This is my first time writing a stalker’s guide so please bear with me here. I wanted to write this one because I am so in love with  Park Seo Joon and he deserves more love and recognition.

He first got my attention in the movie The Beauty Inside although I later realized that he also starred in Dream High 2, which I had watched a long time ago. Although he only had a few scenes and many other big stars starred in The Beauty Inside, it was him who convinced me of the movie’s sincere and beautiful love story. Later, I started searching for his other works and found out that he had starred in some successful K dramas of 2015 –  Kill Me, Heal Me and She Was Pretty – both of which I overlooked because of my dislike for the female lead –  Hwang Jung Eum. I always hesitate to watch her dramas and these two dramas fell victim to such bias. But then because of  Park Seo Joon, I watched both dramas and  fell for both of his characters. He has such a way of making his characters seem sincere and convincing. And his smiling eyes are very addicting like this.. 

Or this.. 

~DRAMAS~

Starting with his current drama:

Hwarang: The Beginning

This is a currently airing drama. It's about Hwarang (literally “Flowering Knights”), a group of elite youth warriors in the Silla kingdom. The story revolves around a group of six Hwarangs and their friendships and of course, a love triangle.  Park Seo Joon plays the male lead, Moo Myung/Sunwoo - a carefree and daring young man with a sense of righteousness who joins Hwarang and forms a love triangle with Ah-ro, played by  Go Ara and King Sam Maek-jong, played by Park Hyung-sik. Park Seo Joon’s portrayal of his character is very convincing as he is serious and very cool at times, with a touch of comedy sometimes.  This drama is exactly your cup of tea if you like historical but light-hearted dramas. the fact that there are six handsome actors playing flowery warriors is also a bonus.

And his most successful drama to date:

She was Pretty (2015)

Although he rose in popularity with Witch’s Romance in 2014, I think his most successful drama would be “She Was Pretty”. He has this amazing chemistry with Hwang Jung Eum in the drama. The story is a simple romance story about childhood friends meeting again later in their lives as the boss and the employee.  The drama was a success due to the great chemistry between the leads and well-developed romance. Park Seo Joon’s character was a handsome and successful editor-in-chief in a fashion magazine with a traumatic past. But he doesn’t fit into either of the typical male lead types – rich and arrogant jerk or sweet and caring gentleman – which makes it more relatable and at the same time, unique.

Other successful dramas:

Kill me, Heal me (2015)

In this drama, he was not a male lead. He didn’t even have a love line with the female lead (kind of). The drama is a melodrama about Cha Do Hyeon, a billionaire who suffers from multiple personality disorder, played by  Ji Sung, and Oh Ji Jin, a psychiatric doctor who tries to help Cha Do Hyeon but eventually falls in love with him, played by Hwang Jung Eum. Park Seo Joon played Oh Ri On, a mysterious famous novelist who was the twin brother of Oh Ri Jin. He showed affection for his sister in a very heartwarming way, especially how he devoted his life in searching for clues about her past and protecting her from getting hurt. The story itself has a well-developed plot which revolves around multiple personality disorder as well as birth secrets and family mysteries and it was one of the best dramas in 2015.

Witch’s Romance (2014)

Witch’s Romance was the drama that led him to popularity back in 2014. It was a noona-dongsaeng romance drama where he played the male lead. Yoon Dong Ha, who is trying to lead a normal life after a tragic accident, meets an older confident workaholic journalist Ban Ji Yeon played by  Uhm Jung Hwa. It was just a typical noona-dongsaeng romance drama but it was really enjoyable with sparkling chemistry between the leads and of course, because of Park Seo Joon. And hot kiss scenes alert!!

His earlier works include  One Warm Word (2013), I Summon you, Gold! (2013), Shut up Family (2012) and Dream High 2 (2012) as supporting characters. I have watched One Warm Word and Dream High 2 but not the other two, because of their long lengths. Although he had a supporting role in One Warm Word, his love line had a more innocent and heartwarming romance than the main love lines.

~Films~

The Beauty Inside (2015)

It is a very unique movie about Woo Jin, a man who turns into a different person every morning when he wakes up, falling in love with a woman.  I can’t imagine myself to be in love with someone who changes into different person every day (man/woman, young/old) but this movie had me sold! It was such an unusual but beautiful love story.  Han Hyo Joo played the sole female lead while there is a big cast portraying Woo Jin, including Park Seo Joon, Lee Dong Wook, Lee Jin Wook and even Park Shin Hye. Park Seo Joon portrayed Woo Jin when he finally asked the girl out on a date and it was very heartbreaking to see him portraying a nervous young man, asking a girl out even though he is very aware that his appearance is going to change tomorrow or when he falls asleep.

Watch the trailer below:

The Chronicles of Evil (2015)

This is a crime thriller about Detective Choi who accidentally kills a taxi driver, covers it up, and what follows after. In this movie, Park Seo Joon plays the young newbie detective, Cha Dong Jae, who respects and idolizes Choi and discovers what he has done. Park Seo Joon’s character has a very important role in the movie (more than I expected) and it was a shocking plot twist which I don’t want to spoil. This movie was a pleasant surprise.

~OSTs ~

He has also sung soundtracks for the dramas he starred in. His voice is really nice and gentle. He can definitely sing!

Some OSTs he sung for his dramas:

You’re In My Heart (Witch’s Romance OST)

Letting You Go (Kill Me Heal Me OST)

For those of you who are new to Park Seo Joon, if I had to recommend one drama, it would be She Was Pretty. You will definitely fall for his charming character and his smiling eyes.  Or you can start by watching his currently airing drama, Hwarang. Or if you want to opt for a movie, you can try The Beauty Inside. 

In this guide, I have said everything I know about Park Seo Joon. For now, his career is still quite short since he just started in 2012. That being said, he has been growing as an actor and in popularity. I am expecting to see him a lot more in successful movies and dramas!!