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Happy Kim Bum Day: Exploring his character growth from rebellious juvenile to heroic brother in Tale of the Nine Tailed
Kim Bum is turning 35 years old today, to celebrate the beloved actor’s birthday let’s dissect his iconic Tale of the Nine Tailed character with many layers, Lee Rang.
Kim Bum, the gifted actor who has been mesmerizing millions of viewers and fans with his varied roles, is turning 35 years old today. Looking back at his great acting career, it can be noted that Kim Bum has specifically mastered touching hearts and creating a special connection through his roles with the audience.
Kim Bum first took the world by storm with his role in the iconic K-drama Boys Over Flowers, where he played one of the elite boys in Lee Min Ho’s F4 group.
The actor has proven that he has unlimited arrows in his quiver of acting and always hits the bull's eye with his moving character portrayals. Kim Bum exemplified his immense range with roles in K-dramas Law School, Padam Padam, That Winter, the Wind Blows, and Ghost Doctor.
However, Kim Bum especially moved audiences and fans to tears with his iconic portrayal of Lee Dong Wook’s brother, Lee Rang, in Tale of the Nine-Tailed. His character was layered with so many emotions and depths that portraying Lee Rang was a great undertaking in itself, and Kim Bum was perfection in every way.
Exploring the character growth of Kim Bum’s role from rebellious kid to heroic brother in Tale of the Nine Tailed
Tale of the Nine Tailed’s Lee Rang is a character that captivates you with his iconic entrances, devilish smile, sarcasm, and so much more as the series progresses. His character growth was unexpected and painful, yet great.
Beginning as an acting-out brother
Kim Bum's Lee Rang initially appears as an obnoxious, rebellious younger brother of Lee Yeon (Lee Dong Wook), acting out every chance he gets. He tries to put as many obstacles as possible in the way of his brother, who wants to reunite with his first love. He harbors great pain in his heart, and since Lee Yeon is his only family, he is the only one he can both love and hate.
Lee Rang is iconic in the way he goes to great lengths in everything he does, be it love, hate, or revenge. He joins hands with Imoogi, the greatest enemy of his brother. However, what is hidden is that he does not really hate his brother. He is just a hurt kid who has never confronted his hidden feelings.
A man who has suffered great losses
Lee Rang is a character that has the power to make you cry and have you reaching for tissues. He has undoubtedly suffered great losses. He lost his mother, who treated him like a monster and left him alone. His beloved pet, the black puppy, was burnt in a fire ignited by villagers. After all those painful memories etched deep into his heart, another great loss shattered him: his brother.
When Lee Yeon stood in front of Lee Rang to punish him, he had lost his only family, his brother, so easily. His greatest fear is of being “abandoned,” as he had experienced through the people he held dearest to his heart.
Lee Rang’s rebellious and obnoxious character mainly sprouts from his painful past, which greatly moves viewers to tears.
He is used to the mask of a villain
As time passes and new leaves in Lee Rang’s story are turned, we see he is a battered man who is so used to the pain and not showing his real emotions that he has gotten used to the mask of a villain.
Lee Rang feels comfortable playing the villain, which he is clearly not. He slowly begins to see how he was wrong about his brother, Lee Yeon, and tries to retrace his steps and undo the wrongs he had done.
Soon, Lee Rang starts transforming into the hero he later becomes. He realizes Lee Yeon always loved him, even in the forest of evil spirits, and later creates a fun plan to stop Imoogi’s right hand and catch the main villain as well.
A man who can not ignore the helpless
Slowly, we see Lee Rang as he was when he was a kid—pure and so kind that you might fear breaking him.
Lee Rang depicts that he is a helper of the helpless and simply cannot ignore them. He helps a stray dog being tortured by some bad people and assists a kid (a reincarnation of his black dog) who is a victim of domestic abuse.
But the greatest act that demonstrates Lee Rang's great heart is when he goes out of his way to protect and save Ki Yu Ri, an abused fox. He essentially becomes a father figure to her, feeding, clothing, teaching her, and giving in to her foolish demands.
A hero in disguise
Finally, we arrive at the end of this road for Lee Rang, where he fully transforms into a great hero who does not flinch once to sacrifice himself to save his dear brother, Lee Yeon.
Lee Rang becomes the epitome of a good brother at the end. The way Kim Bum portrayed that great growth in his character was mesmerizing and moving to the core. Lee Rang truly becomes a hero when he does not even want anyone to know the sacrifice he is going to make; he just does it without any expectations.
He becomes a man no one ever expected him to become in the way he calls his family—those he created or became part of—for one last look before he disappears forever.
Lee Rang had us wishing till the end for a miracle that would bring him back, truly proving that he became one of the greatest heroes and sacrificial characters in the history of K-dramas.
Lee Rang’s smile at the end, when he disappears, cements his place as a hero who sacrifices himself for others with a smile as bright as the sun on his face.
Tale of the Nine Tailed was, in a way, the story of two nine-tailed fox brothers who needed to find each other. Kim Bum’s portrayal of Lee Rang is etched into the books of great characters in K-drama history.
We wish Kim Bum the happiest birthday and hope to see him back on the screen with another such iconic role!
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