This week our spotlight article features Lee Jong-seok, whose new drama Romance Is a Bonus Book just started its run on tvN. Born in 1989 in Suwon, South Korea, Lee Jong-seok started his career as a runway model. He debuted in 2005 and set a record as the youngest model to participate in Seoul Fashion Week (he was around 15 at the time!). Like many popular actors today, Lee Jong-seok transitioned from modeling to acting, and he is arguably one of the most successful examples of a model-actor from his generation of actors.
Lee Jong-seok’s acting debut came in 2010 with a supporting role in Prosecutor Princess. Each of his subsequent roles brought him more attention, with School 2013 generally being recognized as the drama that made him a household name. Whether it’s excellent management, a sixth sense for choosing scripts, or just because the camera loves him, Lee Jong-seok brings a little magic to each of his dramas. He will be missed while he’s serving in the military — but at least we have a lovely drama to enjoy before he’s off!
Here are some favorite dramaland moments from Lee Jong-seok, followed by his full filmography.
I Hear Your Voice (2013)
This drama is one of those Top Ten dramas that I think most everyone enjoyed, if not flat-out adored. Lee Jong-seok played the young hero who found himself able to hear other people’s thoughts after a tragic event in his past. As often occurs in dramaland, the past and the present collide, and when Lee Jong-seok re-met the girl (played by Lee Bo-young) who helped him in the past, she had become a jaded lawyer — nothing like the girl he remembered from his childhood. I Hear Your Voice was successful for a lot of reasons, but one was because it was able to bring so many elements from different genres together in a way that was compelling, fun, and fresh. It was part revenge melo, part courtroom drama, part thriller, part noona romance — and suffice it to say it holds a special place in drama history.
W – Two Worlds (2016)
I know everyone is a little burnt on Song Jae-jung penned dramas right now, but we can’t talk about Lee Jong-seok without featuring W. Erase the last 15 minutes and you have so much fantastic, inventive, and fourth-wall-breaking storytelling going on! Lee Jong-seok starred as the beloved manhwa character, and Han Hyo-joo starred opposite him as the daughter of the manhwa artist who created Lee Jong-seok’s character. When Han Hyo-joo’s character found herself suddenly transported to the fictional manhwa world, chaos ensued. Realities overlapped, rules of the space/time dimension were broken, and I’m not really sure how it all made sense, but the concept and the acting and the characters were so strong that it didn’t much matter. For me, this drama is a testament to the fact that vivid, relatable, and authentic characters have the power to pull the audience along for any crazy kind of ride.
Romance Is a Bonus Book (2019)
Lee Jong-seok is back right before his mandatory military service with a delightful little rom-com that also stars Lee Na-young in her return to dramaland after many years. With Lee Jong-seok in the lead, a noona down on her luck, and the backdrop of the copywriting, publishing, and editorial world, I was already sold on this drama before it even premiered. At the time of writing this I’ve just watched the premiere episode hot off the presses and: rejoice! Contrary to what I expected, the lead couple already knows each other from the first moment the drama starts. This means no secret childhood connections to uncover. It also means that the drama gets to do all sorts of fun things with their already existing relationship which is not only so much more interesting, but already happening, even in the first episode. Onward!
Lee Jong-seok’s full filmography: