Another K-ent Article Calls Byun Woo Seok’s Insane Popularity After Lovely Runner a New Wave and Claims He’s Getting Every Single Male Lead Script First

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• I mean Koalasplayground also posts endless articles about Byun Woo Seok so I think everyone is just jumping on the hype and posting random stuff about him.

• He’s quite huge right now. Every upcoming romcom male lead with a rising actor is hoping to breakout as the next BWS. Even the new CJH drama is hoping he will breakout like BWS since he already has the huge Japan fandom. SKJ fans are also hoping he will have his BWS moment as he already has the visuals and talent. The hype is real.

• I hope he can deliver on the hype in his next project. Because if not then, the same people lauding him to 7th heaven will tear him down in a second. Knetz are very flaky. He seems like a genuinely sweet guy, works hard so I hope everything works out for him.

• SKJ as in Seo Kang Joon? He should be in a romcon with KHY to have his breakout. Lol. SKJ has the looks. I like his drama with PMY.

• Unlikely he is getting all the scripts first, there are way bigger names than him in kdramas land. Someone is just doing good PR for him.

  The problem with this type of hype and this angle of promo is that if the next drama doesn't hit, he is going to smack down into the ground, hard.

  I don't envy him his situation tbh

  • But didn’t he himself say he’s getting 100s of scripts even before the drama was half way? It can’t just be PR there has to be some truth to it. He’s fresh faced and very popular right now. They need police escorts for him at the airport. That’s a huge deal because even Kim Soohyun hasn’t had that level of mob mentality at his most popular.

    • A lot? Sure.

      But there are other male actors who are also popular and excellent actors who I am sure have no problems, no matter how much hype there is for BWS.

      The whole nobody but him is pure PR and it's bad PR. I wish his fans would understand that this type of lifting up is not good. I wish him all the best but I have seen too many times when PR like this backfires in the end. There is a reason why good agencies will try and calm the situation instead of heating it further. Just pray his next project is a hit.

    • this is the exact reason why many think BWS fans and agency is overhyping him to the hills. And also why many are starting to discredit him.
      I am not even a KSH fan and in fact think he himself is so overrated. But are you fr? At his most popular, KSH needed a chartered plane to get him to China with 800+ body guards because he could not go through regular airports. At his most popular, KSH had over 40 CFs and they had to change the rules because the companies within the same industries wanted him to model for them. This week itself he was holding 10k+ people fan meets that sold out within minutes in Tokyo for two separate days. There are articles about that and the scale is much larger while he is not even at his most popular.
      You can praise BWS without comparing him to actors that have been at the peak for years and years. SJK, KSH et all are on a completely different level when they were at their most popular.

    • LOL BWS fans are the reason his agency media plays it to the hilt. It feeds this fangirl superiority complex and a desperate need to feel that their guys success is astronomical. Seen it so many times and it all comes crashing down rather hard because they couldn’t manage expectations after building it up so much themselves. Imagine comparing someone’s breakout to KDW, saying someone is as popular as BYJ in Japan, that even KSH wasn’t as popular at his peak. Media play at its best or worse depending on how one sees it. And his fans are buying into it like blind little followers. It’s comical to see how unknowledgeable some are and how vulnerable people are to what is reported in the media. Good luck to BWS, he needs it because the way his agency is dealing with his popularity, it feels like they have no experience at all and if/when the fall happens it will be mighty hard one for all involved but exponentially so for his diehards.

    • Hm? Kim Soo-hyun at his peak has was provided with 500? 600? guards with him when he was in China. There were articles written about his visit to Mainland and Taiwan needing that many escorts.

    • @🙃 yup same thoughts. i think it's understandable that his rise is being compared to that of byj and kdw, as it's not really their careers that are being compared, just the rise to popularity, so that's fair. but to say that “not even kim soo hyun was that popular at his peak” is just pure delusion. makes me think that people who are saying this are just new kdrama fans because if you were there during kim soo hyun's moon embracing the sun and my love from another star eras, you wouldn't say such a thing. kim soo hyun's only real rival during that time was lee min ho, no other actor was at the very top like soo hyun was and still is. i swear, these bws fangirls are getting even more delusional by the day. i agree bws definitely needs all the luck because it would be embarrassing for his fangirls if his next project is a flop lol. until bws achieves what kim soo hyun has achieved (having multiple mega hits throughout his career), these fangirls should stop the delusional comparisons 🤦🏻‍♀️

    • you think this is some sort of competition when it's not. why the heck would it be embarrassing for bws fans if his next project flopped? it'd be unfortunate, sure, but he'd survive. and if his fans actually care about him and not about being part of the hype train, then they will stick around.

      the way you lot talk about popularity is so strange and toxic. popularity will come and go, and in some rare cases, it'll stay as with kim soo hyun. we have yet to see how things will turn out for bws, but to sit here, lol-ing about the possibility of his next project flopping... y'all are a callous bunch.

    • i believe he said 20-30 scripts in his interview, which is a lot compared to what he was getting before LR. the increase makes sense because he is popular now, but it's not 100 scripts.

      the media is writing that he is getting ALL the scripts first. the exaggeration is probably for clicks.

  • exactly, the pressure must be insane. that's why he should choose a project that he will enjoy because at the end of the day he can't please everyone and the expectations will be ridiculously high. he might as well pick a role that is fun to play.

• Media play is reminiscent of han sohee a few years ago, but she was deffo getting first script choice that was obvious plus her breakout role was watched by all demographics. BWS as popular as he is he wasn't even on gallup,i remember someone here mentioned bws being much popular than seonho, who actually was named gallup actor if the yr when he broke out.

  • I was literally thinking the exact same thing, this whole thing really reminded me of HSH's agency's intense mediaplay. Puff piece after puff piece, like the PR article being referred to in this post lol: https://koalasplayground.com/2021/07/06/k-ent-writer-posts-fawning-article-praising-han-so-hees-charisma-acting-ability-and-visuals-to-the-moon-despite-the-ratings-disappointment-of-nevertheless/

    Also, right on with the Kim Seon Ho thing. I get that folks here don't like the guy, but the downplaying of his popularity at his peak on this site is insane. Guy had tons of endorsements back then and was crazy-popular among people of different age brackets. He was very much talked about even here in our country, and the last time that kind of thing happened here was during the heyday of Lee Min Ho. I mean, Seon Ho was even second to Kim Soo Hyun when it comes to having the most votes in this year's Baeksang Popularity award which is impressive considering he hasn't been in a drama for years. I definitely think if the scandal didn't happen, he would still be very popular and would most likely have been a certified A-lister now. So yes, while BWS is certainly very popular right now, I wouldn't say he's significantly more popular than Kim Seon Ho was in his heyday, like the people here are saying. Nothing against BWS, wish the guy all the best, but can people not exaggerate too much? Lol

    • In Start-Up,he was the second lead yet managed to outshine everyone, even with mediocre writing. His first lead show was a huge hit, proving his fame wasn't a fluke. He still has a big fan base, which explains the Baeksang votes. Agree aswell, if his reputation hadn't suffered, he'd be on his way to the A-list. His hype wasn't just about his looks; he's a damn good actor. Yh the exaggerations doesn't do him any favours, but tbf it's recency bias, theres a comment here comparing BWS to KSH, that doesn't even warrant a response. 😂

    • do you guys actually read the comments on this site? i have not seen a single person claiming byeon woo seok is more popular than kim seon ho was at his peak, which was after the success of hometown cha cha cha. even i am not saying that. i'm simply stating that the impact of bws's breakout from lovely runner is significantly greater than ksh's breakout from start-up, which is true. unless you think kim seon ho somehow peaked with start-up, and not hometown cha cha cha, in which case, idk what to tell you.

