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K-drama and K-Pop fans are in for a tough year as many well-known actors and idols enlist to fulfill their military service. Actor Lee Joo-hyuk announced in January that he had set his enlistment date for late March. The day had come as the actor would be away from the spotlight and the small-screen for roughly two years. Thankfully, K-drama fans have a few Nam Joo-hyuk characters to keep them company while he is in the military.

‘The Bride of Habaek’ is Nam Joo-hyuk’s most popular fantasy K-drama romance roles

In 2017, Nam starred as the male lead, alongside actor Shin Se-kyung as his female co-star. The Bride of Habaek is a fantasy staple for many fans that takes care of all the well-known tropes of the genre. Ha-baek (Nam) is the God of Water and seeks to regain powers to take over the Divine Realm.

The only way to do it is by traveling to the human world to retrieve a set of stones. But as a god among humans, he needs some help and turns to neuropsychiatrist So-ah (Shin). Her family has served Ha-baek for generations, but she was completely unaware. She initially believes he is off his rocker.

Along the way, she meets more gods and realizes a fantasy world coexists with hers. She decides to help Ha-beak in his journey. Like most fantasy K-dramas, a love story begins. The Bride of Habaek is well known for its steamy kiss scenes and Nams’s swoon-worthy scenes.

The Bride of Habaek is available on Viki and Netflix.

‘The Light in Your Eyes’ K-drama portrayed the hardships of everyday people

Nam Joo-hyuk played a main role in the JTBC fantasy K-drama, The Light in Your Eyes. The storyline for the drama is heartwarming, emotional, and overall a perfect watch. Kim Hye-ja (Han Ji-min) dreamed of being an announcer, but life had other plans when her father got into an accident. The twist to the K-drama? Hye-ja has a special watch she found as a child that turns back time.

Like all time travel, there is a consequence. Every time she uses the watch, she will age. The Light in Your Eyes also focuses on the relationship between Hye-ja and Lee Joon-ha (Nam). He has become frustrated with his family’s dilemmas and becomes a scammer at the elderly center. In a unique storyline, Hye-ja and Joon-ha remeet but under different circumstances. Hye-ja has become old after manipulating time.

The Light in Your Eyes is available on Netflix and Viki.

‘Start-Up’ K-drama is the Korean version of Silicon Valley

The 2020 K-drama, Start-Up has part of the storyline in the title alone. Start-Up is one of Nam Joo-hyuk’s well-recognized roles alongside idol and actor Bae Suzy. The story takes place in Korea’s fictional Silicon Valley called Sandbox. Fans watch a story of self-discovery, careers, mistaken identity, and true love.

Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) does not come from a privileged background but has strong ambitions to succeed in IT as the next Steve Jobs. She gets the opportunity of a lifetime at Sandbox. Meanwhile, fans meet Nam Do-san (Nam), a former child genius who is now down on his luck as his company is failing. Their story begins due to a case of mistaken identity.

Dal-mi mistakes Do-san for her childhood pen pal, who she secretly loved. Hometowne Cha-Cha-Cha star Kim Seon-ho played Han Ji-pyeong, an IT millionaire. In reality, he is her past love but used Do-san’s name in the letters at her grandmother’s request. Ji-peong has the real Do-san keep up the lie, but it becomes problematic when both male characters fall in love with her.

Start-Up is available on Netflix.

‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ is the perfect Nam Joo-hyuk K-drama to rewatch over and over again

In his K-drama career, fans can agree that Nam Joo-hyuk gained immense success starring in Twenty-Five Twenty-One. The coming-of-age 2022 K-drama had fans in tears with sorrow and happiness as two character experience life. Nam played the lead role of Baek Yi-jin, a chaebol heir whose family suffered from the IMF crisis.

Choosing to go out and work to help his family, he meets fencing product Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri). Due to the IMF crisis, she finds a way to join the fencing team of her idol. Both characters meet and embark on a journey of young love, hardships, and life.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One became one of the year’s most talked-about dramas for good and bad reasons. Many were less than enthused by the K-drama’s age gap but came to respect its realistic representation of young love into adulthood. Fans praised the K-drama’s mystery of who is the father of Hee-do’s daughter in present-day. Twenty-Five Twenty-One was one of Nam’s most emotionally profound roles to date.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is available on Netflix.

‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’ is a classic for die-hard and newbie fans to watch

Nam Jo-hyuk started his small-screen career in 2014. He gained fame from Cheese in the Trap and as a prince in the historical K-drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. While Nam fulfills his military enlistment, fans will want to watch some of his earliest K-dramas. Fans can agree that a guilty pleasure K-drama from Nam’s career is Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo. It is a classic for many fans and a stress-free rom-com K-drama.

Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-Kyung) is a powerlifter at a sports-centered college with dreams of becoming a pro athlete. She knows she is not a girly girl and can eat as much beer and chicken as the next person. But she changes her mindset when she develops a crush on Jung Jae-yi (Lee Jae-yoon).

He just so happens to be the older brother of Jung Joon-Hyung (Nam), her frenemy. Joon-hyun initially teases her about her crush but decides to help her woo his brother. In true K-drama fashion, he begins to develop feelings for her. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo gained attention for its fun young love story and Nam and Lee dating in real life while filming the sports K-drama.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo is available on Viki.

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