Luffy

Then ask them to join a company with the kind of backing and resources MAA has.

Also, I forgot to mention this earlier in my main commnet: luck is a huge factor in this industry. Anyone with basic common sense can see that GYJ has been incredibly fortunate with the projects she's landed as most of them ended becoming successful. And that's not an insult—it's just reality.

Luck is a major part of this industry. No matter how talented or hardworking you are, if luck doesn't go your way, your craft alone often isn't enough. So yes, I absolutely think she's benefited from exceptional luck, and there's nothing wrong with acknowledging that. It doesn't take away from the work she's put in; it simply recognizes that timing, opportunities, strong management, and the right backing all play a massive role in building a career.

I genuinely hope your other fav actors/actresses get the same kind of opportunities, backing, and luck that she's had, because those things can make an enormous difference in how a career unfolds.

Now, kindly don't reply impulsively. Take the time to read what I've actually written, calmly and carefully, because that's the only way this conversation won't spiral into a discussion about points I never made.

This is exactly the kind of fan exaggeration I was talking about.

Nowhere did I question her craft or say she isn't hardworking. You're arguing against points I never made. My comment was about calling her a **huge star**, which she currently isn't.

Everything you mentioned—her intelligence, script choices, being a cinephile, her interviews, and her potential to become critically acclaimed—has nothing to do with whether she's already a huge star.

Let's be real: if *Moving* didn't have those massive names attached to it, far fewer people would've tuned in. The same goes for most of her projects. They've consistently had major writers, prestigious production houses, established actors, or popular source material backing them. They were never projects sold primarily on her name alone.

And your rom-com argument doesn't make much sense either. You make it sound as if becoming popular through rom-coms somehow makes an actor less deserving, while avoiding them makes someone more serious about their craft. That's simply not true. Plenty of highly respected and mainstream actors and actresses became famous through romance, while many others broke out through thrillers, historical dramas, slice-of-life dramas, action, or films. There's no "superior" path.

Besides, GYJ herself hasn't avoided romance. *Alchemy of Souls* has romance as one of its central elements, and *Can This Love Be Translated?*s a romantic comedy(Atleast first half was cuz the second half was just nonsensical tragedy to watch). So saying she didn't take that route isn't entirely accurate. More importantly, the genre is irrelevant to my argument. My point has always been about who carries a project.

There are actresses around her age, and even some with longer careers simply because they debuted earlier and spent years in supporting roles, who have already proven they can carry dramas and even films on their own. Simply having more years in the industry doesn't mean they've had more lead opportunities. Some spent years doing supporting roles before finally getting a chance as leads, yet they still managed to headline and carry projects primarily on their own name, without relying on an A-list cast, a famous writer, or a massive existing IP. That's the difference I'm talking about.

So let's call her a huge star when she actually headlines and carries a project that's marketed and sold primarily on **her** name, without the cushion of an A-list cast, top writers, prestigious production houses, or a massive existing IP. That's what I mean by a true star.

She may very well get there in the future. But saying she's already there is exactly the exaggeration I was talking about.

The argument was always simple: **she isn't a huge star yet.** I have no problem acknowledging that she's popular because she absolutely is. But everything else you brought up was never the point. You argued against things I never said instead of addressing the actual claim.

He is the only one who's both a huge star and critically acclaimed. She, on the other hand, is just a popular actor, like many other visual-focused actors and actresses in Korea. There are plenty of people with a similar level of popularity.

As for the role, I believe there are nine warriors in that movie, so they're all part of the main cast—not just her. She's not carrying the film; she's simply one member of an ensemble cast riding on the coattails of Lee Byung-hun. (Just like she always had with all of her dramas whether it's actors or production house or writers)

So praise her for what she should be praised for—her popularity. Though in today's landscape, becoming popular is easier than ever. But popularity and having the ability to command an entire movie solely on your own shoulders are two completely different things. There are actresses around her age already carrying films/dramas on their own. Her a huge star? These days, fans have crossed every line of delusion.

Genuine question: when Disney+ and Hulu say it's the "No. 1 Korean title premiere of all time," what exactly is that based on?

1. "No. 1" by what metric—viewing hours, views, unique accounts, completion rate, or something else?
2. Over what tracking period was this measured?
3. Compared to which Korean titles exactly?
4. By how much did it surpass the previous record holder?

I'm not questioning the claim itself—I'm just curious about the data and methodology behind it, since I couldn't find any actual figures or explanation in the Instagram post. Without that context, it's difficult to understand the scale of the achievement rather than simply taking a marketing statement at face value.

I wasn't saying the dramas are the same. That's why I wrote "feels a lot like" instead of "is similar to." I was referring to the initial setup—a haunted palace and a royal court being at the centre of the story—which immediately reminded me of The Haunted Palace.

Whether the tone ends up being darker, scarier, or more action-heavy is a different matter. Two dramas can share a similar premise and still be very different in execution. With how many dramas are being produced these days, some overlap in concepts is inevitable.

What I'm most interested in is the execution, and given the budget and Netflix backing, I'm expecting it to be done really well. It was simply an observation about the premise, not a claim that the two dramas are the same.

This drama feels a lot like "The Haunted Palace", but with a bigger budget and better CGI/VFX, along with the massive marketing push that Netflix will provide.

Guessing characters and discussing possible dynamics is completely fine, but labeling actors as “main lead,” “second lead,” or “supporting” isn’t really necessary in an ensemble cast. Guessing can be done without all that fuss.

People really need to stop arguing about “first bill,” “main lead,” “supporting role,” etc. This is officially an ensemble cast, which means the story is built around multiple important characters, not one central lead.

Anyone who knows *Namiya General Store* knows it consists of interconnected stories and different character arcs. Not every actor will even be shooting together all the time because filming depends on which storyline is being shot.

Billing, salary, and screen time are also different things. They depend on agency negotiations, experience, brand value, and number of shooting days — not on who is “more important.”

In an ensemble cast, every actor matters to the story. That’s literally the whole point of an ensemble project.

It’s an ensemble cast — there’s no strict “main” or “secondary” role here. Every character and every actor contributes to the core story, so each role carries importance in the narrative.

As for this site, MyDramaList often uses tags and speculative listings, so it’s not always reliable for character information. Until the drama is officially released, nobody really knows exactly who’s playing whom or how the story is going to be laid out. But one thing that does seem clear is that this project is being structured as an ensemble cast.

Love the “Wonderfool trio: Chaeni–Robin–GyeongUn.” All three of them are such good actors. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Eunbin in her chaotic, free-spirited era like in *Hello, My Twenties!*. Overall, *The WONDERfools* is such a fun drama. 🫶

Since the drama is adapted from a manhwa, the over-the-top and cartoonish style is completely intentional — that’s part of its charm. And that’s exactly why skilled actors and good direction mattered here.

Usually, adaptations like this fall into bad caricature-like overacting, but this cast balances exaggerated expressions with restraint, so nothing feels cringe or awkward on screen. Every actor fits their character naturally, and the importance of strong acting and direction is really evident here.

Please Korea, we need such actors on screen. Focus on casting actors for their skills and passion for acting, not just face value and popularity. Strong performances make dramas far more immersive and memorable.

Yes, “big star” is a huge title, which is exactly why I pointed it out. Terms like famous star, well-known actor, or popular actor fit much better here. Being trendy and being an established top star are two different things.

And I never wrote that to offend you or anything, so I hope you did not mind it either. I was simply pointing out the difference between a genuinely established star and a currently popular actor.
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No drama was marketed and overhyped the way *Perfect Crown* was, which is why the final outcome felt so underwhelming to many people. With the massive budget, nonstop media push, and extreme hype surrounding the project, people expected record-breaking impact, yet it could not even achieve the highest peak ratings among dramas aired this year.

