While every K-pop fan out there is aware of the unparalleled popularity of Seohyun, the maknae of the girl group Girls’ Generation in the music industry, she is far more skilled than that! The idol-turned-actress has recently been a subject of a hot topic on the internet with the release of her debut Korean movie, ‘Love and Leashes,’ as a leading lady. She has come a long way from taking on cameo roles in several K-dramas and movies in her early acting career to establishing herself as an incredible idol actress.
It won’t be much of a surprise if the thirty-year-old actress becomes one of the most sought-after South Korean leading ladies in the entertainment industry in the coming years! If you have recently grown fond of her, you should check out the best of Seohyun’s K-dramas and movies. Here are our top six picks of the most popular and worth-watching acting performances of the actress. Without any further delay, let’s dive right into the discussion!
6. Private Lives (2020)
Director: Nam Gun
Screenwriter: Yoo Sung Yeol
Starring: Seo Hyun, Go Kyung Pyo, Kim Hyo Jin, Kim Young Min, Tae Won Seok, Park Sung Geun
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Where to Watch: Netflix
‘Private Lives’ is a romantic thriller drama that narrates the story of five scammers who discover a big secret of the nation. In order to disclose the secret, they need to get involved in a bigger plot and win against a large company with the help of their skills. While Lee Jung Hwan serves as the team head of a corporation, who is a mysterious guy with ordinary looks, Cha Joo Eun (Seo Hyun) is a sweet and innocent-looking swindler.
On the other hand, Jung Bok Ki is a professional scammer who, with her charismatic nature, gets hold of other swindlers with the help of her partner in crime, Kim Jae Wook. However, the story has a lot more depth to it than it seems! While the scammers believe that they are the main players of the game, in reality, they are just pawns controlled by people who are a lot more powerful than them.
5. So I Married an Anti-Fan (2016 Movie)
Screenwriter: Kim Eun Jung
Starring: Park Chan Yeol, Mabel Yuan, Jiang Chao, Seo Hyun, Zhao Zhi Wei, Yuan Yu Xuan
Runtime: 95 minutes
Where to Watch: Viki
Seo Hyun has been a part of the Chinese romantic comedy film ‘So I Married an Anti-Fan,’ in which she plays the character of a popular idol named Ai Lin. The story revolves around an Entertainment reporter named Fang Miao Miao, whose job is hunting big stories in the entertainment industry. She catches Hallyu superstar Hoo Joon meeting Ai Lin secretly and captures the meeting as a shred of evidence. However, before she can bring it to use, Hoo Joon manages to destroy the evidence. Moreover, his agency goes on to destroy her career as a reporter.
Outraged by the loss of her job, Miao Miao becomes an anti-fan with the sole purpose of taking Hoo Joon down with her. However, she ends up on a new reality show with him as a partner, the opportunity she has been looking for all this time to ruin him. As the two mortal enemies begin to spend more and more time with each other, they realize that their initial impressions of each other were far from right. There is also a Korean drama adaptation to this movie that was released in 2021, starring Girls’ Generation’s Soo Young and Choi Tae Joon.
4. Time (2018)
Screenwriter: Choi Ho Chul
Director: Jang Joon Ho
Starring: Kim Jung Hyun, Seo Hyun, Kim Joon Han, Hwang Seung Eon, Choi Jong-Hwan, Jeon Soo Kyung
Total Number of Episodes: 32
Where to Watch: Viki
‘Time’ is a mystery romance melodrama centering on two individuals who are polar apart from each other but end up coming together in a tragedy. While Seol Ji Hyun is an upbeat and cheerful woman despite her living a hard life, Cheon Soo Ho is the owner of a big restaurant as well as an heir to a wealthy family. However, he is popular for his short temper and his arrogant and disregarding behavior. However, an incident changes both of their lives. After knowing each other for a short time with negative impressions, Ji Hyun’s sister unexpectedly dies at his house, which turns Ji Hyun into a miserable and half-dead human for whom time has stopped.
On the other hand, the guilt of her death makes it harder for Soo Hoo to live, and he determines to spend the last six months of his life fixing the misery of Ji Hyun. In the process, he develops feelings for Ji Hyun, but he already knows that he is not supposed to fall in love with her when his life on earth is limited.
3. Love and Leashes (2022 Movie)
Director: Park Hyun Jin
Starring: Lee Jun Young, Seo Hyun, Lee Hyun Bae, Lee El, Kim Bo Ra, Lee Suk Hyeong
Runtime: 118 minutes
Where to Watch: Netflix
It would be definitely wrong to term this movie as the Korean version of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ since ‘Love and Leashes’ has a lot more emotional depth associated with the racy office romance! The story follows a cold, blunt but popular senior, Jung Ji Hoo, and a professional and bold Jung Ji Woo who work at the same company. Due to the similarity in their names, a package accidentally gets delivered to Jung Ji Woo instead of Ji Hoo. Upon opening the box, she finds a leash, and after a failed attempt to make her brush off the situation, Ji Hoo ends up revealing his secret of being a submissive male.
However, the fact that Ji Woo doesn’t judge or make fun of him as well as her dominant personality makes him fall for her. He requests her to treat him as her slave for three months, during which she can act as his master. Thus a contract BDSM relationship between our two leads begins! However, it’s only a matter of time before their feelings for each other deepen!
Also Read: Top 6 Lee Jun Young K-Dramas And Movies To Add To Your Watchlist!
2. Bad Thief, Good Thief (2017)
Screenwriter: Cha Yi Young, Son Young Mok
Director: Jang Joon Ho, Oh Kyung Hoon
Starring: Ji Hyun Woo, Seo Hyun, Kim Ji Hoon, Im Ju Eun, Ahn Kil Kang, Jung Kyung Soon
Total Number of Episodes: 50
Where to Watch: Viki
A crime thriller K-drama, ‘Bad Thief, Good Thief’ follows the story of thieves coming from various walks of life, from different backgrounds and situations. However, what they are today is just the result of growing up poor and struggling to meet ends. The harsh reality of society has forced them to adapt themselves to their current form. In reality, they are generous people who just want to improve their lives. However, in order to keep their children safe from the long-term effects of their past deeds, they decide to crush the powers of their enemies by committing one last heist in order to mete out justice.
The low rungs thieves begin a quest to burglarize the home of powerful people, thus marking an end to the real thieves of the society. Actress Seohyun is cast here in the role of a police-woman-turned-investigator named Kang So-Joo, who has been struggling to win against the abusive officials.
1. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
Screenwriter: Jo Yoon Young
Director: Kim Kyu Tae
Starring: Lee Joon Gi, IU, Kang Ha Neul, Hong Jong Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, Byun Baek Hyun
Total Number of Episodes: 20
Where to Stream: Prime Video, Viki, Viu
Branded as the most heartbreaking K-drama of all time, ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ stars Seohyun in a supporting role. She plays the character of the Last Princess of Hubaekje, Gisaeng Woo Hee. The plot revolves around a present-day girl who ends up time traveling to the start of the Goryeo Dynasty as a 16-year-old maiden named Hae Soo. Under the rule of King Taejo, Hae Soo lives with her cousin, Lady Hae Myung-hee, who is the wife of the Eighth Prince Wang Wook.
Initially, she develops affection for the warm-hearted and gentle Wang Wook, along with befriending a few of the other princes in the palace. However, when she encounters the Fourth Prince Wang So, who is known for his cold demeanor and derogatory label of ‘wolf-dog,’ she begins to understand the pain behind his mask. However, their story is fated with political scheming, bloodshed, and tears as Hae Soo unknowingly becomes a pawn in the fierce battle of the succession of power and sibling rivalry.
