Rowoon’s “Extra-ordinary” Path to Stardom

Fans of SF9 already knew all about Kim Seok-woo and his extra-ordinary talent. But it wasn’t until recently that television viewers took notice. Thanks to the popularity of the MBC series “Extra-ordinary You,” the idol — who goes by Rowoon — has become a bonafide leading man.

In the K-drama, the 6-foot-3 singer has his first starring role opposite Kim Hye-Yoon. She plays a high school student named Dan-oh, who comes to the realization that she’s living inside a parallel universe within a manhwa/만화 (comic book). Rowoon portrays a student who initially is referred to as No. 13. Why? Because he was drawn that way — as an extra, rather than a main character. But it’s not long before Dan-oh and No. 13 become the epicenter of “Extra-ordinary You” and his numerical name is replaced with Ha-roo.

You may be wondering why you haven’t seen him in dramas before. Chances are, you have, but you may not have remembered. So here’s a refresher course about the 23-year-old multi-talented artist.

2016

Industry rookie Rowoon and his group SF9 make their official debut with the single “Fanfare.”

2017

“School 2017“

Playing against type, Rowoon tackled the role of an unpopular character in this teen-oriented series. He played Hyun-il, a transfer student who was somewhat of a misfit. A member of the K-pop boy band Cherry on Top, his idol name was … Issue.

2018

2018 was a big year for Rowoon. He tackled a couple of high-profile K-dramas (“Where Stars Land,” “About Time”) and showed off his versatility on variety shows as well.

“Where Stars Land“

Rowoon played Eun-sub, the leading lady’s best friend. He said he was very thankful to work with Chae Soo-bin, because she was so kind and patient with him. He was nervous tackling this part, he said. Viewers loved their friendship and his acting, which won him a Best New Actor nomination at the 2018 SBS Drama Awards.

“The King of Mask Singer“

He had previously been on this reality singing competition as a judge and panelist. But he appeared on Episode 163 as a competitor. Because of his height, many of the panelists thought he was an actor who may have trained to become an idol. Whether he was hamming it up with cheesy dance steps to throw off the judges or singing a heartachingly beautiful rendition of Lee Juck’s 2013 ballad “Lie Lie Lie,” Rowoon was mesmerizing as the Owl. In the interview aired on the show, he said that though he had performed live with SF9 many times, this was his first time singing a song to an audience by himself. To calm his nerves, he took some herbal medicine prior to his performance. After he revealed himself to the audience, one of the judges compared his visuals to Park Bo-Gum. Rowoon got flustered at the compliment and denied that he was anywhere near the actor when it came to looks.

“Law of the Jungle“

On Episodes 305 to 309, Rowoon appeared as part of a crew of younger guests who did their best to survive in the “jungle” with the seasoned cast members. He was good natured and went with the flow, following the lead of the more seasoned comedians starring in this reality series.

2019

Rowoon whet fans appetite for his acting skills by starring in NC.A’s dramatic music video for “Awesome Breeze.” Looking like a matinee idol and emoting effortless cool, he was a natural.

“Extra-ordinary You“

As mentioned at the top of this article, Rowoon plays an anonymous character who rises from a background player to become the leading man. The cast is full of young stars, such as “SKY Castle” actress Kim Hye-yoon and “Memories of the Alhambra” actor Lee Jae-Wook.

Are you watching “Extra-ordinary You” yet? You can watch Rowoon in this K-drama as well as the others mentioned by subscribing to KOCOWA.

Be sure to follow @GoAwayWithJae, where I tweet about all things Korean.🇰🇷

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