Byeon Woo Seok Breaks Free From One-Hit Wonder Label

Actor Byun Woo-seok is once again causing a sensation, proving he is not a 'one-hit wonder' through the MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'Princess of the 21st Century'. While he gained immense popularity with the 2024 drama 'Lovely Runner', he is not resting on his laurels and is continuing his explosive buzz with his next project.

Byun Woo-seok shed his long period of obscurity with 'Lovely Runner' and rose to stardom, but at the same time, he found himself under even stricter scrutiny and on a trial. He was aware of this pressure and, rather than remaining a 'youth star' relying on the popularity of 'Lovely Runner', he chose a bold acting transformation. The fact that he carefully considered his next project for about a year amidst a flood of love calls shows his sincerity and weight as an actor.

The MBC Friday-Saturday drama 'Princess of the 21st Century' presented many challenges, including proving his acting skills beyond his previous work 'Lovely Runner', and inevitably drawing comparisons to Joo Ji-hoon from MBC's royal romance masterpiece 'Goong'. However, Byun Woo-seok did not falter under the pressure and calmly accepted the challenge. In an interview in January of last year, he expressed his mindset: "I want to do my best at the moments I can," revealing his belief that doing his best would lead to good results. He also emphasized his commitment to treating every project as a "new beginning" and giving his all to 'Princess of the 21st Century' just as he did with 'Lovely Runner'.

In 'Princess of the 21st Century', Byun Woo-seok is demonstrating his determination by building his own unique character of Prince Yi Ahn. In the recently aired first and second episodes, he is actively showcasing his high synchronization with the character and a special chemistry with his co-star IU that spans ten years. Notably, Byun Woo-seok made a special appearance in the 2016 drama 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' as IU's boyfriend, and his reunion ten years later is showcasing an expanded acting spectrum.

'Princess of the 21st Century' started with a high viewership rating of 7.8% in its first episode and reached 9.5% by the second episode, nearing 10%. The highest viewership rating recorded was 11.1%. The drama also garnered a heated response both domestically and internationally, topping the Korean TOP10 rankings on the global OTT platform Disney+ upon its release and ranking fourth globally. Furthermore, according to Good Data Corporation's Fundex survey, it achieved the feat of ranking first in TV-OTT drama buzzworthiness, capturing over 90% of the buzzworthiness share for Friday-Saturday dramas. This clearly shows that the 'Byun Woo-seok syndrome' is once again sweeping the small screen. Expectations are high for Byun Woo-seok's mature performance that will unfold in the future.