Actor Oh Jung-se delivered an unprecedented dual performance that swung between charisma and pitiable charm, instantly captivating the new weekend home-viewing audience.
On the first broadcast at 9:50 p.m. on the 22nd of MBC's new Fri-Sat drama Fifties Professionals (planning: Kwon Seong-chang / director: Han Dong-hwa / writer: Jang Won-seop), Oh Jung-se made a powerful first appearance as North Korean special operative "Bong Je-soon," who lost her memory in an accident 10 years earlier, delivering a hard-carry performance that combined comedy and action.
That day, Oh Jung-se opened with the cold aura of the operative nicknamed "Fire Dog," who was once regarded as North Korea's top human weapon. He created a heavy tension while confronting Jeong Ho-myeong (Shin Ha Kyun) and Kang Beom-ryong (Heo Sung-tae) during a tense operation. In particular, in the three-way face-off that took place in the rain, one sharp look left a strong impression.
But 10 years later, Oh Jung-se had transformed 180 degrees into a pitiable, over-the-top office worker with none of his former sharpness, provoking bursts of laughter. To portray Je-soon's guileless nature—shouldering all the worst chores at Yeongseon Steel yet never raising his voice—Oh Jung-se detailed drooped shoulders, an innocent manner of speaking and subtle lip movements, completing a flawed but utterly endearing, bewitching character.
Je-soon's tearful(?) struggle to regain her memory turned the home audience into a sea of laughter. The moment Je-soon, dressed in the one-piece dress and short wig she was wearing when found, came face to face with her nephew Heo Nam-il (Kim Sung-jung) and was startled, Oh Jung-se's trademark slice-of-life comedy blended to create strong synergy.
The broadcast highlight was unquestionably Je-soon's moment of self-awakening. When her nephew Nam-il went to retrieve the house deed pawned at the casino and was punched and collapsed, Je-soon's hidden instincts awakened. With eyes wide and glaring, Oh Jung-se summoned the persona of "Fire Dog" and delivered a relentless, agile taekkyeon action sequence with a 180-degree change in expression. The reversal action catharsis—subduing an opponent in an instant with movements that were both soft and deadly—heightened the drama's immersion.
In this way, Oh Jung-se perfectly embodied two completely opposite faces from the first episode, amplifying curiosity about future developments.<
[Photo] broadcast capture of "Fifties Professionals"
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