Actor Oh Jung-se, Photo courtesy of|PrainTPC

He is visible everywhere. It is actor Oh Jung-se, famed for insane acting ability and presence. Switch it on, and it is ‘Oh Jung-se’, and anything that feels like a meme is all ‘Oh Jung-se’.

In the recently released film ‘Wild Thing’ (directed by Son Jae-gon), Oh Jung-se takes on the role of Choi Seong-gon, an ill-fated ballad singer who is a perpetual runner-up, setting out to have audiences in stitches. With a bob that covers both cheeks, bashful facial acting, and adorable choreography, he leaves a strong impression and is emerging as a new life-defining character for him.

Oh Jung-se in ‘Wild Thing’.

The in-film track ‘I Like You’ by Choi Seong-gon is also popular. It is being praised for a smooth tone and an addictive melody that lingers in the ear, and it ultimately even entered the Melon Hot 100 music chart.

The music video released on the back of enthusiastic online support is also drawing attention. In a perilla-leaf hairstyle and a white blouse, radiating a wistful gaze, the music video performance by Oh Jung-se has begun to circulate as new meme clips, and even the ‘I Like You’ challenge is surging in popularity. In particular, reactions continue that his lethal fingertip acting does not vanish from sight like a mirage. Thanks to this popularity, the ‘I Like You’ music video on YouTube surpassed 1.5 million views.

Oh Jung-se in MBC ‘Fifty Percent’.

On the small screen, he is transforming into yet another character. In MBC new Friday-Saturday drama ‘Fifty Percent’, he plays Bong Je-soon, a special operative of the North Korean Ministry of People Armed Forces, unfolding a tense story alongside Shin Ha-kyun, Heo Sung-tae, Kim Shin-rok, and others.

He leads ‘Fifty Percent’ with a persona 180 degrees different from ‘Wild Thing’. The ‘Bong Je-soon’ he portrays, befitting the label of the greatest human weapon born of the North, excels at Taekkyeon and undercover infiltration and is said to possess uncanny combat prowess, yet at present he has lost his memory and lives as a warm uncle alongside his nephew Heo Nam-il (Kim Seong-jeong). Traces of his past and hidden truths gradually revealing themselves before him are heightening the tension of the drama. In particular, in the recent episodes, as Jung Ho-myeong (Shin Ha-kyun), Bong Je-soon, and Kang Beom-ryong (Heo Sung-tae) begin to move toward a common enemy, the shift in their relationship gains momentum, raising expectations for a ‘three-man collaboration’.

Oh Jung-se as Park Kyung-se in JTBC ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’.

Oh Jung-se also proved his worth in the recently concluded general programming channel JTBC’s ‘Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness’. Playing the pathetic film director Park Kyung-se and, together with Gu Gyo-hwan as Hwang Dong-man, he delivered the fun of the drama by portraying the shabby sides and desires of human beings and the underbelly of the cutthroat film world. With grounded, lived-in acting, delicate facial work, and veteran-caliber command of dialogue, he upgraded ‘Park Kyung-se’ into a pathetic yet impossible-to-hate character, earning praise for enhancing the overall completeness of the work.

Attention is already gathering over how many more different faces Oh Jung-se will show as he leaves his stamp in a variety of places.