"You're just too good."
Singer and actor Lee Jun-ho is literally bringing a typhoon to living rooms in Typhoon Family.
In the recently airing tvN weekend drama Typhoon Family (writer Jang Hyun, directors Lee Na-jung and Kim Dong-hwi), Lee Jun-ho's performance as the lead Kang Tae-pung is remarkable. As the title role, he not only asserts his presence but also excites viewers with a passionate performance.
Typhoon Family is a drama that depicts the struggling growth of rookie company man Kang Tae-pung (played by Lee Jun-ho), who becomes the president of a trading company with no employees, no money and nothing to sell during the 1997 IMF crisis. Set in the late 1990s, about 30 years ago, and centered on a turning point in modern Korean history marked by the IMF, it follows the protagonist who transforms from an "orange tribe" son into a company man, showing a cheerful yet dramatic tale of his struggles.
Among these, Lee Jun-ho anchors the drama as the title role Kang Tae-pung. Early in the series he provided laughs with a natural "late-ʼ90s" speaking style and "Seoul dialect" reminiscent of archival footage, and after taking over Typhoon Family and becoming a rookie company man, he is showing a growth arc from an incomplete worker to a fully realized trading company executive.
Previously, in the highly popular dramas The Red Sleeve and King the Land, Lee Jun-ho charmed viewers by portraying characters already in established positions, such as a crown prince and an heir to a conglomerate, who make progress through relationships with the female leads. By contrast, in Typhoon Family he emphasizes the growth character of a son from a once-wealthy "orange tribe" household who, overcoming the nationwide hardship of the IMF, transforms into a "rookie company man."
Within this, Lee Jun-ho's character trajectory is moving dramatically up and down. That adds admiration for Lee Jun-ho the actor in his interpretation and passion for the role, as the character maintains consistency despite rapidly changing situations. Reports that he personally bought 1990s clothing for Typhoon Family during preparation suggest his enthusiasm was not merely for show.
Meanwhile, Lee Jun-ho does not miss the romantic element, a hallmark of Korean miniseries. In particular, episode 13, which aired on the 22nd, featured a more explosive romance between Oh Mi-seon (played by Kim Min-ha), who miraculously survived a warehouse fire, and Kang Tae-pung. Oh Mi-seon recalled a memory she most desperately kept during the flames that she had not conveyed to Kang Tae-pung. This followed the emotional line in which Kang Tae-pung, who had been pushed away by Mi-seon, instead moved forward and confessed, "I love you." The romance between Lee Jun-ho and Kim Min-ha thrilled viewers and heightened anticipation for the later developments of Typhoon Family.
At the same time, he showed the weight of being both the family head and the company's leader. Kang Tae-pung, who struggled to prevent the company from going under, was seen bowing deeply and pleading earnestly, and at other times he drank alone, feeling the burden his father had borne in the past. He then resolved those pressures through logical persuasion and saved the company from crisis. Following Lee Jun-ho's momentum, the fate of Typhoon Family also vacillates, increasing its entertainment value.
On that strength, Typhoon Family recorded its highest viewership of 9.9% in episode 12 (Nielsen Korea, paid TV households). In a broadcasting environment where a hit is commonly perceived as reaching double-digit viewership in the 10% range, can Lee Jun-ho's momentum turn Typhoon Family into a blockbuster? For now, his acting is overflowing.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by tvN.
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