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Welcome back from that distant and high place.

The most famous Korean actor in the world, the star among stars, Lee Jung-jae is returning. He throws off the blood-stained crown and tracksuit, and replaces his lost gaze with a deep one. In a way that is completely different from how the world remembers him.

Lee Jung-jae, who won an Emmy Award with the 'Squid Game' series, has chosen a domestic melodrama for his next project after more than 20 years. Leaving behind countless Hollywood love calls, he is expected to capture the hearts of women as an 'ordinary man in love', not in action, crime, or superhero genres.

In a recent press interview for 'Squid Game' Season 3, he expressed his excitement and worries about the new challenge, saying, "Acting that reveals emotions is the most frightening and delicate work." The same goes for the viewers.

Looking at Lee Jung-jae's filmography, there is a clear trend. The more colorful and unrealistic the character, the more he shone.

From the cold Prince Suyang in 'The Face Reader', to Yeomra in 'Along with the Gods', the cold agent in 'Hunt', and Gi-hun in 'Squid Game' (who actually won twice). Through this character, which started as an everyday person and ended as a fantastical figure, he depicted warm humanity, despair, helplessness, and the collapse and recovery of humanity. Especially in 'Season 1', which was the starting point, he even won the Emmy Award for Best Actor.

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Like the work, his performance shone brightly in 'Season 1'. The everyday acting he presented for the first time was a fresh shock. The relatable and friendly aura was also appealing.

However, paradoxically, that Gi-hun became increasingly unfamiliar in Seasons 2 and 3. Although he was still Gi-hun, consumed by pain and despair, he underwent dramatic changes that made him overly exaggerated and flat. There were narrative limitations, and his rival Lee Byung-hun's depth was far ahead, and the actor's unique tone sometimes created discord.

That Gi-hun, the person I remembered, made me wonder if that shocking Lee Jung-jae was indeed the same person. This led to the opposite of the honor of winning awards, resulting in the 'acting controversy' of disgrace.

In fact, apart from the early Gi-hun, he had been quite far from everyday characters. Most of his recent works on screen required charisma or fantasy instead of realism, and he was an actor who perfectly matched those genre demands.

Perhaps that's why I am both curious and worried about this melodrama. Of course, I want to applaud him just for that choice.

Fortunately, it seems that Lee Jung-jae is well aware of this. He stated, "I can't live comparing successful works with unsuccessful ones. I am only satisfied with what I am doing now and thinking about how to make this a little more complete," and emphasized, "'Squid Game' is really over, so now is the time to focus on the new work I am doing."

Will his portrayal of 'real love' and long-awaited 'melodrama return' meet the heightened expectations of the public? With his past weapons laid down and Gi-hun's deep shadow also removed, can he naturally walk into the viewers' hearts as just a man in love? Expectations are building.

The challenging work is 'Annoying Love'. It is a love story between detective expert actor Lim Hyun-jun (Lee Jung-jae), who wants to become a melodrama master, and reporter Wi Jeong-sook (Lim Ji-yeon), who experiences a certain incident in the political department and is transferred to the entertainment department. It will be broadcast on tvN in the second half of the year.

P.S Are you leaving only harsh reviews behind? Annoying person~♥

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