Mixed Reactions to Byun Woo-seok's Performance in '21st Century Grand Duchess'

Byun Woo-seok, who faced concerns about his acting skills even before the show aired, is receiving praise for his charming visuals that match his character, but opinions on his acting remain divided.

In the MBC Friday-Saturday drama '21st Century Grand Duchess' aired on the 11th, Grand Prince Ian (played by Byun Woo-seok) dealt with the bold advances of Seong Hee-joo (played by IU). Previously, Seong Hee-joo proposed marriage first, but Grand Prince Ian firmly rejected it. Subsequently, Grand Prince Ian consistently pushed away Seong Hee-joo, who approached him boldly at places like the riding arena, a Korean restaurant, the road, and the cinema, saying, "I wanted to see you."

However, an unexpected scandal quickly turned the plot around. Seong Hee-joo learned about Grand Prince Ian's health issues through a chance encounter with his aide and entered his hotel room, even calling in a doctor, which sparked the scandal. Grand Prince Ian apologized to Seong Hee-joo for the controversy caused by him and asked what she wanted. Eventually, he decided on a contract marriage, saying, "Prepare to become the Grand Duchess. Your opponent will be the entire nation."

Byun Woo-seok led the narrative as Grand Prince Ian, who possesses decisiveness and execution. As the king of Korea and the only uncle to a young nephew who felt overwhelmed at a corporate event, he showed a reliable and warm side, saying, "I have come to fulfill my duty as a subject, Your Majesty," when his nephew sought him out, saying, "I'm scared, Uncle." When Seong Hee-joo got caught up in a scandal because of him, he made a bold decision to propose marriage directly.

After the broadcast, viewers had mixed reactions to Byun Woo-seok's acting, with comments like "Better than expected," "Just watching him is heartwarming," and "His emotional acting and expressions are still awkward," "Despite his popularity, his acting skills still seem lacking."

'21st Century Grand Duchess' airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM.

Tae Yuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr