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Dondi Penn

📰 Elle Korea: "Wait, Na Baekjin from 'Weak Hero Class 2' is *this* guy? All the faces of second-year drama actor Bae Nara."

Bae Nara has left a strong impression with his intense, sharply drawn characters.

Netflix’s original Weak Hero Class 2 continues to dominate globally. Just as Class 1 gained immense love for its character dynamics, this season also introduces a wide range of figures shaping new relationships. One standout is villain Na Baekjin (played by Bae Nara), who stands at the peak of a union of delinquent students. Though he appears as pure evil, he carries a tragic backstory from beginning to end.

Bae Nara, who plays Na Baekjin, has drawn significant attention. Born in 1991, Bae Nara wore a school uniform at age 34 for Class 2. Since the release of still cuts, his sharp eyes and tall frame have shown high resemblance to the original webtoon. After the series premiered, his crisp action scenes and acting drew widespread praise. At the recent Weak Hero Homecoming GV, Bae Nara discussed how he interpreted the role: “I acted with the idea that for Na Baekjin, Park Humin (played by Ryeoun) was the only friend who could truly understand him. I focused on Baekjin’s unwavering nature, and thought the growing distance between him and Humin could resonate with viewers.”

Bae Nara’s freshness on screen is largely thanks to the fact that he’s only been in dramas for two years. He debuted in 2013 through the musical Promise, and in 2020 reached the finals of JTBC’s Phantom Singer 3, proving his vocal prowess. He then made his drama debut in Netflix’s D.P. Season 2 as Jang Seongmin, a gay soldier who deserts the army after suffering abuse over his sexuality. In that role, he performed Hedwig numbers “Wig in a Box” and “Midnight Radio” in drag at a club—clips which the original Hedwig creator John Cameron Mitchell shared and praised on his personal social media.

He also left a mark as Kwon Ohjae in ENA’s Evilive. Kwon Ohjae is the loyal right-hand man of mobster Seo Doyoung (Kim Youngkwang), and serves as the brains of the operation. While vastly different from his role in D.P., it shares echoes with his next character: Na Baekjin. Though Baekjin engages in heavy action sequences, there’s a common intensity and control.

And Bae Nara’s next character is already set. He’ll take on the role of Han Seonwoo in Genie TV’s Tastefully Yours, premiering May 12. It marks Bae Nara’s first romantic comedy. In the show, Han Seonwoo is an executive director at a food company locked in a fierce battle for management rights with his younger brother Han Beomwoo (played by Kang Haneul). Once again, Bae Nara is poised to transform completely for this role, his “next face” is already generating high expectations.

もうすぐ、この季節がやってくるというのか…。

俺はここまで何をしてきた？

DP2 WK3

A concise projection installation

4 groups of VFX & a camera interaction program

"I wonder why you didn't let me join you?"

"You had to stay. Someone needs to take care of the boys, you know"