From heart-throb to Joseon-era gangster: Actor Rowoon breaks the mould in The Murky Stream

SEOUL – Introduced alongside Netflix Korea’s tentpole series Genie, Make A Wish starring power duo Bae Suzy and Kim Woo-bin, The Murky Stream arrived amid fierce competition during the Chuseok holidays, when streamers typically unleash their most high-profile titles.

The Disney+ historical drama anchored by Rowoon (The King’s Affection, 2021) and Shin Ye-eun (Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born, 2024) surprised many, becoming an unexpected breakout despite the marquee stars of its Netflix rival.

The series held the top spot in Disney+ Korea’s TV show rankings from Sept 29 to Oct 10, when its sixth and seventh episodes dropped.

For South Korean actor-singer Kim Seok-woo, who goes by his stage name Rowoon, The Murky Stream is nothing short of a turning point.

As Si-yul, a “walpae” – a term referring to a Joseon-era (1392-1910) gangster – who claws his way up from a haunted past, the former SF9 idol sheds the heart-throb exterior that once defined him.

The former K-pop boy band member called the role a gift, a long-awaited chance to shatter expectations.

“I was so happy to finally get a role like this. I’ve mostly played upright characters, refined young nobles or lawyers with a clean-cut image and pale make-up. But it felt rewarding to know that someone had seen another side of me,” the 29-year-old said during an interview in Seoul.

That hunger for depth extended into how he built Si-yul’s emotional foundation, a character that began with a sense of “deficiency” at its core.

“Si-yul is someone whose name shouldn’t be called and who has no home to return to. I think having a name to be called and a home to return to represents a person’s sense of belonging. So, without those things, Si-yul felt like someone detached from society.

“I approached him as a lone wolf belonging nowhere and wanted to give him a texture like tree bark, as if he were an empty person.”

Rowoon’s transformative look in the series prompted a flurry of reactions, including that he was barely recognisable. He relished the response, explaining that such feedback was exactly what he hoped for – proof that he had fully inhabited the character, rather than being seen merely as himself.

His final project before South Korea’s mandatory military enlistment – also his last work in his 20s – he said The Murky Stream feels like both a farewell and a prelude.

“In my early 20s, I was hard on myself, always comparing myself with others. But once I started finding joy in acting, I gradually felt more at ease.

“Of course, I was frustrated when opportunities didn’t come my way or my ambitions weren’t fulfilled. But, looking back, it’s those experiences that made me a 29-year-old who knows how to take care of myself.”

He added: “Just as The Murky Stream came to me like a gift, I want to enter my 30s, living each day fully and with purpose.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK