Byeon Woo-seok’s 8 Best K-dramas & Movies (Including Lovely Runner) (2024)

Byeon Woo-seok may have found fame with time-travel K-dramaLovely Runner but there are many other K-drama roles where Byeon Woo-seok has showcased the strengths of his acting abilities. Busan native Byeon Woo-seok began his acting career in 2016 K-drama Dear My Friends before making a number of cameo appearances in some of the best K-dramas of all time including Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo and Welcome to Waikiki 2. Byeon soon graduated from cameos to a coveted second-lead regular, before finally taking on the role as Lovely Runner's male lead, Ryu Sun-jae.

Though Byeon Woo-seok's career is relatively short, it shows a lot of promise. He has consistently shown that he not only has versatility in his acting abilities, but that he can capture attention on screen and command a leading role with ease. Now following on from Lovely Runner's success, it is exciting to think about where Byeon Woo-seok's new-found fame will take him to in his acting career. With that being said, here are some of the best of Byeon Woo-seok's roles to date.

8 Office Watch 3 (2019)

Ha Min-gyu / Justin

Office Watch 3 takes place in an office that prioritizes romance and gossip over actual work and Byeon Woo-seok's character Ha Min-gyu gets whisked away into the world of romance as he shakes up the office as their new boss. Though the premise of Office Watch 3 is relatively simple, it provides a great foundation for a light-hearted yet interesting story that is easy to watch. It may not go into much detail as a web series rather than a TV drama, but Byeon Woo-seok knows how to make every moment his.

The beauty of Office Watch 3 is that it doesn't take itself seriously, and neither does Byeon Woo-seok. Byeon Woo-seok expertly balances over-acting for comedic effect with charisma that makes it hard to look away from him whenever he is on-screen. As a web series, Office Watch 3 allows Byeon Woo-seok to make bold choices that yield fantastic results. Compared to his other work, Office Watch 3 does not show Byeon Woo-seok's full strengths. However, Byeon Woo-seok's shows a lot of potential that he capitalizes on later in his career.

7 Soulmate (2023)

Ham Jin-woo

Soulmate is an excellent movie that explores the complicated friendship between Ahn Mi-so (Kim Da-mi) and Ko Ha-eun (Jeon So-nee) from childhood to their lives as adults and is as touching as it is heartbreaking. There are many beautifully performed scenes between the two leading actresses, who dominate the movie through carefully crafted performances that drive the movie from beginning to end. However, in a movie so heavily focused on the two leading actresses, Byeon Woo-seok's character is nothing more than a plot device.

Byeon Woo-seok plays Ham Jin-woo, a student turned doctor who is a major cause of conflict between Mi-so and Ha-eun. Though Byeon acts well within the scenes he is given, his screentime is extremely limited, and his character lacks personality due to his importance in the plotline of the two leading characters. As a result, it's hard to connect to Jin-woo and give Soulmate a higher ranking in Byeon Woo-seok's filmography. However, it is still worth watching even if Byeon Woo-seok only appears for a short time.

Soulmate

Romance

Drama

Soulmate is a South Korean drama film directed by Min Yong-keun. The film stars Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee, and Byun Woo-seok, and explores the deep and enduring friendship between two women from their teenage years into adulthood against the backdrop of modern societal changes. The narrative delves into themes of love, personal growth, and the complexities of human relationships.

See Also

[INTERVIEW] 5 things you should know about Byeon Woo-seok, rising star from 'Record of Youth'

Director

Young-Keun Min

Release Date

March 15, 2023

Cast

Kim Da-mi , Jeon So-nee , Byeon Woo-seok , Hyun Bong-sik , Park Choong-seon , Jang Hye-jin , Lee Hyun-kyun , Heo Ji-na

6 Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019)

Do Joon

Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency delves deep into the world of love in this historical K-drama. The Flower Crew are famous for their matchmaking skills, despite the fact they are all men. Byeon Woo-seok's Do Joon is one of the famed members of the Flower Crew who supports the team as their informant and uses his good looks to his advantage. Flower Crew also marks the beginning of Byeon Woo-seok’s career as the second male lead in K-dramas.

Byeon Woo-seok’s role as Do Joon allowed him to delve into one of the first romantic storylines of his career as a part of Flower Crew’s second couple. His presence on screen is naturally captivating yet calculated, making Do Joon’s every movement full of romantic grace and shows Byeon Woo-seok’s potential as a future leading man in K-dramas. Although Byeon Woo-seok gives a great performance in this period K-drama, there are some where his talents are better displayed.

5 Strong Girl Nam Soon (2023)

Ryu Shi-oh

Strong Girl Nam-soon serves as an extension of the well-beloved fantasy romance K-dramaStrong Girl Bong-soon and follows the adventures of Do Bong-soon's (Park Bo-young) cousin Gang Nam-soon (Lee Yoo-mi). Though an initial appearance from original leading characters Do Bong-soon and Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik) revived the original charm many loved from the original K-drama, Strong Girl Nam-soon fails to capitalize on the strengths of Strong Girl Bong-soon. One of the biggest differences to the original K-drama comes from Byeon Woo-seok's character of Ryu Shi-oh and his relationship with Gang Nam-soon.

In Strong Girl Bong-soon there is a clear villain, but they do not feature prominently in the K-drama. Byeon Woo-seok's Ryu Shi-oh, on the other hand, is a key figure in Gang Nam-soon's story as the show's antagonist. Despite being the antagonist, Byeon Woo-seok's chemistry with Lee Yoo-mi was a highlight of the series. Their relationship was a great opportunity to explore an enemy-to-lovers dynamic over a more traditional love story. However, Ryu Shi-oh's arc left many disappointed and makes Strong Girl Nam-soon a less memorable addition to Byeon Woo-seok's previous work.

4 Record of Youth (2020)

Won Hae-hyo

Record of Youth sees Byeon Woo-seok explore his youthful side as one of three young hopefuls who are trying to break into the entertainment industry both in front and behind the camera. Byeon Woo-seok's Won Hae-hyo has a big leg up over his friends Sa Hye-jun (Park Bo-gum) and Ahn Jeong-ha (Park So-dam) as his affluent family has earned him connections his friends took years to earn. However, Hae-hyo is still a relatively relatable character, which is largely thanks to Byeon Woo-seok's earnest performance.

Record of Youth is a more honest K-drama than most and allows its actors to flourish under its non-traditional format, allowing for more natural and intense performances. Though Won Hae-hyo may fall under the second-lead stereotype and pine for Jeong-ha alongside Hye-jun, Byeon Woo-seok ensures his character is just as profound as his veteran co-stars’. Byeon Woo-seok does a great job enhancing the show's harsh reality for members of the entertainment industry, mirroring his own struggles until he landed his breakout role in 2024.

Record Of Youth

Drama

Record Of Youth is a South Korean television series that follows the lives of three young individuals, Sa Hye-joon, Won Hae-hyo, and Park Do-ha, as they navigate their careers and relationships in the competitive Modeling industry in Seoul.

Cast

Park Bo-gum , Park So-dam , Byeon Woo-seok , Lee Chang-hoon , Jo Yoon Jung

Release Date

September 7, 2020

Seasons

1

3 Moonshine (2021)

Lee Pyo

Moonshine saw Byeon Woo-seok's career start to find its footing as he won the Best New Actor award at the 2022 KBS Drama Awards for his role as Lee Pyo and was the first award win of his career. As the rebellious crown prince living under Joseon's strictlaws against alcohol, Byeon Woo-seok flourishes. He has just the right level of arrogance as the crown prince as he causes havoc within the kingdom, but is also instantly likeable due to his natural charm and playful attitude. However, it's when Byeon Woo-seok is on-screen with his fellow cast mates that he really shines.

Lee Pyo's relationship with Nam Young (Yoo Seung-ho) is perfectly childish and Byeon Woo-seok's makes bold choices that really play into the comedy elements that these scenes need. Though Byeon Woo-seok shines best when paired with Kang Mi-na, who plays his on-screen love interest, Han Ae-jin. They are a well-suited second-lead K-drama couple and balance each other perfectly through comedy and tenderness, and their scenes together showcase some of Byeon Woo-seok's best acting moments to date.

2 20th Century Girl (2022)

Poong Woon-ho

Delving into the past seems to be a key theme in Byeon Woo-seok's work, with 20th Century Girl set in 1999. Byeon Woo-seok stars as high school student Poong Woon-ho in a bittersweet coming-of-age tale set against the anxiety of a new century. Poong Woon-ho is the best friend of Baek Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo), who just happens to be the crush of Na Bo-ra's (Kim Yoo-jung) best friend, Kim Yeon-doo (Ron Yoon-seo). However, as Bo-ra is set on a mission to find out everything about Hyun-jin, she comes across her own first love story with Woon-ho.

20th Century Girl tints the past with a rose-colored lens whilst displaying the vulnerability of youth that so many people know so well. It is an engrossing movie that displays all the hallmarks of youth and is supported by several great performances by its cast. Byeon Woo-seok performance as Woon-ho makes it easy to fall in love with him, just as Na Bo-ra does and even earned him his first Baeksang Award nomination for his role.

20th Century Girl

TV-PG

Drama

Romance

20th Century Girl is a South Korean romantic drama film released in 2022. Directed by Bang Woo-ri, the film follows a high school girl named Na Bo-ra who tracks her best friend’s romantic interest, only to find herself entangled in a complex web of emotions and relationships. The story captures the ambiguities and poignant moments of youthful love and friendship against the backdrop of the late 1990s.

Director

Bang Woo-ri

Release Date

October 21, 2022

Cast

Kim Yoo-jung , Byeon Woo-seok , Park Jung-woo , Roh Yoon-seo

Runtime

119 Minutes

1 Lovely Runner (2024)

Ryu Sun-jae

Though Byeon Woo-seok has played many roles throughout his career, his first-ever leading role shows just why he should have been made a leading K-drama figure a long time ago. One major issue during Lovely Runner's production halted production for years, but Byeon Woo-seok demonstrated with ease why he was the perfect choice for Ryu Sun-jae. Byeon lifted the K-pop idol from the page and made him anything but a shallow stereotype that he was feared to be.

Lovely Runner flips between the past, present, and future as a part of its time-travel K-drama concept. Whether it be as a teenager or as an adult, every version of Sun-jae is easy to distinguish thanks to Byeon Woo-seok's talent. Plus, his chemistry with Kim Hye-yoon is off the charts and makes Lovely Runner an easy drama to invest time into. Lovely Runner makes Byeon Woo-seok's hard work pay off as he showcases new confidence in his performance and shows just why Lovely Runner deserves to be the kick-start to his hopefully long career in the spotlight.

Lovely Runner

Fantasy

Romance

Sci-Fi

Lovely Runner is a TV series that follows the story of a young athlete who rises to fame in the world of track and field. As the protagonist navigates the highs and lows of competitive sports, the series explores themes of perseverance, sacrifice, and personal growth.

Cast

Byeon Woo-seok , Kim Hye-yoon , Song Geon-hee , Lee Seung-hyub

Release Date

April 8, 2024

Seasons

2

Streaming Service(s)

Viki