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You can only pick one: Yoo Yeon-seok drama

You can only pick one, and boy the pressure is on. The DB team will answer a new prompt in each post, and you’re invited to do the same in the comments. Ready to play?
 

You can only pick one Yoo Yeon-seok drama

 
quirkycase: If I’m picking one drama, it’s got to be Hospital Playlist. I love pretty much everything about this drama, which is surprising given that I’m not a huge medical drama fan. But the amazing chemistry between Yoo Yeon-seok and the rest of the quirkily lovable doctor quintet, the lovely slice-of-life ambiance, the heart, and the humor make this one a no-brainer for me. And Yoo Yeon-seok as a gentle, kind-hearted pediatrician doesn’t hurt – he has this way of taking sweet, dependable characters that could easily become bland and making them memorable. In a drama like Hospital Playlist filled to the brim with memorable characters, that’s quite a thing to pull off.

mistyisles: Mr. Sunshine, definitely — and not just because it’s one of only two Yoo Yeon-seok dramas I’ve finished. I have mixed feelings about the drama overall, but there was a lot about it that I absolutely loved, and he was amazing as the dark and tragic Dong-mae. That said, if we were to extend this question to include variety shows and not just dramas, my pick would be the delightfully wholesome Coffee Friends, which I think is where most of my love for him actually stems from.

DaebakGrits: I didn’t even have to think about this one because Yoo Yeon-seok is — and will forever be — Doctor Ahn Jung-won to me. I’ve never been one to blur the lines between actor and character before, but ever since Hospital Playlist, I’ve not been able to disassociate Yeon-seok from his role as the kind-hearted pediatric surgeon — so you can imagine how tough it was to wrap my brain around his actions in Narco-Saints. (I may have yelled, “No, Andrea! What are you doing?!” at my television a few times.) Funnily enough, though, my infatuation doesn’t stem from a fantasy of him being my “type” (re: last week’s ultimate love triangle post) because Doctor Ahn Jung-won is objectively very much not my type — despite all his charms. Instead, I simply appreciate how multi-faceted the character is and how well Yoo Yeon-seok balanced the mature with immature sides to the character’s personality. He has a high emotional intelligence, as demonstrated by how apt he is at reading people and understanding their feelings, but he’s also the most petty and pouty one of the 99 Crew. The combination of the two cracks me up, and I enjoyed watching his romance and mentorship of Gyu-wool unfold over the drama’s two seasons.

solstices: Definitely Hospital Playlist. It’s one of my favorite ensemble dramas — taking me entirely by surprise, since I rarely (if ever) watch medical dramas. Yet I love Hospital Playlist to bits! There’s something so simple yet so magical about the camaraderie of a solid friendship. Part heartwarming, part heart-wrenching, and wholly heartfelt, Hospital Playlist ran the gamut of emotions with its sensitive and compelling storytelling. Both seasons balanced a realistic depiction of adulthood with laugh-out-loud moments of childish hilarity, delivered with impeccable comic timing. And on top of it all, the band’s music is absolutely awesome!

Dramaddictally: Chilbongie! I love Yoo Yeon-seok in just about everything, with his ability to portray depth and naivete in equal measure, but Answer Me 1994 is good for so many reasons, it’s the clear win. My second favorite of the Answer Me series, this drama has all the things you’d expect: heart, hilarity, and heaps of nostalgia. But what would it be without our broken-hearted baseball player to make us swoon? He’s sweet, cute, talented, and famous, but he lets none of that go to his head — and in that context, humble is damn sexy. As the only Seoulite in the group, another thing I love about this character is how he tries to adopt Na-jung’s dialect and the two constantly tease each other about the correct word for things. He’s not doing it to make fun of her — he genuinely finds her way of speaking endearing — and I find him all the more endearing for it.

 
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Hospital Playlist 1 and 2.

