And that is how the boys became men. The men with baby faces in their 20s are meeting women that are way older and living the strongest romance of their lives. The boys who met their older female counterparts are expressing their love in a naïve way at times and in a passionate way in some other ways and are shaking the hearts of the female viewers who are watching this along with their romantic mates.
The most noteworthy of the "Younger Man" is JTBC Monday/Tuesday drama "Secret Love Affair" Yoo Ah In. In this drama, Yoo Ah In is playing the role of the genius pianist Lee Sun Jae and building a passionate romance with actress Kim Hee Ae who is nineteen years his senior. In the drama, they are in an extramarital affair and they have an age different that may make them seem not compatible but with their surprising acting skills, they are overcoming all differences and showing a great chemistry.
Yoo Ah In debuted in the role of the boyfriend of high schooler Ok Rim in the teenager drama "Sharp" and has been in the movies, "Western Oriental Bakery" "Wan Deuk" and "Kang Chul" and dramas "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" "Fashion King" "Jang Ok Jung, Living In People" and has been loved by the younger female fans. In the drama as well as the entertainment programs, Yoo Ah In has formed an image that is a naïve young boy as well as a rash rebel.
"Secret Love Affair" Sun Jae seems also to be in this repetitive motion. However, this role is centered on the romance with an older woman and it adds another layer of the charisma as a man. Until now, it was difficult to see his strong romantic scenes as he is slowly showing the sides of the charismatic strong man.
In addition to Yoo Ah In, another man has made his impression as a "younger man" and it is MBC Wednesday/Thursday drama "younger man" "Cunning Single Lady" Suh Kang Joon. He was part of the Surprise actors and until now, he has only a rookie actors that showed idol-like looks and potential. However, in "Cunning Single Lady", Suh Kang Joon plays the role of the younger man that is liked by Na Ae Ra (played by Lee Min Jung) named Kook Seung Hyun and has been loved by all the female fans as the national younger man. It's a great result where the charisma of an individual met a charismatic role.
Park Suh Joon was loved in the dramas "Come Out Gold" "One Warm Word" as the baby also showed off his masculine sides meeting an older woman. It's a romance with the singer/actress Um Jung Wha with whom he has a nineteen year difference. In the tvN "A Witch's Love" with Um Jung Wha, he is creating a dramatic romantic comedy and shows a strong sex scene from the first scene as he showed his masculine sides.
Male actors in their early and mid-20s have a hard time finding their place as a male actor. They don't have the stability of actors in their 30s nor the freshness of the men in their teens so it takes longer and more effort to create their own niche and have a stronger presence in the acting world. Among one of these efforts is to be in a strong romance. The romance has the effect of showing a male charisma that women can be blinded by. Especially in the recent dramas, there are more younger man-older women romances. Many female viewers who watch this vicariously live through these couples with an age difference and it shows not the young immature sides of an actor in the 20s but rather a strong charismatic youth. Will this trend of older male and younger females continue? It'll be interesting to see.
