Few idol-turned-actors have pulled off a metamorphosis fairly like Lee Jun Younger. As soon as identified merely as Jun, the rapper-vocalist of U-KISS and later a member of venture group UNB, he has spent the higher a part of a decade quietly constructing some of the versatile filmographies on display—swinging between swoon-worthy romantic leads, chaotic highschool villains, and chairman-in-a-soccer-player’s-body chaos with equal ease. Lee Jun Younger has made a behavior of disappearing into wildly totally different characters, which is strictly what makes a deep dive into his filmography so rewarding. Decide your temper, and watch one in every of these 11 dramas which showcase his vary.
“Reborn Rookie”
Lee Jun Younger takes on double identities as Hwang Jun Hyun, a rising soccer star whose physique will get hijacked by the soul of Kang Yong Ho (Son Hyun Joo), the ruthless chairman of conglomerate Choiseong Group, after a near-fatal accident. What follows is a body-swap revenge plot with the melodrama dial turned all the best way up. Lee Jun Younger’s tightrope act of enjoying a wide-eyed athlete possessed by a decades-older company shark is a minimum of a blast. Watch it additionally for the sheer enjoyable of him flip a once-peaceful internship into chaos.
Begin watching “Reborn Rookie”:
“When Life Provides You Tangerines”
In “When Life Provides You Tangerines,” Lee Jun Younger performs Park Yeong Beom, who falls for Geum Myeong (IU) after they meet for the primary time at College. Although dedicated to her, Yeong Beom is unable to defy his mom’s needs, inflicting lasting impacts on their relationship. Lee Jun Younger’s Yeong Beom is a small however quietly devastating supporting position. Watch it for some of the affecting “inexperienced flag who nonetheless couldn’t keep” performances.
“Weak Hero Class 2”
If “When Life Provides You Tangerines” made you fall for him, “Weak Hero Class 2” will make you neglect that Yeong Beom ever existed. Lee Jun Younger performs Geum Seong Je, the chaotic, violence-loving right-hand man of bully chief Na Baek Jin (Bae Na Ra) on this brutal highschool survival drama led by an superior ensemble together with Park Ji Hoon. Watch it for proof that he can anchor a darkish thriller with out dropping an oz of nuance.
“Melo Film”
This slow-burn romance ensemble drama stars Lee Jun Younger as Hong Si Jun, a self-styled musical genius who’s, in actuality, nonetheless an unknown composer. The collection facilities on a unique couple (Choi Woo Shik and Park Bo Younger), however Si Jun’s personal relationship together with his longtime girlfriend-turned-screenwriter, Son Ju A (Jeon So Nee), varieties an aching secondary arc—from a blindsiding breakup on their anniversary to an unexpectedly bittersweet reunion years later. Watch it for a quieter, extra wounded form of heartbreak, set in opposition to a wistful meditation on love, artwork, and rising up.
“The Inconceivable Inheritor”
Lee Jun Younger schemes his method up a company ladder on this revenge drama. He performs Kang In Ha, the uncared for illegitimate son of the Kangoh Group’s chairman. Kang In Ha groups up together with his childhood buddy Han Tae Oh (Lee Jae Wook) in a shared, ruthless climb to the highest. It’s a partnership constructed on mutual use that inevitably curdles. Watch it for Lee Jun Younger’s intentionally layered efficiency as a personality meant to hold each actual vulnerability and menace, even when the present round him doesn’t all the time do the premise justice.
“Pump Up the Wholesome Love”
Want a palate cleanser in spite of everything that darkness? Then “Pump Up the Wholesome Love” is for you. Lee Jun Younger performs Do Hyeon Joong, an eccentric, fitness-obsessed fitness center proprietor and former bodybuilding champion who whips journey company supervisor Lee Mi Ran (Jeong Eun Ji) into form at his 24-hour fitness center. It’s a lighthearted rom-com constructed on exercise banter and slow-burn romance. Watch it for Lee Jun Younger in full hulk-with-a-heart mode. It’s a pleasant 180 from his villain period.
Begin watching “Pump Up the Wholesome Love”:
“Let Me Be Your Knight”
Lee Jun Younger performs Yoon Tae In, the chief, lead vocalist, and producer of idol group LUNA, who develops sleepwalking episodes rooted in childhood trauma. In Yoon Joo (Jung In Solar), a tour information whose sister is a sleep physician, poses as her sister and strikes into the band’s dorm to secretly deal with him, and a predictable however charming romance ensues. Watch it for a fluffy, idol-life rom-com that lets Lee Jun Younger flex each his music background and his knack for taking part in wounded, guarded main males.
Begin watching “Let Me Be Your Knight”:
“Might I Assist You”
Kim Tae Hee (Lee Jun Younger) is a carefree errand-service runner who’s secretly grieving the lack of his youthful brother. He groups up with funeral director Baek Dong Joo (Hyeri)—a lady who can briefly talk with the not too long ago deceased—to grant the lifeless’s final needs. A present that matches the mild, weepy comfort-watch class, watch it for a young, slow-healing romance and a few genuinely transferring one-off tales in regards to the individuals Dong Joo helps alongside the best way.
“Imitation”
A fictionalized, often satirical have a look at the Ok-pop idol trade, “Imitation” comes filled with actual idols enjoying idols together with members of ATEEZ, SF9, and T-ara. Lee Jun Younger performs Kwon Ryoc, the middle of prime boy group SHAX. He’s proficient, image-conscious, and is none too happy a couple of rookie (Jung Zi So) who constructed her profession impersonating a star he’s related to. Watch it for Lee Jun Younger primarily replaying his personal idol years on display, plus an actual soundtrack he sings on.
Begin watching “Imitation”:
“Dreaming of a Freaking Fairytale”
Moon Cha Min (Lee Jun Younger) is an eighth-generation chaebol inheritor who runs an unique social membership and has zero persistence for girls chasing a “Cinderella” fantasy. Naturally, he falls for Shin Jae Rim (Pyo Ye Jin), the membership’s new supervisor, who’s responsible of precisely that dream, till she isn’t. Watch it for Lee Jun Younger enjoying the arrogant-prince archetype with simply sufficient vulnerability to make the slow-burn payoff land.
“Avengers Social Membership”
That is the place all of it started. Lee Jun Younger stars as Lee Soo Gyeom on this revenge dramedy about three ladies and one uncared for younger man banding collectively to settle scores in opposition to the individuals who wronged them. Soo Gyeom grew up sidelined by his organic father, who solely resurfaces hoping a son will assist safe his inheritance. However Soo Gyeom joins his stepmother (Lee Ye Received) within the “Bokja Membership,” which incorporates Hong Do Hee (Ra Mi Ran) and Lee Mi Sook (Myung Se Bin) as a substitute. Watch it for the position many longtime followers nonetheless name his most pure efficiency and the primary glimpse of the actor he’d change into.
Puja Talwar is a Soompi author with a robust Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A very long time Ok-drama fan, she loves devising alternate situations to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to call a number of. You possibly can observe her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.