Kim Jae-won's Two Hairstyles in 'Yumi's Cells 3' Explain Why He Looks Totally Different at Home vs. Work

Kim Jae-won didn't just play a charming younger man in Yumi's Cells 3, he played two versions of one, depending on whether his bangs were up or down.

In the recently concluded Tving original drama, Kim plays Shin Sun-rok, a straightforward younger guy who quietly pursues the lead character Yumi. What fans noticed: his hair does a lot of the character work for him. At the office, his forehead is half-exposed and swept to one side. At home, his bangs fall completely over his brow. Same face, completely different energy.

Kim addressed this himself in a behind-the-scenes video posted to his YouTube channel. Describing Sun-rok's at-home look, he said the character keeps his bangs down when he's relaxing, giving off what he called a daengdaeng vibe, a Korean term for the puppy-like, soft-and-harmless quality that fans of the younger-love-interest archetype tend to go feral over. The full-fringe look surfaces in the drama's more emotionally open scenes: the impromptu confession, the stolen-kiss attempts, the wedding sequence. Yumi, in the story, falls for this unguarded version of Sun-rok, bangs down, glasses off.

The office version is a different proposition entirely. Sun-rok's work hair is a half-swept style, not a full slick-back, not a full fringe, where the bangs are parted and one side of the forehead is visible. It reads as tidy without being stiff, and it's this middle-ground styling that's actually the most technically interesting of the three looks. Full slick-backs can read as aggressive or overly formal; full fringes can feel too casual for professional settings. The half-sweep splits the difference.

Why does a fringe change so much?

It comes down to where the eye lands on the face. When bangs cover the forehead entirely, the vertical space of the face visually shrinks, and attention pools around the eyes. The effect reads as softer, younger, more approachable, which is exactly the "gentle younger guy" register Sun-rok is going for at home. Expose the forehead and brows, and the facial structure sharpens. Expressions become more readable. The overall impression shifts toward competence and composure, the "reliable colleague" mode.

The half-sweep style that Sun-rok wears to work has been showing up in male idol and actor styling increasingly often, and it's easy to see why: it captures both qualities without committing fully to either.

How to actually pull it off

For the full-fringe look, don't just press the bangs flat while blow-drying. Lift the roots slightly first to add volume, then let the ends fall naturally toward the forehead. Finish with a small amount of hair essence or curl cream, just enough to add texture without weighing the hair down.

For the half-sweep, set the part first, then aim the dryer airflow in the direction of the part so the bangs fall to one side naturally. Use a tiny amount of wax or spray to hold the shape, not plaster it.

For a full slick-back, root volume is critical. Lift the bangs upward while drying, shape with your hands before the hair cools, then lock it with wax or spray. The usual warning applies: too much product and any of these styles will clump and look greasy. Layer in product gradually.

One caveat on face shape: if your forehead is wide or your face runs long, a full slick-back will emphasize both. Better to keep some fringe down to break the vertical line. Rounder faces, on the other hand, tend to look better with some forehead exposed, a full fringe can feel a bit closed-off.

The broader principle here is pretty simple, and the drama illustrates it neatly: neither style is universally better. Sun-rok's bangs are doing character work because they're being used deliberately, down for warmth and vulnerability, swept for composure and reliability. The same logic applies off-screen.