Singer and actor Lee Jun-Young is turning heads with his cameo role the Netflix mystery-thriller Mask Girl. Fans are used to watching the U-KISS member act in ‘good guy’ roles. Because of that, his performance as fallen idol and abusive boyfriend Choi Bu-Yeoung left an impact.
Lee Jun-Young joins the ensemble cast of the K-drama, which focuses on the three lives of lead character Kim Mo-Mi. Actresses Go Hyun-Jung, Nana, and rookie Lee Han-Byeol play the role. Mask Girl depicts Mo-Mi’s rise and fall, going from office worker to cam girl to convicted felon.
Choi Bu-Yeong is introduced as a K-pop idol trainee at the start of the episode. His idol career is derailed by his classmate Kim Chun-Ae, after he played with her feelings and stole her money. The two meet years later, and eventually move in together. He proves to be a deadbeat boyfriend, and lives off her earnings as a showgirl. Eventually he becomes abusive, and meets his end at the hands of Chun-Ae and Mo-Mi.
READ | Mystery-thriller Mask Girl set to debut on Netflix
Lee Jun-Young’s dual nature
Despite his character having a relatively small role in the story, viewers were amazed by Lee Jun-Young’s acting range. He had to portray Bu-Yeong during various stages of his life, and showcase a range of expressions. Fans praised his ability to truly immerse himself in such a reprehensible role.
Video clips of Lee Jun-Young’s scenes in Mask Girl quickly went viral online, showing how much his character changed from start to finish.
Fans even compared his Mask Girl role to other ‘nice guys’ he has played in the past. One of these was his iconic role in the Netflix K-drama Love & Leashes, opposite GIRLS’ GENERATION’s Seohyun.
The online buzz over his performance even reached the actor himself. Lee Jun-Young went on IG Live to thank fans for their support. He also left no doubt about his own opinion of the character.
Following Mask Girl, the actor has his plate full with upcoming projects. He will next be working on K-dramas Royal Loader and You Have Done Well, and films Brave Citizen and The Wilderness. We can’t wait to see what he does next!