As for the “big star” remark — IU is the only actual big star here, not BWS. Popularity and star status are not the same thing. BWS is currently a very popular actor, just like several other trending actors in the industry right now, but a true star is someone with a long-standing successful career, industry influence, public recognition across generations, and years of proven relevance. That is why BWS is more of a rising star than an established top star at this stage.

And this is not meant to offend anyone. It is simply pointing out the clear difference between a genuinely established star and a currently popular actor.

On another note, Asian drama audiences seriously need to stop obsessing over “male lead,” “second male lead,” and all these labels. A well-written and impactful character is far more valuable than shallow lead roles that only box actors into repetitive images. An actor of Heo Nam-jun’s caliber should focus on strong characters, because impact matters more than titles.

There’s also something called an ensemble cast, which many asian audiences seem to ignore, where every actor and every character matters equally to the story in their own way, regardless of who holds the “main lead” title.

In Western industries, actors often choose projects based on the depth and weight of the character rather than whether they hold the “main lead” title, no matter how big of an actor they are. If the material is good and the character is compelling enough, they take the role — because true actors value the art and the impact of the character far more than titles.

The character he is playing is one of the most intriguing and important characters in the manhwa from which the drama is being adapted. Song Haesu is an extremely complex and one of the most beautifully written characters in the original story — the kind of role that truly demands refined acting skills and becomes a dream opportunity for any actor. Because of that, this project could become a very valuable addition to Heo Nam-jun’s filmography.

I just hope the drama writers preserve the essence of his character and do not drastically alter his story or personality from the manhwa. If they stay faithful to the original portrayal, then mark my words — Heo Nam-jun will completely steal the spotlight, because that character carries an incredible amount of emotional weight and one of the most heart-wrenching arcs in the story (Just recalling it made me emotional again… my boy Haesu 😭).

No actor or actress in Korea currently matches the level of fame and public recognition that IU has built over the years, not even many of the industry’s most credible and respected names. Also, currently, in terms of popularity, BWS is pretty huge as well.

So considering all of this, along with the massive budget and extreme hype surrounding the project, that average 11% rating feels way too underwhelming. A drama with a reported budget of around 30 billion won for only 12 episodes, along with this level of promotion, is generally expected to average above 15% nationwide and peak beyond 20% to truly be called a massive hit. I mean, just look at Queen of Tears, which also had a massive budget but completely justified that spending by breaking rating records in Korea and becoming a full cultural phenomenon.

If the same ratings that PC received had come from a smaller, less-hyped drama with a modest budget, they would have been viewed as extraordinary, eg. -The Judge Returns, Undercover Miss Hong. But with this much money, marketing, media attention, and public anticipation attached to it, both the ratings and the overall reception feel far more underwhelming than expected.

So yeah, maybe rooster luck.

P.S.- Take this with a pinch of salt, but there’s also a hypothesis going around in Korea that the ratings for PC may have been manipulated.

So true

Those ratings only came because of IU’s 20 years of fame, her household-name status, and the immense public goodwill she holds in South Korea. Though, if you look closely, those ratings were still quite underwhelming for a drama with such a massive budget and extreme hype. Many dramas with far smaller budgets and far less promotion have performed better than PC.

So true. I watched him in *Sweet Home* and *Your Honor* too, and really liked him in both, especially the latter. But here, he is basically screaming to the world, “Watch me, I am an actor-ACTOR, Heo Nam Jun.”

He is not just relying on his looks — he has genuinely put so much effort into playing Se Gye and Yi Hyeon, and all of that effort is clearly showing on screen. Both characters have completely different presences and auras; you genuinely cannot confuse them even though they share the same face, and that is entirely because of his skills. Every micro-expression, dialogue delivery, eye movement, attitude, and body language shifts so naturally between the two characters, showcasing how refined and well-executed his performance is. He has worked on every single aspect of Se Gye and Yi Hyeon beautifully.

It’s been a while since we have gotten such a skilled and well-crafted male actor with both talent and good looks in K-drama land. What a fantastic performance. I really hope he keeps rising because, craft-wise, he already has what it takes to reach the top. Wishing him all the love, luck, and success.