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Happy Yoon Chan Young Day: Dissecting his character arc from shy student to action hero in zombie thriller All Of Us Are Dead
Yoon Chan Young turns 23 today. Let’s celebrate the actor’s birthday by going back and dissecting his memorable role in All Of Us Are Dead.
Yoon Chan Young, a coveted actor, cemented his presence in his early years as a child actor and further deepened it with his lead roles in his 20s. His mark is etched in numerous South Korean movies and dramas.
Yoon Chan Young garnered immense international popularity with his lead role in the post-apocalyptic horror series All Of Us Are Dead. His acting set him apart as he resonated with souls around the world, making them swoon and cry.
The actor has continued to win audiences’ hearts with his performances spread across a big umbrella. He has shown his versatility in the dramas Delivery Man, Hope or Dope, and movies Mothers, The Fault is Not Yours, and Light For The Youth.
To celebrate Yoon Chan Young’s 23rd birthday, let’s break down his memorable role in All Of Us Are Dead.
Dissecting Yoon Chan Young's role as Lee Cheong San in All Of Us Are Dead
From the beginning of All Of Us Are Dead, Yoon Chan Young catches your eye as the kid who just gives the feeling of immeasurable potential as the series progresses. His character arc was one of the biggest highlights of the show and left fans wanting more.
A normal high-school kid
Beginning from where the roots of Lee Cheong San (Yoon Chan Young) is your normal, meek high school student who does not care about much but his performance in school, his family, and his cherished friends.
He is the typical middle-class kid, and his parents named him after the fried chicken restaurant they ran. He finds it embarrassing when his parents go to the limit of branding the outlet with his face.
Yoon Chan Young’s portrayal of this pre-zombie outbreak Lee Cheong San was relatable as he shared meals with friends at his house and felt embarrassed by his parents but loved them more than anything.
A shy guy who loves from a distance
Lee Cheong San has been living as Nam On Jo’s neighbor since kindergarten; she is also his best friend. Soon, Yoon Chan Young becomes the shy best friend who has loved his best friend secretly for years but lacks the confidence to do anything about it.
Lee Cheong San and Nam On Jo are like bread and butter; their closeness ever had their friends assuming they were dating, but they refute it. However, as for Lee Cheong San, he has loved Nam On Jo since they were kids.
Lee Cheong San remains the quintessential guy who loves from a distance until Nam On Jo declares her crush on his classmate Lee Su Hyeok (Lomon). This becomes the pivotal last nail in the coffin, bringing out his jealous side and pushing him to confess his feelings.
Yoon Chan Young’s excellence was shown in these stolen glances, burgeoning his crush on Nam On Jo and then finally transitioning into an envious lover.
A leader to Class 2-5 survivors and a righteous protagonist
Opposite to what Lee Cheong San was before the zombie outbreak, his growth as the leader of the Class 2-5 survivor students was one of the pivotal growth arcs in his character.
He used to be a kid who would usually be ignored as just another high school kid, but the zombie apocalypse puts him in charge repeatedly. He has the hard-earned ability to lead people and take the bullet if you have to.
It is known that the position of a leader comes with more things one might hate than love. You have to take responsibility for others, step up in situations where no one would, take the bullet for everyone, and so on. Lee Cheong San checked all these boxes and more as he unofficially always took the role of leading his class through the zombie outbreak.
Lee Cheong San grew into the best leader one can imagine in a zombie apocalypse; he is a figure you can blindly trust and depend on. He becomes the person who uses his mind and quick thinking to plan his classmates' escape from the most dangerous situations. He comes forward and volunteers for impossible tasks to ensure everyone’s survival.
He became a righteous protagonist in a way he never shied away from doing the right thing. He even takes the painful responsibility of killing their zombie classmates and other loved ones when the need arises. His first deed was killing one of his closest friends, Han Gyeong Su.
Lee Cheong San becomes courageous and even daredevil at times when he fends off zombies. He proves himself an exemplary leader, a true friend who is willing to take unimaginable risks to keep everyone alive.
Yoon Chan Young's portrayal of Lee Cheong San's emergence as the protagonist and leader amid the zombie apocalypse was no short of spellbinding. He flawlessly showed the stages where his character slowly transitioned into the hero of All Of Us Are Dead.
An action hero
Finally, we arrive at the part that made Lee Cheong San transform into an action hero. While fighting off zombies, he involuntarily finds an archenemy in Yoon Gwi Nam. Lee Cheong San was not physically gifted like Lee Su Hyeok, but never mind; he did more than he did by masterminding their group’s every step. He was quick at his feet, and his slender figure helped him run out zombies and fight them.
He slowly grew into an action hero, more so than others, as he fought Yoon Gwi Nam. Even though the latter was stronger than him, he managed to outdo him every time. In the library, he was the one who fatally injured him and left him to a group of zombies.
And towards the end, in the final standoff, he once again becomes the action hero who fights Yoon Gwi Nam until he finally takes him to his death. Even in the moments, he demonstrated what a hero means.
Yoon Chan Young’s portrayal, especially at the end, was so touching that it would make you sob badly. He pulled off such a tough character until the end, when he jumped into the elevator shaft as flames engulfed him.
This walk down zombie memory lane with Yoon Chan Young has gotten us excited to find out whether he made it out alive or not.
We wish Yoon Chan Young the heartiest happy birthday! (and wish to see him soon as Lee Cheong San)
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