Lee Jae-wook Was the Second Lead Viewers Picked. In Netflix’s Dead-End Job, He Is the Lead

Featured photo: Lee Jae-wook at a Chanel Coco Crush photocall, July 2024. Photo: K-POPIT via YouTube / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Lee Jae-wook is the actor who stole viewers’ hearts first, even in dramas where someone else was the hero. In 2019 his Baek Kyung in Extraordinary You earned him the nickname “second-lead-syndrome maker” (Dailian), and in 2022 his Jang Uk in Alchemy of Souls made him a “romance master” (Tenasia interview via Daum). On October 30, the man viewers kept choosing over the lead steps into the very center of the story in Netflix’s Dead-End Job. I have rooted for him since his second-lead days, and this news makes me as happy as if it were my own.

His Jang Uk in Alchemy of Souls is the role that sent his fan base across Southeast Asia soaring.

October 30, 2026: Hyuk-jun in Dead-End Job

Dead-End Job is an eight-episode horror series. Hyuk-jun, a young man chased by debt, walks into Geomi Staffing, a shady agency that only offers part-time jobs starting at 50 times the minimum wage, and into a hellish workplace. Lee Jae-wook is Hyuk-jun. The series is directed by Kim Da-min, screenwriter of A Killer Paradox, and co-stars Go Min-si, Kim Min-ha and Lee Hee-joon (Netflix).

• A romance master in a survival story. The actor loved as Baek Kyung and Jang Uk now plays a young man who has to survive a job that pays 50 times the hourly minimum. Go Min-si’s accident investigator Yeon-ju is on the other side, chasing the truth about what happened at that workplace (Wikitree).
• A two-man night shift. The first clip Netflix Korea released shows Lee and Choi Hyun-wook heading into a convenience-store night shift as a two-person team (Netflix Korea).
• The lead in the audience. On October 8, at the Busan Cinema Center open talk, the stage held director Kim Da-min, creative director Han Jun-hee, Kim Min-ha and Choi Hyun-wook. Lee, who enlisted in May, was not on the official guest list, but he was sitting in the audience in a cap and mask (Tenasia). When Choi called his name, the crowd erupted, and Lee came up and kept it short: “I’m serving my military duty, so I really regret not being able to join the event.” “Dead-End Job is fun, so please enjoy it. It’s a story that looks a lot like our lives” (Tenasia).

Where to watch: Dead-End Job premieres worldwide on Netflix on October 30, 2026, at 5 p.m. KST (4 a.m. ET) — Netflix (US and Korea, checked October 28, 2026).

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His last Netflix drama: Hong-rang in Dear Hongrang

In the period drama Dear Hongrang, released in full on Netflix on May 16, 2025, he played Hong-rang, son of Joseon’s largest merchant house, who returns after 12 years missing with no memory of who he is. Jo Bo-ah played Jae-yi, the half-sister who suspects him. The show went straight to No. 1 among Netflix series in Korea and reached No. 6 on the global Top 10 series chart within three days (Financial News, Wikitree).

Filmography: from Marco Han to Hyuk-jun

• 2018, debut. Born in Seoul in 1998, he entered Chung-Ang University’s theater and film department, and passing his first drama audition led to an agency contract. That drama was tvN’s Memories of the Alhambra, where he played game developer Marco Han. “The first time I saw myself on my phone, I was so embarrassed I threw the phone” (Dailian).

• 2019, the “second-lead-syndrome maker.” After Seol Ji-hwan in tvN’s Search: WWW, he played Baek Kyung, fiancé of Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon), in MBC’s Extraordinary You. Rowoon was the lead, but viewers gave their hearts to the cold, wounded Baek Kyung, and Lee won Best New Actor at that year’s MBC Drama Awards (Wikipedia).

• 2020, first leads. After Lee Jang-woo in JTBC’s When the Weather Is Fine, he took the lead role of Sun Woo-joon opposite Go Ara in KBS2’s Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, and won an Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards (Wikipedia).

In Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol he was finally the man at the piano who gets the girl.

• 2022, Jang Uk. In tvN’s Alchemy of Souls he played Jang Uk, a young nobleman born with the energy of the heavens but with his power sealed away, carrying the role through Part 2 in January 2023. His overseas fan base grew sharply, especially in Southeast Asia, and he won Best Actor at the Asia Artist Awards (Wikipedia).
• 2025–2026, lead after lead. After Dear Hongrang, he played twin brothers Baek Do-ha and Baek Do-young in KBS2’s Last Summer, and in June 2026 he was Do Ji-ui, an island public-health doctor, in ENA’s Doctor on the Edge (Wikipedia).

As the island doctor, he traded hanbok and magic for a white coat and a ferry.

• May 2026, enlistment. On May 10, his 28th birthday, he posted photos of flowers and balloons from fans along with a selfie in uniform and wrote, “I’m such a happy person” (My Daily). Eight days later, on May 18, he enlisted for active duty in the army.

Where to watch: Alchemy of Souls, Dear Hongrang, Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol and Memories of the Alhambra are on Netflix in the US and Korea. Extraordinary You streams on Viki and Kocowa in the US, and Doctor on the Edge on Disney+ in Asia-Pacific markets (as of October 28, 2026).

Eight years ago, a rookie was so embarrassed by his own face on screen that he threw his phone. This fall, with his face hidden behind a mask, he sat in the audience and watched the stage for his own lead role. I love even that scene. On October 30, it’s my turn to sit in front of the screen and watch him.

Sources: Dailian, Tenasia, Netflix, Wikitree, Financial News, My Daily, Wikipedia.