The popular K-drama "Pinocchio" helped establish Lee Jong Suk as an actor, but he was not the first choice for this role.

In late 2014 and early 2015, "Pinocchio", a Korean drama starring Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye, was all the rage. After the success of "Doctor Stranger" and "School 2013", Lee Jong Suk was on the rise prior to the premiere of "Pinocchio", which elevated him to A-list status.

In the series, Lee Jong Suk portrays Choi Dal Po, a genius with exceptional memorization and analysis abilities who pretends to be stupid at school.

It turns out that Lee Jong suk was not the first choice for the role of Dal Po, despite his exceptional visuals and chemistry with co-star Park Shin Hye. Kim Woo Bin, who had previously worked with Park Shin Hye in "The Heirs," was reportedly the first choice for the role.

It was anticipated that their pairing would be explosive. Kim Woo Bin was filming the Chinese film "We Are Young" and the action/thriller film "The Con Artists" at the time, so he had to decline the role due to his busy schedule.

Despite not appearing in "Pinocchio," Kim Woo Bin proved to be a huge fan of the show, as he is extremely close with Lee Jong Suk.

The actor revealed that he adored the plot of "Pinocchio" and was completely won over by the chemistry between the lead couple.

Despite the fact that Lee Jong Suk's performance in "Pinocchio" was flawless, some viewers still lament Kim Woo Bin's absence. Three years later, the actor was diagnosed with cancer, resulting in an extraordinarily lengthy hiatus.

From an A-list actor with a super successful track, Kim Woo Bin saw lowered popularity due to his absence.

Recent years, however, have seen the actor make a notable comeback with the omnibus series "Our Blues," and he is expected to score big with the upcoming film "Alienoids," in which he will co-star with the Baeksang Best Actress Kim Tae Ri.

Kim Woo Bin is, however, somewhat overshadowed by the presence of such notable actors as Lee Byung Hun, Cha Seung Won, Han Ji Min, Ryu Jun Yeol, etc. in both of these projects.

Hopefully, the actor will be able to come back even stronger in his later projects. 

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BTS's Jin continues to shine bright with his massive popularity, securing the No. 1 spot in the MY1PICK weekly rankings for an impressive 43 consecutive weeks!

In the MY1PICK K-POP Individual Category Weekly Ranking for the third week of December (December 16–22), Jin earned a massive 6,154,905 hearts, keeping his position at the top. From the 5th week of February to the 3rd week of December, Jin has been unbeatable in the weekly rankings, proving he has an enormous fanbase and global influence.

But Jin’s achievements don’t stop there. In November, he dominated the K-POP Individual Category Monthly Ranking, topping it with 25,452,283 hearts. He has held the No. 1 spot for 11 months straight, from January to November, showing his continuous popularity throughout the year.

Jin also claimed victory in the One Pick Chart’s “November Monthly Chart K-POP (Solo)” category, holding the No. 1 position for 8 months in a row, from April to November. On top of that, he won the 2024 Season Chart K-POP (SOLO) for both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, making him the best One Pick star of the season.

The Season Chart awards honor artists who have consistently earned love from fans, with a physical trophy given to the top artist. Jin’s back-to-back victories solidify his place as one of the most beloved stars in K-pop.

Jin’s fan power doesn’t end with rankings. He’s also triumphed in numerous themed votes, taking first place in categories like “Star You Want to Collect All Photo Cards Of,” “Star You Want to See First Pitch at a Baseball Game,” “Best Cooking Genius Idol,” “Star Who Would Be the Best Child,” and “Star You Would Fall in Love With at First Sight.” His reward advertisement for the “Star You Want to Collect All Photo Cards Of” vote began airing on December 26 and can be seen at Yeoksam Station until December 30.

Meanwhile, Jin’s first solo album Happy was released on November 15 and quickly became a global hit, showcasing his talents as a solo artist. He held a special showcase, Jin ‘Happy’ Special Stage, on November 16 and 17, where fans were captivated by his beautiful vocals and flawless live performance.

Jin has also been keeping busy with appearances on popular variety shows like Salon Drip 2, Neighborhood Star K4, and Limousine Service. He’s also appeared on famous American talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and Japan’s top music program Venue 101, where he impressed fans with his humor and solid live performances. His reputation as the “Vocal King” and “Live King” is stronger than ever!

As if that wasn't enough, Jin is also gaining attention globally for singing the main theme song for the new tvN drama Ask the Stars. Jin's talents continue to wow the world, and it's clear he's not slowing down anytime soon!

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