Lee Ju-an is proving he is more than the scene-stealing clown Gong-gil from last year’s hit “The Tyrant’s Chef.” In KBS2’s weekend drama “너 말고 다른 연애” (literally “A Love Other Than You”), he takes on the troubled Han Tae-seung — and the October 11 episode showed exactly how much range he has.
According to TenAsia’s report, episode 8 centers on Han Tae-seung as his past finally catches up with him. After receiving a menacing phone call from Seo Joo-hyeok (Kwak Si-yang), who pressures him with a note tied to a 2010 arson case, Han Tae-seung is overcome by panic — his face goes pale and he vomits in a bathroom, a raw portrait of a man reliving old trauma.
The episode also deepens his complicated bond with Lee Mi-do (Ahn Eun-jin). Freshly kicked out of his law firm, Han Tae-seung is rattled to find Mi-do waiting at his house. In a laundromat conversation, she catches him in the fact that he has been secretly watching over her. His gruff words betray him — he keeps glancing at her reactions, unable to hide how he feels.
When Mi-do breaks down in tears, Han Tae-seung kneels to meet her at eye level and comforts her. Then comes the twist: she unexpectedly proposes they date for one month. Flustered but visibly swayed, he leaves the episode — and viewers — wondering what choice he will make.
The role marks a new chapter for the actor, who donated about 70 percent of his liver to his mother at age 22 when she was battling cirrhosis — a story that became a hot topic during his “Tyrant’s Chef” run. The surgery led to a military service exemption, and his mother has since recovered.
“너 말고 다른 연애” airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM on KBS2. With Han Tae-seung’s one-month dating decision hanging in the balance, next weekend’s episodes are ones to watch.