When it comes to his doctoring, he wears his heart on his sleeve. He loved his patients so much that thier pain were his pain and thier healing, his healing. He is that doctor who you can predict how well his patients are doing based on his mood alone.

I liked his romance too, but his doctoring I like more. There's an aspect of Ahn Jung-won's romance that captivates me. He is very adept at loving at a distance. Make no mistake, it doesn't mean he loves the other less. He went all in worrying about the woman he likes while keeping a very good distance, I don't know if he was sure that it was love or care but it felt like he was a dependable human.

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Hospital Playlist, hands down.

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WHAAAT?! You can’t do this to me! I pick ALL! ALL!
Well, since my memory is shit, I’m gonna with The Interest Of Love, I know I haven’t finished it yet. But it’s got everything okay?
Especially his hot intense sport scenes!
But still why are you making me choose!!! 😭

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@Dramaddictally your description of Chilbongie is spot on! Now you’re making want to re-watch the series again!

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How can it be anything but ‘Mr Sunshine’? Goo Dongmae was my first KD male tragic protagonist or rather antagonist and I’ll love him warts and all for ever and a day.

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I dropped Mr. Sunshine because I didn’t like the age gap and I found the first episode boring (I probably wasn’t in the mood at the time I guess). But Yoo Yeon-seok being the brooding baddie you say…now I’m definitely intrigued!

I also like Kim Tae-ri so I should get to this soon

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@linarrick: Please go back to it! The age gap was off putting for sure. I am not a fan of Lee Byunghun but the rest of the main actors and a good number of the supporting ones were exceptional. And, as heart wrenching as it is, it has humour, a real political context and it is beautifully realised. My catnip.

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With your recommendation I’m definitely watching it!

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The romance was pretty innocent and didn't have a big place in the story.

They were 5 characters and the writer took time to developped the 3 who aren't the leads too.

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After the first two episodes, it will get better. Try it!

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Mr Sunshine! No hesitation for this one!

He was so charismatic, handsome, touching, menacing, wounded, smart, nice, funny in this role. Dong-Mae's story was so tragic 😥

Yoo Yeon-Seok had chemistry with every character in the show.

Otherwise, I really liked him in the movie Mood of the Day with Moon Chae-Won.

I will never forget the kiss scene in Dr Romantic 1 with Seo Hyun-Jin neither.

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I recently rewatched Mood of the Day and enjoyed it all over again. I even watched Warm and Cozy till the end just for him. He just shines in every role.

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It was a nice romance movie :)

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He was adorable in Warm and Cosy, and made it very easy for me to sit through the entire. Like javabeans or girlfriday said " one moment he's being a man-child, the next he's sizzling hot".

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Oh yeah, good one. This man can kiss! XD

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I feel like if I met the guy from Mood of the Day in real life I'd hate him as he's a total player-but I LOVE that movie. He somehow makes that playboy basketball player warm and kind and a marshmallow on the inside.
The scene where he's writing the final note in the turtleneck? Swoon.

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Dong Mae's complexity and rough edges carried me through Mr. Sunshine. And let's be honest, the hair didn't hurt. I'd love to see him in another sageuk.

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I liked how Moon Ga-Young said in an interview that he was looking sexy with a beard in Mr Sunshine :p

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@And, his beautiful costumes!

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He looked so good in half opened kimono :p

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I am afraid to say, I've only SEEN one... pfffffft... so...

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Noooooooo! I can’t decide betweeen Mr.Sunshine, Hosplay and Interest of Love.

But given the pain and hurt he made me feel in yesterday’s episode I will choose ‘Interest of Love’ .
He was just so darn brilliant in the last few episodes.

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Hospital Playlist, although he was really squishy in the Reply 1994. I have never seen Mr. Sunshine, but most of his roles that I have seen have been squishy. However, I special nod to Romantic Dr. Kim season 1. He was great in that too.

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That’s why my choice is Mr Sunshine. Dong Mae was so strong and fierce, I couldn’t believe it was him acting the part. The opposite of squishy.

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It is hard to choose only one since Yoo Yeon-Seok excels in whatever role he is in.

But I think I will go with Mr Sunshine since that character was really complex. At times I would sympathize with his back story, while at others I get mad at him. One scene I can't seem to forget is when he cut off the female lead's hair. His feelings for her were as complex as his character. Still his chemistry with all the other characters was felt spot-on.

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I loved Yoo Yeon-seok in Hospital Playlist ♥

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Great actor..love him to bits

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Amazing actor

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Best Performance: Dong-mae, hands down. I haven't seen "Narco Saints," but it sounds like his character in that one is less wholesome and likeable than many of his others, but Dong-mae stands out to me as his most complicated and interesting "dark" character and thus, performance. Part of why I liked but did not love that drama is precisely because I could not stop wanting the FL to end up with Dong-mae, even though I knew she never, ever would feel anything romantic for him. But that scene where he honors her parents in the church just killed me. YYS is amazing in this drama; he packs so much meaning and longing and intensity in a casual turnaround glance (of which there are many in his scenes) and shows incredible range. In fact, some of the best parts of his performance are the humorous bromance bonding scenes. And of course, him carrying the hotel owner on his back at the end--my heart broke into a million pieces with every step he took.

Best Character: This a tie between his characters in HP and Reply. I agree with quirkycase that he has a knack from playing what could be a boring, one-note, nice guy with so much depth that it's impossible not to love him. I have never seen him in a BTS, interview, or variety show (I make an effort not to go down these rabbit holes or I fear my whole life would be consumed with kdrama stuff, lol), but his performances in these types of roles are so believable that I cannot imagine that IRL he's not a decent, kind-hearted person.

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Whenever my hubby and I see him on screen, we still call him Goo Dong Mae. Even when I watched HP 1 and 2, I still refer to him as Dong Mae.

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@jingbee: I’m with you on this sister.

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I have to go with hospital playlist. I haven't seen all of his dramas but he was stand out in this one. Plus, I am a nurse so I like hospital settings.

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Mr. Sunshine! There is nothing like a tragic swordsman...

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Unless it's a tragic swordsman with a great jawline.

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Mr. Sunshine - Gu Dong Mae

I remember almost crying when I went inside his dojo in the Mr. Sunshine Studios in Nonsan. Huhu.

He was so cute in Answer Me and I am one of those who drowned in that ship. After the heartache, I never shipped any lead-second lead pairing.

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You can visit the set of Mr Sunshine?

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Yes. It is in Nonsan. The set they used is still there.

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@anj0920: I’m deeply envious!😊

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Goo Dong-mae in Mr. Sunshine. He was perfect!

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Definitely Mr. Sunshine for me, but then I haven't seen all of his dramas. He took what could have been an unlikeable character in less talented hands, and turned him in to a sympathetic one. You may not have always liked Goo Dong-mae's actions, but you always felt something for him, and in the end he'll break your heart. I think he's one of those few actors that you always believe, no matter what role he's playing.

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I'll be honest. I only finished Mr Sunshine for Kim Min Jung and, maybe I'm wrong because I can't remember much, but Chil Bong stayed in my memories as an annoying SL, sooooo Hospital Playlist or Romantic Doctor Kim. Probably HP.

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Oh guys you are being cruel at this point! How will I ever pick from one of his?! He is a phenomenal actor and I’m always peeved at k entertainment industry for taking sooooo long to give his proper leading man status and good roles. He is absolutely killing it in his latest drama - such a veteran method actor! If I do have to pick just one, which I don’t wanna do but will, it would be hospital playlist! And interest of love and chilbongie and Mr sunshine (I only watched this drama because of him! Only thing that made the lacklustre primary leads watchable).

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HOSPITAL PLAYLIST 1. YYS should not have appeared in 2 because he was supposed to be in Rome studying to become a priest and become Fr. Ahn. I know I am in a distinct minority here but I never bought into his romance arc.
Non drama out of competition—YYS’s COFFEE FRIENDS (2019) on tvN was a joy and my first reality show. Highly recommend if you can find it somewhere.

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Hope I can find Coffee Friends~~ Been wanting to watch variety again. And now I want more YYS. ;D

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I hope you can find CF. Teaser: you will also get to see how sweetly eccentric Yang Se-jong is in real life. I had no idea. After watching CF I am convinced that when YSJ acts he purposely suppresses that part of himself.

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Yang Se-jong is so wonderfully weird in Coffee Friends 🥰

I'd say he steals the show, but the title of Scene Stealer actually belongs to Jo Jae-yoon, who was not part of the original cast but by the end had made himself a part of it 😂

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Good to know, haha. I'm a fan of Yang Se Jong and I don't get enough of him so I'm doubly excited~ ^^

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You can find it on the kiss* tv site 🤫

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If I can reassure you, you're not alone about the romance in HP. It's why I didn't choose this drama with him. He always has great chemistry with his costars. But in HP, the couple was so bland, the female character was very bland too. So it's for me a crime that the PD couldn't make a better couple when he got YYS as an actor!

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Thanks @kurama. It is nice to know I am not the only one that feels that way and while I am at it I might as well confess that I didn’t buy into my favorite character Jun-wan (JKH)’s romance arc either.

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I always liked the JKH, JJS and YYS and found they had a great chemistry with their costars. But HP failed every romance for me. It was kinda frustrating with this casting to watch. But the rest was great.

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He looks so good and dark as Dong Mae. Curious about his role... Don't care for the whole drama though. XP

I liked him in Hospital Playlist, but oh wow, really liking him in The Interest of Love. Funny how I gradually grew fond of his character.

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I wasn’t invested in who got the girl in Reply and honestly thought Chilbongie was pretty bland but he did give me my favorite moment in the drama, let’s see if I can describe it. He and the FL are eating some pastries which he says he got at a new shop. She asks the name of the bakery and he says he’s not sure, it’s something about a dinosaur, like ‘tooslessjaurus’. Best PPL (Tous Les Jours) ever. 🦖

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I don’t even know. I never saw Reply 1994, so that’s out. But between the other two? It’s a coin toss. Sword to my neck, Dong Mae? Mr. Sunshine! Mr. Sunshine! All kidding aside, this brooding character takes it all eventually. Tragic and beautiful. Sweet and soulful. The range he shows is unparalleled.

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The way Dong Mae says "Nauri," like acid dripping from a silver spoon...

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I need to watch more of his performances because he's amazing in The Interest of Love. Watching his tender heart being stomped on again, and again is unbearable, and irresistible.

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I can't believe only two people have mentioned Romantic Doctor! I would pick The Interest of Love, since I'm whipped for that drama, but now I obviously need to pick Romantic Doctor. Some reasons:
-Before Hospital Playlist, Romantic Doctor was basically the only medical drama that everyone could agree was good
-Yoo Yeon-seok's character growth is phenomenal - the scene where we realise how determined he had been all this time to improve his doctoring, and how much he's absorbed, still sticks with me
-His chemistry with Seo Hyun-jin is excellent, and who doesn't love some good old fashioned pining? Yoo Yeon-seok thinking his Sunbae is the coolest person ever will never not be charming
-Honestly, Yoo Yeon-seok has chemistry with everyone in that drama - Han Suk-kyu, Yang Se-jong, you name it

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Also, I love how in most of this man's movies, he's insufferable 😂

The dude has range~

Anyone who watched A Werewolf Boy would agree that character deserved to be mauled to death.

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Yeah, he's good as villain like in Architecture 101 or jealous King in Royal Tailor.

But he was nice a song writer in Love, Lies or sport agent in Mood of the Day.

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Well....he was still a cheating scumbag in love, lies lol.

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And wasn't he pretty slimy in Mood of the Day? 😂

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Yeah, I still have hard time realising he was that effing character from A Werewolf Boy 😂

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He generally gives off a very gentlemanly vibe; but his movies personas say otherwise 😉😂

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That was my favorite YYS drama before Mr. Sunshine came along. It is my favorite medical drama.

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Same. Same.

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I can't believe I completely forgot about Romantic Doctor! It's true that I didn't love that drama (I found it very predictable and the main "Dr. Romantic" character a cliche) but I loved YYS's performance, too. As you said, he shows the character's growth so beautifully, and that first kiss scene is one of my favorite kiss shots to this day.

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Gosh maybe i need to watch RD..you have a way of making me want to watch things Frabby 😁 (but i still resisted Interest, it looks depressing)

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Gu Dong-mae! My favourite character ever. YYS's acting here was so amazing, his eyes and micro-expressions were so menacing but also had such a naked display of love and heartbreak.
He brought out the character's ferality, vulnerability, self-flagellation and pride so beautifully. For all his stunted growth, he knew the sacrifice love requires, and never thought about giving it his all.

Also Chilbongie's eyes! Oof as his heart broke, so did mine.

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Never thought twice*

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Super well said about Dong Mae, there is so much going on there 👍🏼

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I only remember him in Mr. Sunshine (didn't make much of an impression) and Reply 1994, which I never finished (saw some episodes on Samsung Plus airing this on the CJ Entertainment channel, which is good for movies but bad for drama viewing because the shows rarely air consecutively). Reply seemed like a heart-warming family drama, but I didn't find it to be particularly compelling, but this may be partially because I didn't ever see from first to last episode.

Where he really shines is the movie, The Royal Tailor. It's a period drama, possibly Joseon Dynasty, I don't remember, but the cast is full of stars, and YYS gives a brilliant performance. The film narrative itself is nearly perfect, the character development is a film connoisseur's dream, and it may have even been a loosely based historical drama. I can't recommend this one enough for YYS fans.

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You're so right. I forgot to consider his movie roles. Another role I enjoyed him in is Steel Summit 2. He played a Kim Jong-un like character, and he did it really well.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I rarely watch movies these days, but may check this one out given my appreciation for farcical portrayals of ridiculous figures.

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You forgot to include Dr. Romantic(1st season), Warm and Cozy and currently The Interest of Love. I like him most in Dr. Romantic then Warm and Cozy. But his best acting was in Mr. Sunshine.

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The people have spoken; Hospital Playlist is The One.

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I have only watched him in Hospital Playlist 1 (which I finished two days ago) and Hospital Playlist 2 (which I started yesterday). So I can only pick these dramas.
By the way, he is my favorite character in the series, along with Ik-Jun (Jo Jong Suk). He is so nice and charming (and catholic as me XD).

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Exceptional on Mr Sunshine!!!!

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Ahn Jung Won! Ahn Jung Won!! Ahn Jung Won!!!

What's not to love? As anyone who had read my comments can tell, I'm enamored with Hospital Playlist 🥺

Ahn Jung Won is loyal, petty, humble, simple, diligent, endearing... I mean he cried more than the patient's mum in Ep 1! What was I supposed to do but fall in love? 🥲

My Diligent Garden all the Way!!!

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Reply 1994 - he just came out of the shower and answered the phone. Nuff said!

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Okay, Hospital Playlist. Thank you.

Next 😂😂😂

Don't mind me, but it's definitely Ahn Jung Won for me, although he's basically a candidate for sainthood.

The runners up for me were Dong Mae in Mr. Sunshine and Kang Dong Joo in Dr. Romantic. I loved his dynamic with Lee Byung Hun and Byung Yohan in Mr. Sunshine mostly and I love how he convinced me that he was a skilled surgeon worth his arrogance in Dr. Romantic

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Gu Family book......ha!!!

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Warm and Cozy

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