Nam Young. As an officer for the Saheonbu, Nam Young is tasked with cracking down on people who break the alcohol law.
He meets Ro-seo, the main breadwinner of her family who begins to illegally brew alcohol to make money. Amid political intrigue, the two begin a budding romance. Actor Byeon starred as the rambunctious prince Lee Pyo. The prince has a bad habit of sneaking away and indulging in a few drinks.
Moonshine is avaialble to stream on Viki.
Strong Girl Nam-soon
Strong Girl Nam-soon was a sequel spinoff of the popular K-drama Strong Girl Bong-soon from 2017. This time the story focused on Nam-soon, the distant cousin of Bong-soon born with the same superhuman strength. Having been lost in Mongolia as a child, she was raised by Mongolian parents with dreams of one day finding her real family in Korea.
Now of age, she does just that. Nam-soon soon finds herself entangled in a criminal syndicate run by Ryu Shi-oh, the CEO of a run-of-the-mill company. Nam-soon soon finds herself helping a local detective take him down.
Fans were left enthralled with actor Byeon Woo-seok’s first leading role as a villain Shi-oh in Strong Girl Nam-soon. They were even more stunned by the actor’s ability to generate sympathy for the character. To a point, he was preferred over the male lead.
Strong Girl Nam-soon is available to stream on Netflix.
20th Century Girl
20th Century Girl isn’t a K-drama, but a Korean movie by Netflix that became a global sensation thanks to its storyline and leading cast. Set in 1999, it tells the story of four high school teens as they venture into young love.
The movie gained praise for its heartbreaking depiction of the reality of love at a young age. Na Bo-ra (Kim Yoo-jung) is tasked by her best friend, Yeon-du (Roh Yoon-seo), to stalk and gather intel on her crush while she’s away abroad.
She learns everything she can about Baek Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo), but also finds herself falling in love with his best friend Poong Woon-ho (Byeon Woo-seok). As the two develop heartfelt feelings, Yeon-du returns to reveal a truth bomb. Due to a mistake, Bo-ra has been following the wrong boy.
20th Century Girl is available to stream on Netflix.
Lovely Runner is currently available on Viki, and you can catch more K-dramas coming to Netflix in 2024.