The Netflix series Bloodhounds has a new season with a new villain played by Jung Ji-hoon aka Rain, and audiences are clamoring to put it in their eyeballs. While many who’ve watched love the bond between Kim Gun-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), the villains they face are just as compelling.
In Bloodhounds Season 1, the two came up against Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong), the loan shark leader of Smile Capital, whose predatory loans inadvertently dragged Gun-woo and Woo-jin into a violent, cruel world. In Season 2, they thought they’d escaped it. They were wrong.
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In Bloodhounds Season 2, Gun-woo’s talent draws the attention of the psychotic Baek-jeong (Jung Ji-hoon aka Rain), who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. In this case, it’s Gun-woo fighting for him in his illegal boxing ring. With the relentlessness of a bull with its eyes on its target, Baek-jeong is violent, lashing out at everyone around him, regardless of their loyalty. Baek-jeong is a different kind of villain, and for actor Jung Ji-hoon, represents a new kind of role.
Read our review for Bloodhounds Season 2
In addition to his amazing music career, Jung Ji-hoon has been acting since 2003. Yet his role as Baek-jeong in Bloodhounds Season 2 marks his first villainous role. And, frankly, he nails the psychotic energy that kind of role needs.
However, despite his extensive acting resume, not all of his projects have knocked it out of the park. In fact, he’s faced a career of ups and downs in acting, with some of his films and TV series a struggle to get through (For example, Diamond Lover has not aged well despite the director’s cut update).
There are still some gems in his resume that deserve attention and will fill in the gap for viewers as we wait for a potential third season of Bloodhounds. From groundbreaking romance Kdramas to Hollywood action flicks to a cameo appearance showcasing Jung Ji-hoon’s limitless charisma and chill, we’ve got the recommendations for you.
If you watched Bloodhounds Season 2 and want more of actor Jung Ji-hoon, here’s what to watch next after the credits roll on Episode 7.
Full House (2004)
TV Series
Also Stars: Song Hye-kyo, Han Da-gam, Kim Sung-su
Directed By: Pyo Min-soo
Written By: Min Hyo-jung
Episodes: 16
Full House is one of those shows that laid the groundwork for what would become known as the Hallyu wave, and it was one of Jung Ji-hoon’s earliest roles. While the plot itself would be considered standard to a more seasoned KDrama and rom-com viewer, this 2004 series was like capturing lightning in a bottle.
For the newcomer actor to the scene, Jung Ji-hoon establishes a characterization that would become a trademark of the roles he’d take on later on in his career, that of a stubborn, occasionally egotistical type that usually gets humbled later on.
Official Synopsis: Young-jae is a famous actor and gets stuck with Ji-eun. Ji-eun realizes her friends sold out the house her parents inherited. Since he cannot leave the place, she decides to work as a housekeeper to stay there. In the meantime, Young-jae is involved in an incident that makes him kiss Ji-eun, and this behavior results in signing a contractual marriage.
However, as they live together, they feel for each other, and their love starts to blossom, but several daunting challenges await them. Will they be able to overcome all the barriers and eventually get married?
I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok
Movie
Also Stars: Im Soo-jung, Oh Dal-su, Park Jun-myun
Directed By: Park Chan-wook
Written By: Chung Seo-kyung, Park Chan-wook
I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok marked a significant departure for writer/director Park Chan-wook at the time of its release, and it underperformed at the box office compared to his other works. However, this genre-bending romance film is arguably one of the most exciting featured on this list, with Jung Ji-hoon taking on the character of Il-soon.
The romance featured onscreen is unconventional, even to today’s standards, and Jung Ji-hoon plays incredibly against type as the schizophrenic Il-soon. Yet the role shows the depth of his range early in his career that we arguably don’t see in his later roles. This film was a huge swing for all involved and, for Jung Ji-hoon, a different kind of romance role.
Official Synopsis: Young-goon, a patient at a psychiatric clinic, is convinced she is a cyborg. Her life changes the day that Il-soon is admitted. Il-soon believes he possesses the uncanny ability to steal other people’s personality traits and souls. It is not long before a tender romance develops between the two.
While not currently available on streaming, order the DVD on Amazon Prime.
Ninja Assassin (2009)
Movie
Also Stars: Naomie Harris, Rick Yune, Sho Kosugi, Ben Miles
Directed By: James McTeigue
Written By: Matthew Sand and J. Michael Straczynski
Okay, hear me out on this one. While Ninja Assassin was not well-received upon its release and its plot follows the predictable path of its genre (think a precursor to John Wick), it is a brilliant early look at Jung Ji-hoon and his grasp of action choreography. His physicality is on point, and while there is pretty obvious VFX for the weapons used onscreen, much of the action sequences featuring Jung Ji-hoon show him going full out, crafting a believable, unstoppable assassin.
