"Is IU's brother Haiboys Jai?" Actor Kang Yoo-seok has showcased his remarkable versatility, playing IU's immature brother in "When Life Gives You Tangerines" and an idol-turned-doctor in "Resident Playbook." His relentless pace, anticipating performances that extend to 'Seocho-dong,' is heightening expectations.

Recently, there has been a surge of interest among drama fans for Kang Yoo-seok. This is due to his presence in popular dramas this year, including "When Life Gives You Tangerines" and "Resident Playbook."

The start was the Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," which dominated the first half of the year. In "When Life Gives You Tangerines," Kang Yoo-seok played the role of Yang Eun-myeong. IU, who is a singer and actress, portrayed Yang Geum-myeong, the elder daughter who is always compared to her studious older sister, making Eun-myeong the immature younger son. After causing a premarital pregnancy incident like their parents, he tried to earn money in various ways, causing distress to his parents Yang Kwan-sik (Park Hae-joon) and Oh Ae-soon (Moon So-ri). Amid this, Kang Yoo-seok presented a character that was hard not to like and brought both laughter and emotion.

After "When Life Gives You Tangerines" ended, Kang Yoo-seok immediately met viewers with his next project. He played Um Jae-il in tvN's weekend drama "Resident Playbook." In the story, Um Jae-il is an idol-turned-resident in obstetrics and gynecology. At the beginning of the story, he is a reckless first-year resident whose actions are unpredictable, but in the end, he earns recognition for his sincerity as a doctor, becoming a 'growth character.' This has allowed Kang Yoo-seok to build presence once again in a popular drama, following "When Life Gives You Tangerines."

In particular, with the popularity of "Resident Playbook," a stage was held for the idol group Um Jae-il was in, on Mnet's music program "M Countdown." Kang Yoo-seok performed on the "M Countdown" stage alongside TOMORROW X TOGETHER's Yeonjun and Soobin, displaying his polished skills as a member of Haiboys. The stage, realized as a setting for the drama and as fan service, hints at the affection drama fans have for Kang Yoo-seok.

Additionally, Kang Yoo-seok will present another new project this year. It is the new tvN weekend drama "Seocho-dong." Set to air its first broadcast in July, "Seocho-dong" depicts the joys and sorrows of five associate lawyers (lawyers employed at a law firm who receive a salary) commuting daily to Seocho-dong's judicial town. Actors Lee Jong-suk and Moon Ga-young play the leading roles. Kang Yoo-seok is expected to join forces with Ryu Hye-young and Lim Sung-jae to complete the ensemble of the five associate lawyers.

Born in 1994, Kang Yoo-seok is 30 years old this year, showing a trajectory of 'growth characters' through popular and anticipated works of the year, such as "When Life Gives You Tangerines," "Resident Playbook," and "Seocho-dong." In "When Life Gives You Tangerines," he naturally portrayed the passage of time according to the character's life story, while in "Resident Playbook," he represented a young man immersed in the dramatic emotions of a medical drama, and in "Seocho-dong," he is expected to showcase his growth as a legal professional with judicial expertise. It seems he is steadily building his filmography without excessive image consumption. Attention now turns to whether he can establish himself as the next 'trustworthy actor.'

[Photo] OSEN DB.

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