Park Hyung-sik Embraces the Dark Side in ‘Twelve’

Park Hyung-sik for the first time takes a dark turn in the superhero K-drama Twelve, opposite a stellar roster of Korean actors including Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee), Seo In-guk, Sung Dong-Il, Lee Joo-bin, and more. And if anything, Ji Chang-wook will join the cast if he accepts the offer.

Twelve is an epic Armageddon story. It depicts twelve superheroes aligning with the twelve zodiac animals of the Chinese calendar—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig—each with a distinct character and significance, who join forces for the greater good of mankind.

The twelve characters are [actually] divine beings who once fought vile forces for the sake of humanity; thanks to their courage and selflessness, they repelled the evil, trapping them within the portal of hell. At present, they are living as humans, safeguarding Korea. However, darkness returns as evil resurfaces, wreaking havoc. To save the day, the twelve face off against the bad, notably Ogui (Park Hyung-sik) in an apocalyptic showdown.

Park’s Ogui personifies the crow—the vicious and vengeful who has broken out of captivity—and is back eons later to mess things up. I imagine the plot hook stems from here. Park Hyung-sik’s transition from the hackneyed heroic characters that have defined his career to date to a devious antagonist is a big draw for me—certainly, a departure from what’s expected and a testament to his versatility as an actor.

Ogui conjures up images of his darkened soul. Much like a crow hunting for carrion, he represents an evil lurking in the shadows, trying to exploit people’s vulnerabilities. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to picture Park Hyung-sik like that, but as I said, I’m also eager to see it in his performance. I feel Ogui betrays a mind that is ever alert, ever scheming, ever poised to seize upon any opportunity that might present itself. His ravenous need for power and retribution makes him malicious, akin to the crow, often a symbol of bad luck and death, whom he represents.

So, while Twelve focuses on the titular heroes, it’s also about this antihero who profoundly impacts this fresh rendition of good versus evil. At the forefront of the team of heroes is Ma Dong-seok’s Tae San, representing the tiger, but he’s scarred by bitter memories of the past. Per press reports, Son In-guk’s Won Seung embodies the monkey, Lee Joo-bin’s Mi Reu reflects the dragon, Go Kyu-pil’s Don Yi symbolizes the pig, Kang Mi-na’s Gang Ji represents the dog, Sung Yoo-bin’s Jwi Dol stands for the rat, Ahn Ji-hye’s Mal Sook symbolizes the horse, and Regina Lei’s Bang Wool represents the snake. Meanwhile, Sung Dong-il has Ma Rok, an exceptionally gifted man who supervises and watches over them.

Twelve is due out next year.