  • hello, that was me and i was talking about kim seon ho's breakout role in start-up, as that is most comparable to where byeon woo seok is currently. and i will correct you once again, as i did the person who posted this same thing back then: kim seon ho topped the gallup poll for his role in hometown cha cha cha, not start-up. good for him for following his breakout with a great project and (nearly) cementing his status in the industry.

    however, you can't compare someone's breakout to a follow up project's performance and his breakout in start-up was not as big as the breakout we're seeing for byeon woo seok's role in lovely runner right now. bws is much more popular right now than kim seon ho was in the immediate aftermath of start-up. i stand by that, as all data and trends point to that.

    • @kalfreezy

      Outshining Suzy and NJH is not the flex you think it is 😂😂

    • I think you are forgetting that when kim seon ho got his popularity from startup it was covid period so there was no way to tell for sure if he would have received the same type of treatment or even more than bws…pretty sure it would have been the same or maybe even more cause he had 2d1n as well

  • Gallup was polled between March 22 and April 5 when Lovely Runner wasn't on air yet. T

    • For the annual one yes, but there are monthly Gallup polls for favorite broadcast. It’s understandable that Lovely Runner will not be in Top 3 since it didn’t appeal to the mass public (as shown in the tv ratings) and these polls survey all age groups from teens to people in their 60s.

• Lee Jun-Ho had the same news getting more than 100 scripts after Red Sleeve and he picked the most empty script of all of them...

  • But it was still a hit and catapulted his career even more. He’s landed endorsements with Piaget and other luxury brands plus his salary saw a huge rise. If BWS manages to get that hit for his next drama his popularity with sky rocket even more. Prada and Cartier are already about to announce his GBA title soon.

    • But as an actor, I had a better reputation before Red Sleeve. If BWS makes the same choice, I don't think his career will be as good as LJH.

      I'm happy for BWS, but he never was great before, he was pretty forgetable. This role suited a lot. Now, he needs to prove it's not fan girls that made him successful but his acting.

    • Pretty sure BWS and his agency don’t care about acting accolades. It’s not his acting that’s getting praised it’s entirely his visual and height that people are obsessed with. He could still land a few Baeksang nominations since he has the backing of a big agency but both him and his agency are targeting popularity and fame not acting. He just needs to look pretty and make the girls swoon. He’ll achieve that easily since he wants to do romcom again. He’s not trying to be the next NGM he just wants to be the next LMH or CEW.That should be easy enough.

    • @Carlos yes except neither CEW nor LMH ever got a Baeksang nomination on the back of riding the popularity boat. LMH hasn’t had a single best actor nomination in the 18+ years he has been in k-ent. So forget a few, no agency can even buy him one Baeksang nomination unless it’s the rookie award in question. Every actor who’s ever gotten nominated for the best actor category in the past 10 years are all either critically acclaimed or had a breakout acting role. Now if the goal is to be a CEW or LMH, that’s easy. He has the pretty and the fangirls for it. He just needs to maintain said fangirls which as long as he picks cool roles wouldn’t be so tough.

    • @Caros Well now I don't even want to imagine what is going to happen once the visual is gone or even when he was found in a romantic relationship.

    • Agreeing with @Caros he’s definitely here only for the looks. I’m mean didn’t he go viral in Namsoon for being a hottie villain with chocolate abs. The male lead was so vanilla that he stole the show from everyone. @TT He’s already 33 in a few more months he’ll be 34. I don’t think anyone will care about his dating news. Most are possibly rooting for him to get married to a top celeb. If he dates a nugu actress then yes it’ll hurt him but if he dates someone like Suzy or Yoona or anyone in that category of super popular they’ll support him like crazy. I bet even if he dated Karina he wouldn’t get hated the way LJW did because he’s so good looking. He’s been around for a decade if there was dirt on him it would have come out ages ago so he’s definitely clean and his real life personality resembles his character so he’s making people even more obsessed with him. He personally distributed roses to media during his fan meeting press con and the reporters were swooning like crazy. He knows what he’s doing and his image is being crafted very carefully and meticulously. Either way he’ll be married in 7 years or so and men are always the sexiest in their 40s so he has a lot of fame and popularity to enjoy for many years. How visual and body are going nowhere.

