Your Ultimate Ok Taecyeon Drama Guide
From starring in all-time classic ‘Dream High’ to the recent hit ‘Vincenzo’, Taecyeon has proven himself to be a total drama dreamboat! Here are all 10 of his K-dramas, just in case you’re looking to catch more of him
Let us count the many ways we love Ok Taecyeon!
The rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, and entrepreneur is a man of many hats, and we absolutely adore him for that. (That, and his jaw-dropping physique, we have to admit!) Known as the main rapper of boy group 2PM first and foremost, Taecyeon is no stranger to the entertainment industry since making his debut in 2008.
Taecyeon in 'Dream High' | KBS
Taecyeon made his debut as an actor in 2010 in KBS drama titled Cinderella’s Stepsister, a role that got him nominated as Best New Actor in the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards. In the following year, he starred in coming-of-age superstar drama Dream High alongside Bae Suzy, IU, and Kim Soo-hyun, bringing to life the character of Jin-guk, a gifted dancer with dreams of becoming a global star. The drama received high ratings domestically and made quite an impression internationally.
In 2013, Taecyeon made his film debut in Marriage Blue, a romantic comedy that follows the misadventures of four engaged couples in the week leading up to their weddings. A year later, he starred in weekend family drama Wonderful Days, playing tough-fisted bodyguard Kang Dong-hee. The same year, he joined the popular cooking variety show, Three Meals a Day, where he was praised for his likable and easygoing personality.
In the years that followed, Taecyeon took on a mix of challenging and exciting roles in several popular dramas, becoming quite the drama superstar in his own right.
Below, check out all ten of his K-dramas and the diverse range he displayed in all of them—from exorcist Park Bong-Pal in Bring It On, Ghost to his psychopath Jang Jun-woo/Jang Han-seok in Vincenzo!
Your Ultimate Taecyeon Drama Guide
Your Ultimate Taecyeon Drama Guide
Cinderella’s Stepsister (2010)
Applying a modern twist to the classic fairy tale, the story follows the contentious relationship between two stepsisters, Eun-jo (Moon Geun-young) and Hyo-sun (Seo Woo), as their lives and loves intertwine. The drama follows Eun-jo as she grows up, learning to trust no one and be on her own, mostly, being used to moving homes all the time because of her manipulative, “gold digging” mother. Her latest catch is Dae-sung, the CEO of a traditional rice wine brewery, and single father to bubbly, spoiled Hyo-sun. Both Dae-sung and Hyo-sun warmly welcome Eun-jo into their home and treat her with kindness that she can’t understand. Through time, Dae-sung’s genuine kindness does melt Eun-jo’s defenses and she learns to trust and love him. Hyo-sun, however, starts to feel neglected as though she’s losing Ki-hoon (and everything else) to her cold stepsister.
Photo Credit: KBS
Cinderella’s Stepsister (2010)
Ok Taecyeon plays Han Jung-woo, a boy that Eun-jo used to treat as her little brother. He is now a young man who reappears in her life, determined to win her over. He shows up at the brewery, eight years since they were last together, to be nearer to her—every inch selfless, reliable and caring. This role marks Taecyeon's acting debut in a drama, one that got him nominated for Best New Actor at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Photo Credit: KBS
Dream High (2011)
A teenage drama classic! Dream High stars many familiar faces when they were just starting out—Bae Suzy, Ok Taecyeon, Kim Soo-hyun, Ham Eun-jung, IU, and Jang Woo-young—and is a must-watch for any K-drama novice. It tells the tale of six students at Kirin High School who share dreams of becoming K-pop idols. During their school years, they work hard developing their singing, songwriting, and dancing skills, all the while undergoing growth as individuals. It gets more interesting as they also naturally start to develop feelings for one another. Each of them has their own strengths and weaknesses, but they strive to debut with the support and guidance of one another.
Photo Credit: KBS
Dream High (2011)
Taecyeon brings to life the character of Jin-guk, a gifted dancer who was encouraged by the director of Kirin High School of Art to enroll in the same school. While he is a bit of a troubled student, his talents still blossom and his dreams of becoming a global star become more accessible. He has feelings for Suzy’s Hye-mi, but Song Sam-dong (Kim Soo-hyun) stands in his way.
Photo Credit: KBS
99 Days with the Superstar (2011)
This title marked Taecyeon’s debut in Japanese series! The 10-episode romantic comedy sees top Korean actress Han Yoo-na (Kim Tae-hee) fall in love with a quiet security guard, Kohei Namiki (Hidetoshi Nishijima), as he is assigned to be her bodyguard for a period of 99 days.
Photo Credit: Fuji TV
99 Days with the Superstar (2011)
The drama sees Taecyeon as the character of Tae-sung, a mysterious young Korean man who we find out as episodes go by to be Yoo-na's long lost younger brother, from whom she was separated when their parents divorced very early.
Photo Credit: Fuji TV
Who Are You (2013)
Starring So Yi-hyun, Ok Taecyeon, and Kim Jae-wook, Who Are You is a police mystery drama that tells the story of Detective Yang Shi-ohn as she wakes up from a six-year coma. She gets reassigned to the lost and found department, where she discovers a unique ability to see and interact with ghosts connected to the objects left behind there. One of the ghosts watching over Shi-ohn is Lee Hyung-joon (Kim Jae-wook), her ex-boyfriend, another detective who died that night six years ago when she received the serious head injury that nearly killed her and left her comatose.
Photo Credit: tvN
Who Are You (2013)
Taecyeon is Cha Gun-woo, Shi-ohn’s partner and a total hotheaded skeptic. Gun-woo only believes in tangible things he can see, hear, and touch, but he gradually comes to trust Shi-ohn, and together, the bickering partners help the spirits fulfill their dying wishes and unfinished business before passing on to the afterlife.
