‘Weak Hero Class 1’: Park Ji-hoon ‘Shed Blood, Sweat and Tears’ for His K-Drama Role
In 2022, K-drama fans were blown away by idol and actor Park Ji-hoon’s role in Weak Hero Class 1. The K-drama, based on a webtoon, centered on the dark and violent side of bullying in South Korea. Park starred as the real-life adaptation of the character Si-eun. Weak Hero Class 1 was a turning point for Park and his career, thanks to his dedication to the emotional storyline.
Si-eun gets caught up in the vicious cycle of bullying in ‘Weak Hero Class 1’
The K-drama is not for the weak-minded due to its violence, bullying, and blood scenes. Created by Seopass and illustrated by Kim Jin-seok, Weak Hero Class 1 became one of the most talked about dramas of the year. It followed Si-eun, a lonely high school student who kept to himself and focused solely on his academics.
Like most bullying K-dramas, his class has a group of bullies, and Si-eun becomes their target. But they never anticipated who Si-eun was on the inside. When the lead bully pushes Si-eun too far, he retaliates with violence based on his knowledge of physics and the objects around him. But the drama only escalates when the bully placed a drugged patch on Si-eun’s neck during an exam.
Fans were stunned in Weak Hero Class 1 when Park Ji-hoon, as his character, is repeatedly seen smacking his face to stop the drug’s effect. The worst ensues when Si-eun outs the bully’s drug use to his parents. Angered and embarrassed, the bully contracts a local gang to beat Si-eun.
Weak Hero Class 1 escalates in violence as Si-eun gets caught in the middle and captures the attention of a powerful gang. Along the way, Si-eun develops friendships he has never had before. But the K-drama has fans weeping as the cycle of bullying, violence, and self-image destroys them.
Park Ji-hoon took on the physical toll to portray his ‘Weak Hero Class 1’ character
The actor is no stranger to K-drama fans. He has starred in K-dramas such as Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency and At a Distance, Spring Is Green. But Weak Hero Class 1 was Park Ji-hoon’s first intense, dark leading role requiring immense emotional focus.
According to Zapzee, Park spoke with Allure magazine and explained, “I had only one goal in my mind during preparation for Weak Hero Class 1. The only thing I cared about was to shed my previous image and make an acting transformation into Yeon Si Eun, not the success of the work. So I went all in with this project while preparing for the role.”
Fans never expected the physical lengths he would go to display Si-eun’s broken heart by the K-drama finale. “This is the first series I’ve shed blood, sweat and tears (literally) while filming, so I feel especially attached and have grown more fond of it … I feel this work has been a turning point in my life,” said Park to The Korea Times.
According to Soompi, for the slap scene, Park said, “In the scene where I hit my cheek, I actually hit myself even during the script reading. That’s how important of a scene I thought it was.” In the Weak Hero Class 1 finale, a broken Si-eun has nothing left after losing two friends to violence. No longer able to hold it together, he goes to school to seek revenge but cannot harm his friend-turned-enemy. As he cried down the school hallway, he releases his anguish and breaks a window as his hand bleeds.
What is Park Ji-hoon’s next K-drama role?
With Weak Hero Class 1 based on a webtoon, there is still a lot more to Si-eun’s story. The finale also teased a new big bad, and fans wonder if Park Ji-hoon will return for Weak Hero Class 1 Season 2. There has been no official information about a new season yet.
But the actor is continuing his K-drama and music career. Park was announced to be in talks to star in Fantasy Sonata as a king with an alternate and evil personality. He is also reported to star in the webtoon thriller, Bastard. He would star as a teenager who knows his father’s dark secret as a serial killer.