    • @lilybed

      Everyone in SK and international are rooting for him and hyeyoon. Normally netz don't ship couples but in this case they're very supportive. There hasn't been a couple with this much chemistry and a nation hasn't rooted for a couple since binjin. There's been a couple of romance dramas past few years even a famous one that came out this yr, but they weren't shipped by sk and netizens. At this stage noone can see either leads with someone else unless it's private. The salon drip comments are still on about this ship despite it being a month.

    • @Mikaye> Netizen always ships every couple in every Kdrama. Lovely Runner is not new in anything.

    • @ sayaris, caros, lilybed
      Totally agree, him n his agency are going for the popularity n fame angle, amassing the most amt of fangirls as possible. Unfortunately the crazy ones that will turn on him once he is found to be in a rlshp. The guy is alr in some rumour every month n fangirls are breaking down on Twitter each time.
      He also fanservices alot n does certain things like the rose giving to craft a certain image. Alot of ppl see him as sunjae. He's certainly not going for acting accolades, not right now. And despite whate everyone keeps saying abt him, like sayaris said he's not that great of an actor. He's bland af in almost all his roles n failed auditions for a reason. He's lucky this character is easy to play in LR n was still overshadowed acting wise by khy
      @mikaye, fangirls ship anything n everything. At least for binjin whose fans are annoying af, the genpop liked them. For khy n bws.. it's just the rabid teenage girls shipping them tog. Khy is always maintaining her distance while the dude is always busy with the fanservice. The demog for this show is skewed v young. Nobody ard me who is not in a younger age group has even seen LR or wants to. Those who have found it boring.

    • I will never and ever compare Junho to another actor.
      Because Junho is Junho and he is in his own league.
      He is not only an actor but also an excellent stage performer.
      He acts,he composes songs, he dances, he sings, he play instruments and he directs.

      He won not only a Baeksang but also a PD award which was given to one acting person/year.

      The new fans as well as antis of his will say his acting is not that good by watching this & that of 'King The Land'.
      But including 'The Red Sleeve',his filmography is diverse from his debut supporting role in 'Cold Eyes'.

      Popularity comes as a season but I hope he always shines. (Though we always know Luck is also a deciding factor in entertainment cycles).

  • Weird aswell coming off a great performance but somehow his acting be was so bland in a basic ass romcom. It's funny since psj barely any male actors are pulling off the ceo role don't get me started on the male lead in business proposal.

    • A PSJ/KSH stan speaking junho's acting.. Have u even seen the reactions to PSJ's terrible acting in his last show and movie haha.

    • bold of u to delude yourself that PSJ carried the CEO role really well when i was cringing the whole time watching his scenes in WWWSK

  • So true. That King Land drama was the most bland rom com ever. Honestly I see Byeon Woo-seok and his agency going the same route. Flashy romcom with a popular actress.

  • You may ask then why I came to this comment session.I did watch 'Lovely Runner' and I like BWS and KHY (whom I loved since EY) . So I came to watch what people are saying. I like BWS,but like not love and I do not end up his fan.

• as always...lot of crap!! even in the article spill a lot of bullshit..suit really well for teenagers!!hahahha

• It was Kim Seon Ho, then Lee Junho..then, then, then and then him. Next month or so it will be a different person.

  • BWS does feel kind of different though. He was in pretty much a youth drama and the attention he's receiving feels like a combo of a popular idol as well as actor. It kind of reminds me of You're Beautiful. Popular buzzed about domestic and Hallyu drama but it's ratings weren't really the highest for the time. The drama and role totally altered the course of Jang Geun Suk's career. He held a concert at the Tokyo Dome he was so popular.

