Lee Jun Young Delivers Veteran Performance in Reborn Rookie

JTBC's weekend drama 'Reborn Rookie' is showing a steep upward trend, recording a viewership rating of 8.2% and a peak viewership rating of 8.8% per episode by its 4th episode, with Lee Jun Young being cited as a primary contributor to its success. After starting with 3.7% on its first broadcast, evaluations suggest he played a major role in breaking the drama's own record for highest viewership rating every episode.

His acting transformation is undoubtedly striking. Lee Jun Young plays Hwang Jun-hyeon, who is possessed by the soul of the 72-year-old chairman Kang Yong-ho (Son Hyun-joo), imbuing the young appearance with the chairman's seasoned expertise and charisma.

He persuasively expresses the soul-swap setting through differences in gaze, speech, and vocal tone. He naturally bridges the gap between the 27-year-old Hwang Jun-hyeon and the 72-year-old Chairman Kang Yong-ho, increasing the character's immersion. He portrays the soul change convincingly with excellent acting skills, as if the soul of Son Hyun-joo, often called the 'god of acting,' has inhabited him.

In scenes where he confronts the hostility of the sales team, he overwhelmed others with an unwavering gaze and a decisive manner of speaking. In the scene where he calls out the culture of forced drinking during company dinners, he showed a veteran side by fully displaying composure and playfulness.

His chemistry with family members is also excellent. He shows a bickering chemistry as the youngest daughter Kang Bang-geul (Lee Ju-myoung) meets him as a company colleague. In scenes worrying about his daughter, he delicately expressed deep paternal love, much like Son Hyun-joo.

In the scene facing his wife Cho Seon-hee (Yoon Yu-sun), he exuded a romantic atmosphere with skillful facial expressions and details that transcended age.