Not long ago, one of my friends emphatically recommended I watch Extraordinary You. I agreed to give it a shot, but mostly to pacify her; I honestly had no intention of finishing the drama simply because I was expecting yet another high school love story.
I got sucker punched by a K-drama.
Hours after graciously electing to “give the first episode a shot,” I found myself completely caught up and twiddling my thumbs as I impatiently waited for the next one to air. However, rather than continue to twiddle them, I shall put my thumbs to good use and begin typing instead.
This drama is simply excellent; I could easily talk about how sensational it is for hours. (And I have…thank you, my patient husband.) Instead, I’ll get right to the reason you’re here: Lee Jae Wook — Korea’s newest heartthrob, most currently seen doling out major Second Lead Syndrome as Extraordinary You‘s residential bad boy, Baek Kyung.
The 21-year-old actor debuted on-screen only last year in 2018 and has already made his mark in the industry, proving himself to be incredibly talented and versatile. Although he has less than five roles under his belt, the way Lee Jae Wook embodies each drastically different character he plays is astounding viewers worldwide. Let’s take a look at his already-impressive list of works:
Lee Jae Wook’s first acting gig was the guest role of Marco Han, a drug-addicted programmer and hacker, in Memories of the Alhambra. It may have been a guest role, but his powerful performance had viewers around the globe all wondering the same thing: Who is this guy and what else has he been in?
He had been in nothing else at the time…but that soon changed.
Not long after, he landed a supporting role as sweet Seol Ji Hwan in Search: WWW alongside a number of big-name actors and actresses such as Lee Da Hee and Jang Ki Yong, to name only a few.
Next, Lee Jae Wook made his film debut in September of this year as sharp-shooting student soldier Lee Gae Tae in Battle of Jangsari. The film also stars SHINee’s Minho and American actress Megan Fox.
In the currently-airing Extraordinary You, Lee Jae Wook takes on his first main role as he portrays Baek Kyung, a high school student whose arrogant bad boy persona only scratches the surface of his complex psyche. Baek Kyung is an antagonistic character who is both angry at the world and hurt by it. It’s a difficult role, and Lee Jae Wook delivers his performance with the grace and maturity of a seasoned actor.
(Check out this Soompi article to read Lee Jae Wook’s own thoughts and insights about the character of Baek Kyung.)
Be sure to keep an eye out for Lee Jae Wook in the upcoming 2020 JTBC drama, I’ll Go To You When The Weather Is Nice!
Thanks for reading, friends! What’s your favorite Lee Jae Wook role? Let me know in the comments!
image sources:
musings of a dramaholic 
This should be updated to include his latest dramas 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for commenting. He definitely has done a lot since this post!
LikeLike