The New Kid: Ji Soo, Actor

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Perhaps there can be no better distraction from one's schoolbooks than when an unfamiliar face of a bona fide heartbreaker walks in. He's new, he's a looker, and he's mysterious. And he's got our attention. Such is the case with Ji Soo. You think it's gonna be another regular, blase week watching your usual K-dramas - but then this kid just blindsides you. And then a certain guttural, low register cuts through the air - just where the heck did Ji Soo come from? Why We Noticed Him Ji Soo (full name: Kim Ji Soo) plays Go Bok Dong, a bully on MBC's currently airing drama, "Angry Mom," in which a mother takes matters into her own hands in order to protect her daughter.

There are tons of factors that go into creating a successful show: from the writing, direction, and production personalities, to the casting, on-set chemistry, and marketing. Everything contributes to the massive collaboration involved in making a hit.

But there's a special kind of magic when a drama ends up showcasing an actor in the right way. 

As Go Bok Dong, Ji Soo went from a textbook brute to a victimized one, a threatening kid who knows too much to a normal teen who fumbles over his feelings and awkwardly crushes on a classmate. (Even undercover ahjummas.) And though you could pass him off as some brand of a darkly ruminating Jordan Catalano, when we see his character's entrapment and vulnerability, he holds his own and carries the intensity where it matters. He has an onscreen magnitude that sometimes belies his youth.

The fact that it's his drama debut just makes you wonder how in the world no one gave him his big break any sooner. The 22 year old shares the screen with acting vets like Kim Hee Won, Kim Hee Sun, and Kim Yoo Jung.

In short, "Angry Mom" just plucked him from obscurity and put him on the map.

Where He's Been

The young actor starred in independent feature "Seoul Mates" and had a small role in "Han Gong Ju." (Though his small screen credits include 2012's "To The Beautiful You" and the short-lived "Love Frequency 37.2," "Angry Mom" is Ji Soo's first major role in a K-drama.) He's worked on a few short films, has a solid theater background, and once auditioned for the famed JYP Entertainment family.

Where To Catch Him Next He's already done some modeling, and is reportedly considering feature film "Glory Days" for his next project. "Angry Mom" hasn't even wrapped and Ji Soo's bright star already has the industry buzzing. I'm looking forward to his future roles - may they be varied and as pleasantly unexpected as the first time we saw him. There's a new kid in school, haven't you heard? You can start watching Ji Soo in "Angry Mom" below (appears at around the 7min mark):

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[Guest rayainfiniteh]

omg Daebak Heol! it's Ji soo, after I watch him in angry mom, I was out for some other drama that he is in and now I'm currently watching sassy go go

[Guest Beazel74]

ji soo-oppa is so cool:3