2023 seems like the year of Kim Seok-woo, popularly known by his stage name Rowoon. The singer-actor is currently seen in the fantasy romance K-drama Destined With You and starred in the Netflix original A Time Called You, which was aired in September. He will next be seen in the Korean drama The Matchers, which releases in October. The K-pop singer, who recently bid farewell to his band SF9, will now focus only on his acting career. Rowoon has proven his skills in front of the camera with K-dramas like School 2017, Extraordinary You, The King’s Affection, and more. With Rowoon ruling our watch list (and hearts!), here’s a look at five of his must-watch K-dramas.
5 must watch K-dramas of K-pop singer and ‘Destined With You’ actor Rowoon
1. The King’s Affection – Netflix
This intriguing historical romance is set during the Joseon era and is based on the eponymous webtoon. The K-drama starts with the separation of the twins – after giving birth, the Crown Princess secretly sends her away to save her daughter from being killed. Years later, she returns as a maid, Dam-yi (Park Eun-bin). However, her twin brother and the Crown Prince, Lee Hwi, recognise her and ask her to swap places. But he is accidentally killed, and she takes her place at her mother’s insistence to save the kingdom. Her life gets complicated when she falls in love again with Jung Ji-woon (Rowoon), her first love and royal tutor. She then gets entangled in royal politics and a web of lies and deception, with a raging inner conflict between choosing her love or princely duties.
2. School 2017 – Netflix, Zee5
This high school drama follows a group of high school students dealing with academic pressures, teenage troubles, and corruption in the education system. The K-drama primarily follows Ra Eun-ho (Kim Se-jeong), a bubbly student who dreams of becoming a webtoon artist. She is mistaken for the mysterious vigilante student ‘X’. Her life changes when she meets Hyun Tae-woon (Kim Jung-hyun), a transfer student with a troubled past and the school director’s son. The plot revolves around these two and a couple of other students, giving us a peek into high school lives and what it feels like to be a teenager navigating the various societal pressures while looking for the real student X.
3. She Would Never Know – Netflix
Yoon Song-ah (Won Jin-ah) is a cosmetic company’s hardworking and ambitious marketing team leader. Chae Hyun-seung (Rowoon), the famous, dashing rookie employee, has a crush on her. When he learns of Song-ah’s heartbreak due to her boyfriend’s betrayal, he boldly pursues her. Song-ah is reluctant due to their age gap and the fear of jeopardising their work relationship. However, spending laborious hours working together on projects ignites the spark of love, turning unrequited love into a swoon-worthy office romance. Apart from these two, the series has interesting supporting characters and follows their subplots and office politics.
4. Tomorrow – Netflix
Choi Jun-woong (Rowoon) is having difficulty looking for a job. After an accident, his life turns unexpectedly when he meets two grim reapers – Koo Ryeon (Kim Hee-sun) and Lim Ryung Gu (Yoon Ji-on). The grim reapers’ job is to prevent suicides. They recruit Jun-woong as the youngest contract worker and form an unconventional team to prevent suicides. The intriguing narrative focuses on the individuals they encounter and their impact on Jun-woong.
5. Extraordinary You – Jio Cinema, Zee5
This romantic high school drama revolves around Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon), a high school student. One day, Dan-on learns that she and others around her are living in the fantasy world of a comic book. She is upset to learn that she is an extra character and engaged to her long-time crush, who hates her. Unhappy with the scripted life, she decides to rebel against the author of her comic. In the interim, she meets Student Number 13 (Rowoon), whom she fondly calls Ha-ru. While rebelling against the author, Dan-oh finds parallels with the author’s other book. She then realises that changing her fate might have irreversible consequences. Despite the drama primarily focussing on Hye-yoon, Rowoon steals the limelight with his performance as the nameless Student 13.
