Lee Si Eun Plays A Yes Man With Comic And Tragic Results

Lee Si Un plays the same kind of role in two recent dramas but with dramatically different results. In both dramas he plays the aide and right-hand man to two powerful men. In one case the role was played for laughs and in the other it was tragic.

Lee acts as Nam Goong Min's right hand man in the melodrama "Remember." Nam Goong Min plays a brutal sociopath who delegates Lee's character Ahn Soo Bum to kill people as easily as he might ask him to run out for a cappuccino. There's so much good acting going on between the performances of Yoo Seung Ho, Park Min Young and Nam in "Remember," that it might be easy to overlook Lee's nuanced performance. Yes, his character is a "yes man," but following such horrendous orders is not easy. And viewers can tell that this character will soon reach his breaking point. He's a bad man but not a sociopath like his boss.

He keeps saying yes but he cringes more each time.

At almost the same time as Lee Si Un was shooting "Remember" Lee also played a much lighter version of the right hand man in the mini drama "High End Crush." In that drama he was Jung Il Woo's right hand man. And while Jung Il Woo's egotistical character was not easy to get along with, he was no sociopath.

Lee's character in "High End Crush" also did not like his boss. In the drama's beginning he was happy when Jung's character disappeared for a few days and that was played up for laughs with much slacking and partying around the office. Eventually Lee's character  and his boss grow closer as he gives him dating advice and helps him get closer to the girl of his dreams.

Lee's performance in "Remember" is subtle and painful to watch. His performance in 'High End Crush" is hilarious.  

So far, Lee has had a string of supporting roles in such dramas as "Kill Me Heal Me," "Ho Gu's Love" and "Modern Farmer." Many have employed his comedy skills and he may be best known for his comic role in "Reply 1997."

His new role in "Remember" shows he can also do a good job at melodrama.