    I think BWS has to pick his next project well to keep up the momentum as an actor and only work with actresses with solid skills to bring the best performances out of him. A huge part of Lovely Runner's success is how amazing Kim Hye Yoon was in the drama. The drama wouldn't have had the heart it had if he was paired with a weak female lead. I think he's going to be 33 this year so he can definitely go the mature route with his drama picks and pairings. It would also be smart to go that route to gain more fans outside the teen/young adult demo to increase the viewership of his future works. I could've definitely seen him in a serious romance drama with Seo Yea Ji if her career didn't seem to be at a stand still. I think he'd look good paired with Go Youn Jung too. As popular as he is though, I'd also like to see him paired up with some strong supporting actresses that may need a breakthrough into lead territory, instead of the usual go to popular actresses and idols. Chemistry is so important, and I'd rather have that than see him paired up with a popular actress who has no chemistry with him. Lovely Runner was very popular, but it wasn't a ratings smash as far as tvN is concerned. His safest bet with a follow up drama is going the NETFLIX exclusive route since ratings aren't an issue, picking scripts from screenwriters that always deliver hits, or doing an adaptation of an extremely popular webtoon.

    • He and Kim Ji Won could be an interesting and fun move to solidify both their level-ups. The part would have to be worth it for her though.

    • Constantly here and twitter, whats with the fixation on bws and kjw they don't match at all, is it just because of their current hype cause acting wise they're in different leagues.

    • Shiv, its mostly BWS fangirls. KJW is the same age as him but thats where the compatibility ends. His acting skills are nowhere in par with hers.

    • @shiv
      Ignoring the comment about comparing the acting, I rate your favs acting I truly do but don't act like QOT wasn't a romance. Even so romance is not always about stellar acting chops, your favs recent chemistry with the ml got overshadowed by lovely runner. I'm sure a pairing of BWS and your fav will be magic.

    • yes, a netflix drama would be the safest bet. i don't think he's looking for super stardom though. he's a big romcom fan, and wants to excel in that specific genre. don't think netflix has produced any out and out romcom, so he'll probably have to go with a regular network drama.

    • I'm a jiwon fan and Im so down for this pairing it's not likely though since BWS is keen on romcom and I think Jiwon's leaning towards crime. I really do want to see jiwon in romcom though since I could not get into QOT.

    • @kaileyb
      Idk if these are jiwon fans or toxic shippers, so ridiculous, just manifesting this pairing triggers them. And why wouldn't she want him as a costar he's charming, beautiful and seems like a nice guy and equally she's the same.

    • @Mia - you mentioned You're Beautiful, it was a smash hit among the youth and very popular across Asia but Jang Geun Suk peaked with that drama, every acting role he did after that was a rehash of his YAB character (some kind of 'leather jacket/eyeliner wearing bad boy' type) and what's more, they all flopped. Meanwhile Park Shin Hye flourished and rose to the top of the 90s-born actress cohort in the 2010s.

      That said, BWS filmography has more varied roles in the recent past though I don't think we're about to see him as a villain again now lol, but he does seem to have consciously sought diverse roles in a quest to improve. But even if he does choose another 'green flag heartthrob' kind of character as his followup to Sunjae, it's not a problem as long as the script is decent and the project does well. Lee Jong Suk also spent nearly a decade after School 2013/I Hear Your Voice playing sensitive/boy genius types and he's doing just fine because his dramas were successful, same with Kim Woo Bin and his always getting cast as bad boy/intimidating types. In terms of priorities, most would put success over avoiding typecasting, it's only a problem if they flop JGS-style.

      also, some people in these comments need to separate PR/media play/fans joking, from actual real life.

• Some comments here coming across as salty, BWS's been around for 8 yrs has a breakout role in a role mind u that was rejected by many. Also what's wrong with media play is it a alien concept as if many before him didn't do it?

  • Bitterness makes zero sense, their favs had their time yet they're hellbent on comparisons. Once BWS has another project then they can fairly judge him.

  • thanks for being sane. Honestly i wouldn’t mind him getting this media play cuz he actually deserved it after years of being in the shadow.