By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
August 31, 2020
Some actors are just too talented to get stuck in the second lead in K-Dramas. Case in point: Kim Ji Soo, who’s better known these days simply as Ji Soo. Fans remember him as trying to win the girl in “Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon.” But what’s a man to do when his competition is none other than … Park Hyung-Sik?!
As his fame ramped up, so, too, did his roles. “My First First Love” showed that he could carry a series. And he’s now starring in the highly-hyped new K-Drama, “When I was the Most Beautiful.” Ji Soo stars opposite “My ID is Gangnam Beauty” actress Im Soo-Hwang. There is a love triangle, where her character falls for two brothers (the other is played by Ha Seok-Jin).
Where you can find Ji Soo on KOCOWA: “When I was the Most Beautiful,” “Doctors,” “Angry Mom,” “To the Beautiful You,” “Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-Joo,” “Page Turner,” “Cheer Up!”
Who didn’t feel bad for Park Hae-Jin as the clueless chaebol’s son in “My Love from the Star“? He had been in love with Jun Ji-Hyun since they were kids and then she goes ahead and falls head over heels for Kim Soo-Hyun (who had played a kinda/sorta second male lead with a big plot twist ending in “Dream High“). But over the past few years, Park has stepped into the limelight as the male lead in dramas such as “Cheese in the Trap” (which was adapted into a film, which he also starred in) and this year’s hilarious”Kkondae Intern.”
Where you can find Park Hae-Jin on KOCOWA: “Kkondae Intern,” “Doctor Stranger,” “My Love from the Star”
Jung Hae-In was the ultimate second male lead in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” Playing a college baseball star, he made Gong Yoo jealous! He had a much larger role in “While You Were Sleeping,” where he played a police officer whose life became intertwined with Lee Jong-Suk and Bae Suzy, who his character had a crush on. He had no romance whatsoever in “Prison Playbook.” But then he was cast as the leading man in “Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food” and “One Spring Night,” which were both huge international hits.
Where you can find Jung Hae-In on KOCOWA: “While You Were Sleeping,” “Blood,” “Bears,” “Jung Hae-In’s Travel Log”
Kang Ha-Neul and Woo Bin
No one stood a chance opposite Lee Min-Ho in “The Heirs.” But Woo Bin came close, when it came time to bullying and wooing Park Shin-Hye. The former model didn’t get the girl in this K-Drama, but he showed off enough star power that he was cast in the lead role in “Uncontrollably Fond,” where he portrayed a character who was dying. Since being diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2017, he has been taking things slow. But fans are eagerly awaiting his comeback!
Kang Ha-Neul‘s part in the popular K-Drama was never a contender for the female lead, but he had unrequited crushes on both his tutor (played by Lim Ju-Eun) and his friend’s fiancee (played by Kim Ji-Won). Kang won rave reviews and many more fans for his quirky performance in 2019’s “When the Camellia Blooms,” where he woos, romances and wins over Gong Hyo-Jin.
Where you can find Woo Bin on KOCOWA: “School 2013,” “The Heirs,” “Humanimal,” “KBS Drama Special: White Christmas”
Where you can find Kang Ha-Neul on KOCOWA: “To the Beautiful You,” “Angel Eyes,” “The Heirs”
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