Ritika Jain, New Delhi

When my K-Drama journey began, I watched a lot of them, not because of any particular actor/actress in it, but simply because of the plot and positive reviews garnered by it. The very first actor that made me watch not one, but many of his dramas, solely because he was the lead in them, was Ji Sung. Ji Sung’s career began way back around 1999- early 2000s, and he has only built on further, delivering remarkable and memorable performances, since then.

Here, I am recommending 7 of my favourite dramas of his, most of the recent times, which justifies that he, indeed is a master of all genres:

Genre: Romantic, comedy

Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)

Specific theme: Psychological disorder

If you follow k-dramas, you must have come across a legendary scene of a man, dressed up as a girl, saying ‘OPPAAAA’ to Park Seo-joon. Well, that is an iconic scene from ‘Kill me, heal me’. This drama alone showcases the incredible versatile acting skills of Ji Sung, as he plays the role of a man, suffering from multiple personality disorder, and thus keeps on fluctuating taking on different characters. This is indeed a fun watch and watches, leaving you with memorable moments to cherish even after the drama is over.

Protect the Boss (2011)

Specific theme: Business

This is one of the earlier dramas of Ji Sung, but certainly one of the most entertaining. Herein, Ji Sung plays the role of a spoiled chaebol, who straightens up, after crossing paths with a woman, who becomes her secretary later on. This is a light-hearted watch and will leave you in splits after every few scenes.

Entertainer (2016)

Specific theme: Music, Business

Here, we see Ji Sung, playing a confident character, who formerly worked as a manager at a top agency for idols, and at present, has hit rock bottom, after an accident. The story is about him, starting all over again, without any support, bringing together rookies and forming a band of his own, which surely isn’t easy. If you are a music lover, be ready to add some new songs to your playlist, especially, ‘I see you’ by Kang Min-hyuk, which remains to be one of my favourites.

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Innocent Defendant (2017)

Specific theme: Mystery, Law

This drama follows a rather complex, and dark storyline, where Ji Sung, who worked as a prosecutor, wakes up in the prison and is informed that he is on trial for the murder of his wife and daughter. He realises that he suffers from temporary amnesia, and the whole drama is about him, trying to put together pieces of the puzzle, to prove his innocence and find out the truth about the night of the incident. The antagonist’s character, played by Uhm Ki-joon, was impeccably portrayed and, overall the drama is a suspenseful watch.

Genre: Melodrama

Secret love (2013)

Specific theme: Revenge

Here, you will get to see Ji Sung as a dark character. The character at the beginning of the drama is shown to be cold-hearted and rude, with the sole aim of killing the person, responsible for the death of his girlfriend, in a hit-and-run accident. Then what happens, that he falls in love with the girl, accused of that very accident? What makes him a person, capable of loving again? Watch this melodrama, full of suspense to find it out.

Familiar Wife (2018)

Specific theme: Travel back in time

This drama follows the plot line of time travel, where Ji Sung and his wife, who were once madly in love, now lock their heads, whenever they get a chance. When Ji Sung gets a chance to travel back in time, will he choose a different path this time, avoiding any chance of meeting his wife again, or will he fall for her, all over again? This will show the mature, regretful side of Ji Sung that is rare to watch in any other of the dramas I have watched of his.

Doctor John (2019)

Specific theme: Medical

I was already wondering, I had not seen Ji-sung, in the medical genre, and then I found this one. Herein, Ji-sung plays the role of a doctor, who is considered to be a genius anesthesiologist and is famous for finding out the cause of the pain within seconds. However, there is a secret he is holding in his heart, which only unfolds later on in the series.

And my list ends here. I hope you also love Ji Sung and his works as much as I do. Let us know in the comment section your favourite dramas from the above-listed dramas, or if you are planning to watch any.