So, are you guys ready to dive deep into the work history of our very own actor? If so, let’s get started.
You’re Beautiful
Now, onto the first one! This drama was so popular that it got to be remade in a Japanese version that aired in Japan in 2011 with the title Ikemen desu ne, and a Taiwanese version in 2013 with the name Fabulous Boys. Geun-seuk also played a cameo appearance in episode 8 of the Japanese version as himself. In this drama, Jang Geun-seuk played a character named Hwang Tae-kyung, the lead vocalist and guitarist of a fictional band called A.N.JELL and main love interest of Park Shin-hye’s character Ko Mi-nam/Ko Mi-nyeo. At first, Tae-kyung harbored a cold exterior but grows softer as he begins to fall for Mi-nyeo (the woman version of Park Shin-hye). Their mutual love interest starts when Ko Mi-nyeo starts pretending to be her twin brother Ko Mi-nam and joins the band as their keyboardist. Tae-kyung’s cold behavior is not without reasoning. He has a troubled past, especially regarding his estranged relationship with his mother. A little bit about the plot: Ko Mi-nyeo (Park Shin-hye) has lived at an orphanage with her twin brother, Ko Mi-nam, since childhood after their father died. Years later, Mi-nam becomes a music idol and Mi-nyeo lives in a junior nun dorm to fulfill her dream of becoming a nun. One day, Mi-nam successfully auditions for and wins the “A.N Entertainment” vocal auditions to join the musical band A.N.Jell. However, he must leave for the United States in order to correct his botched plastic surgery. Mi-nam’s manager, Ma Hoon-yi (Kim In-kwon) approaches Mi-nyeo and requests her to pose as Mi-nam for a month till he recovers. Mi-nyeo is against it at first, but eventually agrees, as the path to fame would give the twins an opportunity to find their mother. Thus, Mi-nyeo poses as her brother and joins the band A.N.Jell, where she meets the band members: the arrogant Hwang Tae-kyung (Jang Geun-suk), the gentle Kang Shin-woo (Jung Yong-hwa), and the bubbly Jeremy (Lee Hong-gi). At first, Tae-kyung is against Mi-nam’s addition and makes her life hard, while Shin-woo and Jeremy are friendly to her. Eventually, Tae-kyung discovers that Mi-nam is a girl and threatens to reveal it, but Mi-nam manages to win him over. Through their interactions, Tae-kyung starts to develop feelings for Mi-nam. Shin-woo and Jeremy also develop feelings for her, even though the latter thinks that Mi-nam is a boy. As Mi-nyeo struggles to hide her secret from the media while performing with A.N.JELL, she discovers her mother’s past, which is somehow connected with Tae-kyung.
Love Rain
Another iconic romantic drama of Jang Geun-seuk! Love Rain (Korean: 사랑비; RR: Sarangbi) is a 2012 South Korean television series directed by Yoon Seok-ho. Set in the seventies and the present day, it tells a love story over two generations. It aired on KBS2 from March 26th to May 29th, 2012, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes, with each episode running for 60 minutes. Although the viewership ratings in Korea was relatively low, the drama hit mainstream success overseas and was dubbed as the most expensive Korean drama which has been presold to Japan in 2012. Here, Jang Geun-seuk and fellow co-star SNSD’s Yoona successfully delivered great chemistry as the cross-stared lovers in two different sets of eras. They played double roles in the 1970s and in the 2010s era. Jang Geun-seuk played the role of Seo In-ha (1970) and Seo-joon (2012), both of whom are connected to Yoona’s role, Kim Yoon-hee (1970) and Jung Ha-na (2012). The drama has successfully led the audiences fawn over Geun-suk and Yoona’s chemistry. A little bit about the plot: It’s love at first sight when Seo In-ha (Jang Geun-suk) and Kim Yoon-hee (Im Yoon-ah) meet as shy university students in the seventies. It takes time for the hesitant pair to finally voice their feelings, but circumstances beyond their control send them down different paths. In 2012, In-ha (Jung Jin-young) is now unhappily married to Baek Hye-jung, one of Yoon-hee’s former best friends. He has never gotten over his first love, and when he runs into Yoon-hee (Lee Mi-sook) after so many years, the two reconcile and look forward to making up for the lost time. In-ha’s son Seo Joon (Jang Geun-suk) is a photographer, and he bumps into Yoon-hee’s daughter Jung Ha-na (Im Yoon-ah) by chance. Unlike her mother, Ha-na is a cheerful and vivacious girl, and though they initially find each other troublesome, even as they argue, they can’t help but be drawn to each other. Gradually, their mutual feelings develop, and Joon and Ha-na fall in love with each other. Unaware that their children are dating each other, Seo In-ha (Jung Jin-young) and Kim Yoon-hee (Lee Mi-sook) announce that they are getting married, which will make Joon and Ha-na step-siblings. As both couples deal with the shock, Joon and Ha-na struggle with sacrificing their love for their parents’ long-aborted happiness.
Marry Me, Mary!
Jang Geun-seuk also played a romantic duo with the Nation’s “Little Sister,” actress Moon Geun Young! In Marry Me, Mary! (Korean: 매리는 외박중; RR: Maerineun Oebakjung; lit. Mary Stayed Out All Night), Jang Geun-seuk played the role of Kang Mu-gyul, the lead singer and guitarist of the fictional band Absolute Perfection and also Seo-joon’s ex-boyfriend. The 2010 rom-com drama also starred Kim Jae-wook and Kim Hyo-jin beside the two leading actors. The drama is based on the Daum webtoon of the same title by writer Won Soo-yeon and aired on KBS2 from November 8th to December 28th, 2010, on the Monday and Tuesday slot at 21:55 for a total of 16 episodes. A little bit about the plot: Wi Mae-ri (Moon Geun-young) is a stubborn young woman with no dating experience. She looks like her late mother, but her hot temper comes straight from her deadbeat father (Park Sang-myun). Her father’s business failures always make trouble, but Mae-ri still loves him. Because she can’t afford college tuition, she temporarily stops attending college, and without any special skills, starts to work odd jobs. One day, driving friends around like one of those jobs, she accidentally hits musician Kang Mu-gyul (Jang Keun-suk) and over a series of events, they become friends. Mae-ri’s father proposes that she marry his rich friend’s son Byun Jung-in (Kim Jae-wook) to pay off their debts. She refuses; when her father won’t let her, and in fact forges the couple’s signatures on the marriage registration, she pretends to have already married Mu-gyul. Instead of accepting that, her father proposes a deal: spend 100 days with both of them and afterward, she can decide who she wants to marry. And from there, a love triangle forms.
