Actor Im Chul-soo Comically References His Popular K-Drama Roles in ‘Unlock My Boss’
A long list of South Korean actors have made a name for themselves, playing supporting roles in K-dramas. On more than one occasion, supporting actors have appeared in more on-screen works than the leading cast. Actor Im Chul-soo has recently been on the radar thanks to his well-loved role as Master Lee in both seasons of Alchemy of Souls. But Im Chul-soo’s acting credits include some of K-drama’s most well-known works, and he references them while playing another character in Unlock My Boss.
In ‘Unlock My Boss,’ Im Chul-soo’s character is at a job interview listing his resume
The 2022 K-drama Unlock My Boss has an interesting storyline. Kim Sun-joo (Park Sung-woong) is the CEO of one of the top IT companies. He is a genius, wealthy, and handsome, but it also comes with a few challenges. With many enemies, he becomes the target of a killer and is murdered. But in a twist, his soul is transferred to a smartphone. Park In-sung (Chae Jong-hyeop) finds the phone and helps him by becoming the stand-in CEO.
In Unlock My Boss Episode 12, actor Im Chul-soo makes a cameo appearance as a character looking for a job at the company. In-sung remarks that he has a long list of previous jobs for being a newbie employee.
Im’s character answers, “Yes, I used to sell insurance, serve as consigliere, and also switch my soul,” before being cut off by In-sung, who is baffled by what he is hearing. Only K-drama fans would have noticed the comical references made by the actor, as all three were his previous supporting roles in Crash Landing on You, Vincenzo, and Alchemy of Souls.
Im Chul-soo played an insurance worker in ‘Crash Landing on You’ K-drama
The Korean actor has many well-known supporting roles, from Reply 1988, Mr. Sunshine, Stranger 2, Chimera, and more. In 2019, he played the supporting role of Park Su-chan in the most acclaimed North-South Korean romance K-drama Crash Landing on You. His character is an insurance employee who landed the big deal of the female lead’s life insurance worth millions.
He first appears in the second episode when he meets with her secretary and learns she has gone missing. It puts Su-chan’s livelihood at stake. His life is in shambles when she is later declared dead after missing for so long.
Actor Im then references being a consigliere in Unlock my Boss. In the crime K-drama Vincenzo, he played the role of An Gi-seok. Vincenzo stars Song Joong-ki as a Korean raised in Italy by a mafia family and grows up to become its consigliere. When the boss is killed, Vincenzo flees to South Korea to take back his fortune.
Im’s character works for the government and realizes Vincenzo has returned and knows his extensive history. While his boss does not believe him, Gi-seok goes undercover to work at his building’s Italian restaurant. But as the K-drama progresses, he becomes Vincenzo’s ally.
The actor plays the ‘Switzerland’ role of Master Lee in ‘Alchemy of Souls’
One of Alchemy of Soul’s neutral or Switzerland characters is Master Lee, played by Im. The character was a pupil of Seo Gyeong but found himself in a pickle when his pupil accidentally burned his body after reaching Hwansu after a long-term meditation. To save his soul, Master Lee transports into the body of a recently dead young boy and becomes a soul shifter.
Master Lee becomes a voice of reason in both seasons of the K-drama. He is aware of Mu-deok’s true identity and helps Jang Uk reach the different levels of becoming a mage. Understanding the value of fate, he becomes their biggest supporter behind-the-scenes.
Master Lee plays a bigger role in the return of Nak-su in Alchemy of Souls Season 2. As always, he has innate knowledge that others do not about how soul-shifting works and magic. He, once again, finds ways to let the threads of fate play out with the characters that will lead to a happy end.
