I watched Because This is my First Life because of Jung So-Min and guess what, I discovered Lee Min-Ki and his calm unusual way of acting. Dramabeans has an article about him which describes him very well, he’s “not the flower boy”, “nor the boy next door ” kind of looks, instead he’s got this “rough and edgy” feel about him. (Note: am quoting adjectives from the article that is already so on-point about him and I so very much agree with.)
In the drama Because This is my First Life (2017), Lee Min-Ki as Nam Se-Hee was acting aloof and being a man who is very focused on his own life goals – e.g. paying up his house loan, taking care of his cat and going home instead of mingling with his colleagues. Because he is so focused on his goals, he had to achieve his goals at the expense of his social life, thus he became somewhat anti-social and aloof. The character called for it and he gave his performance very well. Something to call out too, this drama was Lee Min-Ki’s return to the small screen in ten years, before that, he was very much focused on the big screen, making movies most of the time. And I don’t do movies all the time, just not that into it.
Next I watched is Beauty Inside (2018) starring Seo Hyun-Jin and Lee Min-Ki, and the drama is about Seo Hyun-Jin as Han Se-Gye, a top actress who will transform her physical shape to someone else for a week every month. Interestingly, Lee Min-Ki as Seo Do-Jae has face blindness after an accident and this is perfect for both of them as he does not need Han Se-Gye’s face to “recognise” her. Seo Hyun-Jin, as usual, is at the top of her game, she acts so well and displays the emotions so intricately. Lee Min-Ki is probably at his most handsomeness in this drama, wearing suits, shower scenes (random moments) and just acting his calm unusual way.
Behind Your Touch (2023) is Lee Min-Ki’s most recent drama, a comedy-thriller at its best. I was so hooked on finding out who the serial killer is, because it just keeps you guessing all the time, everyone is a suspect like literally anyone could be the killer. Lee Min-Ki is the detective who needed Han Ji-Min’s help as she could see people and animals’ past when touching their bottoms. Both of them are so funny and some of the scenes can be hilarious. Highly recommended really. And a little bit about Lee Min-Ki since this post is for him – he veers away from his calm acting, showing off his comedy chops and also a fair bit of action scenes with the fighting off thugs. I was also hoping for more “connection” between his character Moon Jang-yeol and Han Ji-Min’s Bong Ye-bun but the writers remained true to the drama’s comedy tone.
I’m currently giving The Liberation Notes (2022) a try and failing miserably.
Alright, that’s all I have to say.
DramaKaffe 
Because This Is My First Life is my all-time favorite TV series on Netflix. I stopped watching TV series after Friends and Big Bang Theory ended their series. Two years ago, I was flipping channels and I am not sure how and why, but I found myself watching BTIMFL. Lee Min-Ki portrayed Nam Se-Hee to perfection. I love Nam Se-Hee. A man of action rather than words. This TV series is filled with humor and life lessons. I highly recommend Because This Is My First Life. I hope this TV series stays on Netflix USA forever
I agree with your comments with Lee Min-Ki’s visuals on The Beauty Inside. He looked fine in every scene as a rich guy who cannot recognize faces. Lee Min-Ki should be given more roles of this kind. I have lost count of how many times I have re-watched the scene in Episode 13 where he told his step-sister’s fiancée to get lost. Seo Do-Jae was so calm yet his words and tone of voice were frightening. I highly recommend this TV series which is currently available on Netflix as well!
I watched My Liberation when it premiered on Netflix in 2022 I completely understand your sentiment, but I hope you will watch it to the end as Lee Min-Ki gave a tour-de-force performance as Yeom Chang-Hee. I wouldn’t have watched the series every weekend if it wasn’t for Yeom Change-Hee. Lee Min-Ki’s character’s full of energy. Yeom Chang-Hee made me laugh for days with the Rolls Royce key in Episode 10. I am surprised that Lee Min-Ki was not nominated for his performance in this series. He was absolutely brilliant in his role as a blunt misunderstood son yet responsible and sweet in his own little way. I highly recommend this TV series as well.
A friend of mine gave me the link to watch Lee Min-Ki’s old TV series titled “Dal-Ja’s Spring”. I wish this TV series is on Netflix. I love Lee Min-KI’s character in this series. He looked hot. His character was very interesting. I hope you’ll get to watch and enjoy it as much as I did. I give Dal-Ja’s Spring perfect 10 stars!
Thank you for agreeing with me about Lee Min-Ki!
I did finish My Liberation Notes in the end, but not without skipping a few scenes of the eldest sister’s love relationship, I thought her storyline was the dullest, no offence to the actress though. I wish there were more scenes of Yeom Chang-Hee and his relationship with his best female friend, but mostly were after-thoughts or dialogues in passing after it has happened, so we weren’t watching it as it happened which is a pity. Overall, I did enjoyed it!