Photo Credit: tvN
Wonderful Days (2014)
Written by Lee Kyung-hee, this 50-episode family melodrama tells the story of a successful genius prosecutor, Kang Dong-seok, who returns to his hometown after fifteen years and tries to reconnect with his estranged family and friends. As he settles back in, he relearns the value of neighborly warmth in the countryside and the true meaning of love and family.
Photo Credit: KBS
Wonderful Days (2014)
Taecyeon is Kang Dong-hee, Dong-seok’s younger brother—a quick tempered and swift-fisted misfit who works in the money-lending business and as a bodyguard in the same company as Dong-seok’s first love, Cha Hae-won. He lives with the twins of Seo Jeong-ah, a former classmate of his who he had attempted to protect back in highschool, who are being raised as his siblings.
Photo Credit: KBS
Assembly (2015)
Starring Jung Jae-young, Song Yoon-ah, and Ok Taecyeon, this 20-episode political drama’s screenplay is based on screenwriter Jung Hyun-Min’s own experiences working as an aide to a member of the national assembly for 10 years! It follows Jin Sang-pil (Jung Jae-young), a shipyard welder for 23 years who, along with his fellow workers, are wrongfully terminated. He finds himself in a battle for their reinstatement, appearing as the spokesman for the labor union.
Photo Credit: KBS
Assembly (2015)
To Sang-pil’s surprise, this leads to him becoming a newly elected member of the National Assembly. But because of his idealism and naiveté, he finds it difficult to navigate the twists and turns of politics. Enter whip-smart aide Choi In-kyung (Song Yoon-ah), who shows him the ropes. Taecyeon is Kim Kyu-hwan, a hardworking aspiring police officer who studies at the library to pass his entrance exams by day and works as an official's chauffeur by night.
Photo Credit: KBS
Bring It On Ghost (2016)
Also known as Let’s Fight, Ghost, this drama is a mix of mystery, horror, romance, and comedy adapted from a webtoon of the same name. It stars Ok Taec-yeon, Kim So-hyun, and Kwon Yul and was quite popular both domestically and internationally when it aired. It’s about Hyun-ji (Kim So-hyun) who died at the age of 19. Now a ghost, wandering the world for several years, she meets exorcist Park Bong-Pal (Taecyeon).
Photo Credit: tvN
Bring It On Ghost (2016)
In order to be freed from endlessly wandering the earth and be able to ascend to the next life, Hyun-ji convinces Bong-pal to let her move in, and the two become ghost fighting partners. The two then listen to various stories from ghosts, and work hard to send them to the otherworld
Photo Credit: tvN
Save Me (2017)
Starring in this thriller mystery are Ok Taec-yeon, Seo Yea-ji, and Woo Do-hwan, as they bring to life a story based on popular Daum webcomic Out of the World (세상 밖으로) by Jo Geum-san. Save Me is about Im Sang-mi and her family, whose lives fall apart when they move from Seoul to the suburb of Muji County and fall prey to the manipulation and abuse of religious cult Goseonwon.
Photo Credit: OCN
Save Me (2017)
Taecyeon plays Han Sang-hwan, the only son of the corrupt county chief, who tries to save Sang-mi from the cult together with Jung-hoon and Man-hee after a chance encounter with Sang-mi in an alley where she whispers to them: "Save me." Having power and wealth, he uses it to break into the cult, only to finds a darker secret lurking within it.
Photo Credit: OCN
The Game: Towards Zero (2020)
Mystery, supernatural, and crime come together in The Game: Towards Zero starring Ok Taecyeon, Jung Dong-hwan, and Ryu Hye-rin. It follows Tae-pyeong (Taecyeon) who has the prophet-like ability of looking into someone’s eyes and seeing the exact moment in which they will die. He lives in a mansion with Teacher Baek and Attorney Lee Yeon-hwa.
Photo Credit: MBC
The Game: Towards Zero (2020)
The story develops as a girl is kidnapped and it is discovered that her disappearance may involve the notorious Midnight Killer. Tan-pyeong is out to help the police with the investigation and encounters Detective Joon-Young (Lee Yeon-hee), the first person that he can’t foresee a death when he looks into her eyes. Together, they work together to stop the Midnight Killer. This drama marks Taecyeon’s first drama after being discharged from the military.
Photo Credit: MBC
Vincenzo (2021)
This recently concluded dark comedy needs little introduction for many of us, ranking high in ratings both in South Korea and globally. The drama gave audiences a powerful storyline and a fantastic mix of action and comic scenes. The drama’s all-star cast includes Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-been, Ok Taec-yeon, Kim Yeo-jin, and Kwak Dong-yeon, and focuses on the story of Vincenzo Cassano, an Italian lawyer and mafia consigliere of Korean descent as he seeks justice on his own terms. He becomes an advisor and Foreign Legal Counsel to Jipuragi Law Firm, working with Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) to destroy Babel Group and reclaim the gold hidden in Geumga Plaza.
Photo Credit: tvN
Vincenzo (2021)
Taecyeon plays Jang Jun-woo who, as the drama progresses, reveals himself to be Jang Han-seok, the rightful heir and CEO of Babel Group. Without giving away too many spoilers for those who haven’t watched or finished the series yet, Taecyeon proved to display amazing talent and duality in this challenging role, being able to play the psychopath supervillain, so well.
Photo Credit: tvN
And that's your ultimate guide to all of Ok Taecyeon's dramas! Which ones have you seen?
As we eagerly anticipate seeing him again later this year in historical comedy Tale of Secret Royal Inspector and Jo Yi, directed by Yoo Jong Sun of Designated Survivor 60 Days fame, we are definitely going to get our fix by watching a few of his notable titles.
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