[Drama catnip] Can you pet the puppy?

by solstices

Ah, puppies. Who doesn’t love them? Sometimes they’re the adorable supporting character that brightens up the screen whenever they get their five minutes of screentime. Sometimes they’re the loyal sidekick that trails behind the protagonist wherever their path takes them. Regardless of their permutations, they always find a way to tug at my heartstrings and stir up my protective instincts.

Let’s begin with the puppy who started it all — Kim Myung-soo as Lee Hyun-soo, in Shut Up: Flower Boy Band. Ever since they first met, Hyun-soo couldn’t help but gravitate towards his best friend Ji-hyuk. When Ji-hyuk developed an interest in guitar, Hyun-soo practiced it until his fingers bled just so he could keep up. When he was offered a shot at stardom alone, he rejected it for the sake of his fellow members. On the surface, he might have seemed the most likely to defect — but deep down, the band was everything to Hyun-soo.

I’ve always thought the boys of Eye Candy resembled stray dogs, banding together and finding a home in each other. Hyun-soo was perhaps the most heartrending of the lot — lost and floundering, but trying his hardest to act like he was fine. Until the cracks started to show, and his wounded heart became plain as day to anyone who bothered to look long enough.

Tracing it back even further, though, one could argue that Bi-dam in Queen Seon-deok was the true starting point, cementing my admiration of Kim Nam-gil forevermore. From the very moment he appeared with his devil-may-care nonchalance and petty quibbling over chicken wings, Bi-dam was the very definition of a carefree puppy. One that, once won over, would be utterly faithful to his master.

Abandoned by his mother and kept at a distance by his mentor, all Bi-dam yearned for was acceptance and approval. That’s why, when Deok-man showed up with her impassioned ideals and forthright spirit, he dedicated his entire being to forging her dreams into reality. Yet Bi-dam’s devotion was also his downfall — leading to one of the most tragic character trajectories as he placed his love and loyalty above his life. (This is also the reason that Kwak Dong-yeon, as Kim Byung-yeon in Moonlight Drawn By Clouds, had me weeping my eyes out.)

Another steadfast and loyal follower would be Choi Byung-chan, as Kim Ga-on in The King’s Affection. Whatever ulterior motives Ga-on may have been harboring meant nothing in the face of a saber swinging down towards the crown prince. Taking the slash in the prince’s place without any hesitation whatsoever, Ga-on both broke my heart and won my affection in one fell swoop.

There’s something about instinctive self-sacrifice that turns on the waterworks for me — not only does it speak volumes about the character’s principles, but it also reveals how much (or rather, how little) they think of themselves. Unfortunately, puppies are prone to protecting the protagonists, and I can’t even begin to count the number of tissues I went through in that episode. Thankfully, Choi Byung-chan has also done a 180 in the brighter roles of Kim Yoo-shin in Live On and Shin Ha-min in Business Proposal, bringing a smile to my face. How can anyone say no to those adorable dimples?

Talking about stoic yet faithful puppies, Kim Sung-kyu as Young-shin (Kingdom) fits the bill to a tee. Past his many layers of tightly-wound defensive walls, Young-shin harbored a compassionate heart and an altruistic soul. Even his role in the outbreak — the decision that gave rise to the guilt that weighs him down — was spurred by his inability to sit idly by and watch as villagers starved.

Thankfully, Prince Chang saw through his standoffish demeanor to the intelligence, altruism, and empathy beneath. His trust and competence eventually earned Young-shin’s loyalty, and boy was he a worthy ally. Even in the most hopeless situations, even if it meant risking his life, Young-shin never hesitated to throw himself into danger if it meant there was a chance people could be saved. It’s why Young-shin is my favorite character in the series, gruff cynicism and all. He’d probably bite my hand off if I reached out to pet him. I’d probably try anyway.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the soft, fluffy, adorable puppies. If you searched up Seo Ji-hoon in a dictionary, this would probably be the attached definition. To this day, Bae Joon-young in Solomon’s Perjury remains one of his most memorable roles — beneath all the sad brooding and suspicious behavior, he had such a warm and kind heart. It’s why I held onto my faith in Seok Jae-bum (Revenge of Others) to the very end, and why I persisted through his dud dramas (with a liberal dose of fast-forwarding). He’s just too adorable to resist! (Can you believe he made his debut as an incorrigible assailant in Signal?!)

