This year alone, two dramas visited viewers in a row. He appeared as the male protagonist Jang Shin-yu in JTBC's 'This Love is Force Majeure', and will also appear in KBS 2TV's new Monday-Tuesday drama 'Wedding Battle', which premieres on the 30th.
‘This Love Is Force Majeure’, in which Rowoon played the lead role, ended on the 12th. ‘This Love Is Force Majeure’ is a work that tells the romance between Lee Hong-jo (played by Jo Bo-ah), a low-ranking civil servant who obtains a banned book that was completely sealed 300 years ago, and Jang Shin-yu (played by Rowoon), a lawyer who becomes a victim of the banned book. We were able to get a glimpse of Rowoon's sly flirting and 'romance craftsman' side.
In terms of viewership ratings, it achieved somewhat disappointing results. It maintained viewer ratings in the 2% range and quietly ended with 3.1%. Since ENA's 'Kidnapping Day' hit the market on the rise, there has been no sign of a rebound.
The poor viewer ratings cannot be said to be Rowoon’s fault. There are many cases where a drama fails to shine despite the lead actor's passionate performance. However, if the drama in which he plays the main character continues to fail at the box office, it can be a painful experience for the actor.
Rowoon tried his hand at the comedy genre for the first time. The reason he chose 'Wedding Battle' was, "Actually, I think comedy is the most difficult genre. It's a genre I've always wanted to try, but I tend to start from the unexpected."
Additionally, Rowoon has already had fun with historical dramas. KBS2's 'Yeonmo', in which Park Eun-bin co-starred, received a lot of love, recording double-digit viewership ratings. Through this work, Rowoon also won the Male Popularity Award, Best Couple Award, and Male Rookie Award at the 2021 KBS Drama Awards. Since he showed a strong performance in historical dramas, expectations are increasing for 'The Wedding Battle'.
Rowoon has officially announced his acting career. This year will be more meaningful to him than anyone else. Attention is being paid to whether he can grow into an actor with a box office guarantee who can capture both viewer ratings and popularity.
Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr