We all know that nobody is born purely evil. And this is the same case with Strong Girl Nam-soon's villain, Ryu Shi-oh. As tidbits of his past get revealed, we can't help but ask: who is Shi-oh's missing friend from Russia?
In this explainer guide, we'll be focusing on Ryu Shi-oh's past. We'll also uncover who his missing friend is.
Who is Ryu Shi-oh?
Ryu Shi-oh (played by Byeon Woo-seok) is a devilishly handsome and mysterious villain. He is quick on his toes and reeks of an elite stature expected from a wealthy CEO. After all, he runs Doogo, a distributing company based in South Korea.
Behind that facade, however, lies a man hungry for vengeance against the Russian organized crime group that raised him. As a young boy, he was taught how to kill and serve the group, Pavel.
Now that he is all grown up, Pavel holds him under their reign to distribute illegal drugs under the guise of Doogo. They even call him Anton, a name that he hates.
But Shi-oh wants to break free of that group. And to do so, he needs to be more powerful than them. This is why he developed the drug, CTA 4885, along with an antidote that only the rich can afford.
As more episodes get released, we start to see Shi-oh as a character that is more than a villain. We finally get to learn how he turned into a villain and his desire for power. So much so that he consumes the drug at will to become stronger than his enemies. Thankfully, he has the antidote so he can return to normal anytime he wishes.
Who is Ryu Shi-oh's Missing Friend?
As Shi-oh starts opening up to Gang Nam-soon (played by Lee Yoo-mi), we start seeing Shi-oh fighting for survival with another Korean boy named Binbin. This boy held special meaning to Shi-oh as he was the only person he became friends with.
So this brings us to a bigger and more important question: who is Shi-oh's missing friend, the small boy he grew up with during his time in Russia?
Suspect #1: Bread Song
When Shi-oh's past first came up, Hwang Geum-joo (played by Kim Jung-eun) is handed a photo of the villain with a familiar person in the background. The guy turns out to be Bread Song (played by Akira), another mysterious character that Geum-joo was already trailing.
She starts to investigate him further, an act that lets him think she is into him. Later, when they finally talk, Bread reveals that he doesn't know who Shi-oh is. Could he be lying?
Suspect #2: Hyun-soo
Another likely suspect that viewers are pointing to is the homeless Ji Hyun-soo (played by Joo Woo-jae). Many believe he could be Binbin since he is trying to live under the radar as a homeless guy. Not to mention, he suddenly changed his attitude when he got rich.
While we think it's possible because of the age difference with Shi-oh, it will be hard to connect the two characters.
Suspect #3: Unnamed Opulentia Member
Instead, we're thinking of a different character: Opulentia's mysterious unnamed member played by Lee Yong-woo. Yes, the guy who handed the photo of Shi-oh and Bread to Geum-joo.
Think about it: he hasn't shared his name throughout the series. Plus, Geum-joo asked him who he really was. His only answer was "You'll know it soon enough."
Could he be Shi-oh's missing friend?
Who is Shi-oh's Missing Friend?
So who is Binbin, Shi-oh's missing friend? Now that the series has come to a close, we finally get an answer to this important question.
As it turns out, it was none of the above guesses. Binbin turned out to be an entirely different character.
In Episode 16, we finally meet Binbin as Shi-oh is in hiding. Binbin, played by Lee Hong-nae, gets ordered to kill Shi-oh by Pavel. After not seeing him for so long, Shi-oh realizes what is happening and reveals that he was betrayed three times in his life.
This gives Binbin a choice not to kill Shi-oh. Instead, he hands him his gun, which Shi-oh later uses to shoot himself in the head.
That's all we know about Binbin. Hopefully, he'll be in the third Strong Girl season so we can learn more about him and Shi-oh.
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