Official Synopsis: Swept off the streets as a young boy, Raizo is transformed into an unstoppable killing machine by a mythical secret society known as the Ozunu Clan. But the moment Ozuno assassins kill Raizo’s friend, their days are numbered…
Watch on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
Welcome 2 Life (2019)
TV Series
Also Stars: Lim Je-yeon, Kwak Si-yang
Directed By: Kim Geun-hong, Shim Soo-yeon
Written By: Yoo Hee-kyung
Episodes: 32
Welcome 2 Life is an intriguing sci-fi romance that explores parallel worlds and what happens when we get a second chance at life. As Jae-sang, Jung Ji-hoon showcases a surprising depth and range, transforming the lawyer from a cutthroat menace who, arguably, is not super sympathetic at the beginning of the series into a softer family man by the series’s end. The chemistry between Jung Ji-hoon and Lim Je-yeon is also a huge highlight of Welcome 2 Life, making the romance that burns in Jae-sang’s second life worth watching.
Official Synopsis: What if you’re given a chance to restart your life and make new choices again? One day, Lawyer Jae-sang opens his eyes and realizes that he is no longer in the world he used to live in, but in a parallel world. He sheds his old life where he had been willing to do anything for his interests and turned into a whole different person, a righteous and sincere lawyer. People all make mistakes and wrong choices and regret what they did in the past all the time.
However, the present moment is the only time over which we have dominion. We can always make the right choice to straighten things up whenever we realize that we’re on the wrong path. Lawyer Jae-sang sends us a message that it’s never too late to correct our wrongdoings and start afresh, and encourages us to express our honest feelings to those around us throughout the series.
Watch now on Kocowa+, Prime Video, and Viki.
Ghost Doctor (2022)
TV Series
Also Stars: Kim Bum, Uee, Son Na-eun, Sung Dong-il
Directed By: Boo Sung-chul
Written By: Kim Sung-soo
Episodes: 16
Ghost Doctor may feature Jung Ji-hoon at his most comedic as the surgeon Cha Young-min. His performance channels the surgeon’s heightened sense of arrogance, providing an entertaining contrast when things go horribly awry (with hilarious moments of physical comedy that bring Young-min down a peg). Also, for fans of Bloodhound who really dug the bromance element, Ghost Doctor features a slowburn bromance between Jung Ji-hoon’s Yung-min and Kim Bum’s Go Seung-tak that is wonderfully wholesome.
Official Synopsis: Cha Young-min, an arrogant yet brilliant thoracic surgeon, focuses solely on his career, alienating everyone around him, including his neurosurgeon ex-girlfriend Jang Se-jin. His polar opposite is surgical resident Go Seung-tak, who only got his position through his grandfather’s connections.
Unexpectedly, a strange medical incident causes Young-min’s spirit to possess Seung-tak’s body, granting Seung-tak extraordinary surgical skills and making him the talk of the medical community. However, intern Oh Soo-jung senses something is off and begins to question the “miraculous” transformation.
As the lines between life and death blur, the doctors must confront the implications of this supernatural switch. Will things ever go back to normal?
Honorable Mention: The Village Barber
Reality TV
Also Stars: Lee Sang-yi, Park Bo-gum and Kwak Dong-yeon
Episodes: 8 Episodes currently available (with 10 expected).
Jung Ji-hoon makes a surprise cameo appearance in The Village Barber as one of the “part-time” employees popping in to help out Park Bo-gum, Lee Sang-yi, and Kwak Dong-yeon at Bogum Magical. Seeing the guys’ reaction to Jung Ji-hoon showing up is positively adorable and also highlights the difference in sheer star power between Jung Ji-hoon and these actors. However, what is even more fun is seeing how hard the international star is willing to work throughout his cameo episode (even if it eventually wears him out).
Official Synopsis: In The Village Barber, actor Park Bo Gum runs a barbershop in a remote rural village together with his close friends Lee Sang-yi and Kwak Dong-yeon. The three actors have made quite a name for themselves, starring in some of the highest-watched and impactful K-dramas, especially those simulcast and released on Netflix, showcasing their international appeal.
Did we miss one of your favorite Jung Ji-hoon performances? Let us know on social media @butwhytho.net on Bluesky.
