Byeon Woo Seok, the star of the tvN drama ‘Lovely Runner’, is making waves with his knack for playing characters that make you forget he’s in his 30s.
In ‘Lovely Runner’, Byeon Woo Seok takes on the role of Ryu Sunjae, the leading man who’s stealing the hearts of viewers everywhere.
The show is a time-travel romance about Im Sol (played by Kim Hye Yoon), a die-hard fan who’s devastated by the death of her idol, Ryu Sunjae. She travels back to 2008 to save him, and the drama unfolds from there.
The show kicked off with a modest rating of 3.073% but has been climbing ever since, hitting 4.752% by the 10th episode. It’s also topping the charts in the 20-49 age group, beating out all other shows on air at the same time.
But it’s not just about the ratings. ‘Lovely Runner’ is also the talk of the town, ranking first in the TV-OTT drama topic index for the first week of May. Byeon Woo Seok himself is enjoying the limelight, topping the actor’s topic chart.
He’s riding the wave of popularity, with appearances on tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block’ and SBS’s ‘Running Man’, and even planning his first Asian fan meeting tour.
A big part of Byeon Woo Seok’s appeal is how well he fits the character of Ryu Sunjae. Despite being in his 30s, he pulls off the school uniform look without a hitch, which is quite surprising given his actual age.
Born in October 1991, Byeon Woo Seok is 34 in Korean age and 32 in international age. He served in the army from 2011 to 2013, and is now in his third year of civil defense, which has also been a hot topic.
He also played a high school student in the Netflix movie ‘20th Century Girl’, alongside Kim Yoo Jung. Even then, he was in his 30s, but he perfectly embodied the charm of a first love romance as Poong Woon Ho, the best friend of Baek Hyun Jin (played by Park Jung Woo) and the target of Bora (played by Kim Yoo Jung)’s affection.
In ‘Lovely Runner’, Byeon Woo Seok showcases a more youthful image, a refreshing change from the villain he played in ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’. He convincingly portrays a teenager, a 20-something, and a 30-something, thanks to his tall stature, good looks, and the chemistry he shares with Kim Hye Yoon.
At a previous press conference, he mentioned that ‘Lovely Runner’ might be his last time wearing a school uniform.
But despite his concerns, Byeon Woo Seok continues to impress by breaking age boundaries, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.
Source[1]
