[SINGAPORE] Byeon Woo Seok Talks about Overcoming his Fear of Cameras and More at Press Conference

There’s nothing more endearing than a man showing up with an armful of flowers on a Sunday afternoon, especially when that man is Ryu Sun Jae of Lovely Runner.

The actor behind Sun Jae, Byeon Woo Seok, personally presented flowers to each member of the Singapore media present at his press conference, ahead of his Summer Letter fanmeeting later that evening. Dressed in an oversized black suit, he made sure to hold eye contact as he coyly handed out the bouquets, which consisted of a sunshine yellow rose, a sprinkle of baby’s breath, and a message on a sticker: “Thank you for loving Sun Jae”.

The explosive popularity his breakthrough project, rom-com drama Lovely Runner, has received took the South Korean actor of the hour on a sold-out fanmeeting tour across Taipei, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, Singapore, and back to Seoul in July.

Byeon Woo Seok is a surprisingly soft-spoken man, his voice often trailing off as he spoke, but not even this could conceal the actor’s excitement at his newfound fame. When asked which part of Singapore he was looking forward to visiting, he shared that he wanted to run straight to the fanmeeting venue: “I don’t want to waste a single minute of my time with fans!”

Byeon Woo Seok does not want to limit himself to any specific genre. He is honoured, albeit nervous, about being nicknamed the ‘rom-com genius’, and the title keeps him on his toes to do his best in acting. To get into character, the actor pays close attention to his acting partner’s role and attunes himself to their character’s feelings. But sometimes he gets too immersed into character: “I remember calling the scriptwriter of Lovely Runner to discuss why I was feeling so sad despite it being a happy ending.”

Surprisingly, he did not face many challenges due to the height difference between him and his Lovely Runner leading lady, Kim Hye Yoon, who is a whopping 30 cm shorter than him, though he recalled being as tall as the doors on set and suffering from the low ceilings of the old buildings they were filming in.

On a more personal note, the actor shared that one of his most memorable works was his 2022 film 20th Century Girl, as the film helped him overcome his fear of cameras and other personal challenges. “It was the project that allowed me to fully immerse myself in my role.” 

Like many other visiting Korean celebrities, chili crab and chicken rice topped Byeon Woo Seok’s must-try list in Singapore, but unlike most other Korean celebrities, he has a friend living in Singapore who drew up a list of over ten local dishes for him to try. Despite the actor’s lanky frame, he retains a child-like wonder, musing about the sheer size of watermelons he came across in Taipei — he had started a livestream that day just to show fans how big they were. “I’ve never seen watermelons of this size in Korea!”

The actor enjoys experiencing different cultures, and one of his favourite parts of touring is observing the various ways people across the world express themselves. Two things he cannot live without while experiencing the world, though, are his allergy medicine and Theraflu. “I make myself a Theraflu each time I feel a cold coming,” he shared sheepishly. We might just have to get a box ourselves!

It’s easy to let sudden and immense popularity get to your head, but Byeon Woo Seok remains incredibly humble about his success. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to travel and meet fans overseas, and is thankful towards fans for sticking with him through thick and thin. “My fans are a gift to me. I went through a lot of hardships throughout my career, but they stayed with me through it all and became a great source of strength to me, which I poured into my acting.”

We would like to thank Three Angles Production for having us!

Written by: Gloria
Photos by: Three Angles Production

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