[HanCinema's News] Lee Jae-wook Makes Rapid Rise to Sought-after Leading Man

Lee Jae-wook made his debut in 2018 in "Memories of the Alhambra" in a minor role as a computer hacker. Since then, the twenty-four year old actor has seen a dramatic increase in his profile. He became a fan favorite with an ensemble role in "Search: WWW" and then again as the second male lead in "Extraordinary You" both from 2019. His first leading role as a student in the musical themed romantic comedy "Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol" earned him still more fans.

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But it's the currently airing "Alchemy of Souls" that has decisively established Lee Jae-wook as a strong performer. Most of his work has blurred clear genre boundaries, but they were all principally stories about character interaction. Lee Jae-wook could do a lot with little screentime. Yet "Alchemy of Souls" has an action fantasy blend in addition to the personal character interaction. Here, Lee Jae-wook can make the most of comparatively few character interactions, still leaving a strong impact.

Lee Jae-wook also benefits from strong chemistry with the leading lady, Jung So-min, with whom he has a relationship that can be described at times as like a social superior and other times like an apprentice. Lee Jae-wook is Jung So-min's younger by nine years, and his youthful enthusiasm interacts well with his desire to learn, change, and improve himself. It's a narrative arc Lee Jae-wook has done before in fiction and is still continuing to do in real life.

In an interview, Lee Jae-wook has stated that he wants to keep living different lives, and is charmed by the inherently unsatisfiable nature of the urge. "Alchemy of Souls" has already been confirmed for a ten episode extension, and fans are intrigued at how Lee Jae-wook's personal dynamic might change as his leading lady shifts from Jung So-min to Go Youn-jung. "Alchemy of Souls" had ratings of 6.958% in its most recent episode, the tenth, which aired on July 17th.

Written by William Schwartz