In Extraordinary You, Jung Geon-joo played double duty as the affable and affectionate Lee Do-hwa. On the Stage, he was a lovestruck puppy wistfully pining from the position of the second lead. In the Shadow, he was Dan-oh’s supportive sidekick, always ready to laugh at her cringey Stage lines (or cry like a baby over her terminal illness, aww). And there was Lee Tae-ri too, as the enigmatic Jin Mi-chae; mired in the grief of the past, all he wanted was to protect the one he loved and prevent our protagonists from experiencing another tragedy.

One of my favorite dramas, My Unfamiliar Family, has several characters that fit the bill. There’s Shin Jae-ha as the exasperating but endearing little brother Kim Ji-woo, who stumbled over his mistakes and struggled to set them right. And who can forget Kwon Yul’s hilarious cameo as the talkative attorney Yoo Min-woo? I’d totally let him choose my houseplants, hee.

Lee Jong-won has been a longtime favorite actor of mine, owing to his versatility, and his role as the quietly troubled barista Ahn Hyo-seok gave his puppy-factor a whole other dimension. In The Way I Hate You, he was the sweet and thoughtful second lead with a radiant grin; in XX, he was the sassy and dependable best friend. As Hyo-seok, he had me ready to fight whoever had hurt him, just so he’d be able to smile again.

Then there are the characters that I was wary of at first but eventually developed a soft spot for, even if I couldn’t entirely dismiss what they had done. There’s Choi Dae-hoon as Park Jung-je in Beyond Evil, who had a childlike quality to him that belied how deeply his trauma was etched into his psyche. Bereft of a crucial memory and misled into thinking the worst of himself, Jung-je was bound by his guilt towards his best friend and the terror of being a monster. Choi Dae-hoon also had a redemption arc in Insider that was just as heartbreaking, so I’m glad for his hilariously oddball role in One Dollar Lawyer.

As for Choi Kyu-jin, he first caught my eye in Class of Lies, where he was decidedly less puppy and more deplorable as the bully Lee Ki-hoon. But he was a sympathetic character, eventually able to see the error of his ways and repent. Yoo Hae-joon (United Effort to Accomplish One Thing, a.k.a. Chip In) is even more so; his misdeeds were ultimately a misguided attempt at seeking justice for his father, and it was so gratifying to see him finally team up with our proactive protagonist.

Some puppies impress me so much that I wind up wanting to check out their follow-up works, even if the synopses aren’t necessarily my cup of tea. Kang Young-seok played Insider’s Jang Sun-oh with such electrifying energy and adorable antics, and Kim Do-hoon imbued the character of Shin Dae-ryuk in Today’s Webtoon with so much depth and poignancy.

Both portrayals were so memorable that I ended up fast-forwarding through their subsequent dramas, just to catch their snippets of screen time. Similarly, Kim Woo-seok’s compelling performance in the musical Thrill Me had me checking out Military Prosecutor Doberman and The Forbidden Marriage to watch him on the small screen.

Last but not least, some puppies shine even in bit parts, making me light up with excitement every time they come on screen. Yoon Ji-on portrayed a perfect balance of snark and sorrow as Im Ryung-gu in Tomorrow (which also featured Cha Hak-yeon with an actual puppy), and Lee Shi-hoo could barely conceal his plaintive eyes beneath a pair of sunglasses as Choi Sung-joon in Liar Game.

Occasionally, despite their minimal screen time, puppies can make me resist the urge to drop an unsatisfying drama. If I had a dollar for every show I’ve fast-forwarded through just to get glimpses of an adorable side character, I’d probably have enough to buy myself a pizza. Or five.

Will I be keeping an eye out for these actors’ next works? Definitely. Was this essay topic an excuse for me to gush about some of my favorite actors? Maybe. So, who are the puppies that have you wanting to reach into the screen and give them a pat on the head? I’m sure my heart has room to adopt a few more.

 
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