Actor Oh Jung-se is suddenly the internet's "biggest winner" after the new film's release, sparking viral buzz across social platforms.
In the June 3 release Wild Thing, Oh Jung-se plays Choi Seong-gon, the original '90s "boyfriend-voice" and a tragic ballad prince, delivering a scene-stealing performance worthy of the hype.
In the story, Choi Seong-gon is a bittersweet figure who, at the peak of his career, was stuck at No. 2 on music shows for a staggering 39 consecutive weeks, overshadowed by the co-ed group Triangle. To make matters worse, after attending Triangle's No. 1 celebration party, he gets swept up in an unexpected incident and vanishes from the stage overnight.
Leaning into his trademark sly charm, Oh perfectly embodies this "end-of-the-century boyfriend-voice" character. The film-to-reality "deep-dive universe" struck a nerve with the public, too. On May 22, a track even dropped under the character's real name, and on June 2, the music video for 'Niga Joha (I Like You)' from the film was released, drawing a fiery response from audiences.
His agency poured fuel on the hype by fully committing to the lore. They uploaded videos of Oh Jung-se completely in character as Choi Seong-gon, rolling out what fans dubbed over-the-top "stan marketing."
Riding the momentum, online communities and social media lit up with reactions like: "Let's get him on the Blue Dragon Film Awards congratulatory stage this year," "I seriously want to give him a real No. 1 on a music show," "The agency looks more excited than the actor," and "His videos sold me—I just booked my tickets after watching."
Meanwhile, Wild Thing follows the members of Triangle, a co-ed group that once swept No. 1 on music shows in the 2000s, as they reunite some 20 years later for another shot at the stage. The film is now playing in theaters nationwide.