Two years after Lovely Runner, Kim Hyeyoon and Byeon Woo-seok are walking different paths. Kim Hyeyoon became an icon of hard work by releasing projects in succession, and Byeon Woo-seok faces a test to dispel concerns about his acting.
Since Lovely Runner (written by Lee Si-eun, directed by Yoon Jong-ho and Kim Tae-yeop) on cable channel tvN in 2024, Kim Hyeyoon and Byeon Woo-seok have been busy in their respective careers. Because Lovely Runner swept public attention with phenomenon-level popularity, there was intense interest in Kim Hyeyoon and Byeon Woo-seok's subsequent moves. The two are each striving to erase Lovely Runner and create a new career-defining work.
The one who first started the "hard work" engine was Kim Hyeyoon. Since Lovely Runner, Kim Hyeyoon has continued acting busily without rest. Adding variety shows to that, she truly became an icon of "hard work."
Kim Hyeyoon met viewers with the SBS drama No Tail to Tell until February. In the series, Kim Hyeyoon played Eun-ho, a gumiho who falls in love with a human, showing her characteristic sharp and decisive acting. Although ratings left something to be desired at the 2–3% range, reactions said she created a distinctive gumiho character.
No Tail to Tell was only the beginning. Then Kim Hyeyoon met audiences through the film Salmokji (directed by Lee Sang-min), released on the 8th. Having erased the images of Lovely Runner and No Tail to Tell, Kim Hyeyoon succeeded in being crowned "horror queen" after cumulative attendance surpassed 1 million on the film's 10th day after release. This pace of success is the fastest in the horror genre since the 2019 film The Divine Fury. Kim Hyeyoon added another commercially successful signature work in film after drama.
She then began communicating with viewers through a variety show. She appears on the tvN variety program Unnie's Direct Mountain in Kalafe, which premiered on the 16th. From the first broadcast, Kim Hyeyoon has been generating buzz by showing chemistry with Dex.
Moreover, Kim Hyeyoon has a string of upcoming projects. She will appear in season 2 of the SBS drama Good Partner, which had a peak rating above 17%. She will pair with Jang Nara as a new partner and is expected to show a different side than before. She also co-stars with Yum Jung-ah and Cha Joo-young in the crime film Land (directed by Han Dong-wook). Since Lovely Runner, Kim Hyeyoon has been relentlessly busy.
By contrast, Byeon Woo-seok, the biggest beneficiary of Lovely Runner, returned with a new work after two years and drew expectations. Byeon Woo-seok plays Prince Lee An, the second son of the royal family, in the MBC gold-and-sat drama Perfect Crown (written by Yoo Ji-won, directed by Park Joon-hwa and Bae Hee-young), which premiered on the 10th, and develops a romance with IU. The casting of Byeon Woo-seok and IU alone generated early expectations, and the work swept pre-broadcast attention and drew great interest.
However, disappointing evaluations continued for Byeon Woo-seok. Concerns about his acting that were raised before the first broadcast became reality. After episodes 1 and 2 aired, some responses criticized Byeon Woo-seok's acting as somewhat awkward and two-dimensional, pointing to pronunciation and line delivery. The problem is not limited to Byeon Woo-seok; lead IU also received some evaluations calling her performance "artificial." As debates over the two leads' acting continued, it became uncertain whether the buzz and box office appeal would last. Even if it succeeds commercially, acting issues are a painful criticism for Byeon Woo-seok.
After releasing Perfect Crown, Byeon Woo-seok will meet viewers through the Netflix variety show Yu Jae-seok Camp. Yu Jae-seok appears as the guesthouse owner, and Lee Kwangsoo, Byeon Woo-seok and Ji Ye-eun join as staff. As this is his first fixed variety show, expectations are high that he will show a different side from his work in dramas.
Byeon Woo-seok has confirmed he will appear in the Netflix series Solo Leveling as his next project. Solo Leveling is a series expanded from the web novel of the same name into webtoon, animation and games. In the series, Byeon Woo-seok plays Sung Jin-woo, an "E-rank hunter" considered the weakest among the "hunters" who protect the real world from monsters beyond the gates. It is a globally popular IP with a cumulative 14.3 billion views and will showcase overwhelming scale and visuals. Byeon Woo-seok will lead the work as the star and challenge action acting. He is expected to show a new side with a character different from his previous works. Interest centers on whether he can wash away concerns about his acting and maintain the momentum from his earlier works.
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]