The character Han Seung-jae (Lee Hyun-soo) from Undercover High School has collapsed.

In the 8th episode of the MBC Friday-Saturday drama Undercover High School, which aired on the 15th, Han Seung-jae (Lee Hyun-soo) starkly revealed the true face of the privileged class, maximizing the show's tension.

In this episode, it became clear that Seung-jae was a person thoroughly shaped under the power of his parents. Seung-jae, who chooses only to toss unpleasant words to everyone and interprets even the goodwill of others as malice, especially displays a cynical and aggressive attitude to hide his qualifications and inferiority complex towards the student council president Ye-na (Kim Min-ju).

In the 8th episode, Seung-jae throws the line, "It's not that you climbed up on your talent, but it's just the result made by your mother," showing an attitude of wanting Ye-na not to misinterpret herself as an impressive person and trying to bring her down. This moment revealed that Seung-jae is not a simple gold spoon character but is calculative in trying to defend his privilege and rationalize the corruption committed by his father and himself by dragging Ye-na down to the same level.

However, the highlight of the 8th episode was the scene where Seung-jae gets slapped by Myung-joo (Kim Shin-rok), who is Ye-na's mother and the chairman of the hospital. The moment Myung-joo found out that Seung-jae had dragged Ye-na down to protect his position, the true power figure, Myung-joo, intervened, dramatically changing the situation. Myung-joo aggressively pressured Seung-jae and ultimately assaulted him, leading Seung-jae to finally confront the reality that he might not be as perfect a "privileged class" as he thought. This was the most humiliating moment for Seung-jae, who had taken privilege for granted and believed himself to be a superior being, clearly showcasing the limitations of Seung-jae's character.

Throughout the series, Seung-jae has demonstrated a typical image of the privileged class with an arrogant attitude and cynical tone. He treats students he perceives to be of lower standing with contempt and has acted freely from a thoroughly systemically created position. In the 8th episode aired that day, even while Seung-jae recognizes that the benefits he enjoyed and the corruption behind it are unjust, his attitude of justifying that structure and mocking others made the true face of the privileged Seung-jae even clearer.

In particular, the change in Seung-jae's emotions right after he was slapped by Myung-joo was a moment that highlighted Lee Hyun-soo's acting skills. The moment the previously unflinching Seung-jae was slapped by Myung-joo, Lee Hyun-soo expressively portrayed Seung-jae's feelings of collapse, capturing the psychological shock the character must have felt.

Lee Hyun-soo completed this aspect of Seung-jae's character with delicate acting details. While looking down on others with a cynical smile and relaxed gestures, he perfectly showcased a sharp gaze mixed with disdain during crucial moments, effectively portraying the character's superiority. Additionally, in the scene where he searches for a lost card in the student council room, he meticulously expressed the anxiety of fearing that the privileges he enjoyed and the corruption might be exposed, convincingly illustrating that Seung-jae is not merely an ordinary "villain" but a character thoroughly nurtured within the system. Through this work, he presented a deeper emotional line and demonstrated his growth as an actor with dense acting skills.

The MBC Friday-Saturday drama Undercover High School airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m.

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