Born into Korean aristocracy who were killed for not supporting the Independence Army, she’s adopted by a powerful Japanese man who wants to use her hatred for her home country for his own good (or his country’s own good). She’s trained as a gisaeng and a nighclub performer, which provides her the perfect cover to spy on the Independence movement and figure out who this mysterious “Bridal Mask” hero is – and kill him. But then she falls in love with him. Whoops.
She also has a gorgeous bodyguard who’s just as dangerous and kick-ass as she is (and who totally has a secret unrequited crush on her), plus the best wardrobe in the entire show. But most importantly, she has the capability of killing you if you so much as look at her the wrong way. Now that’s a second-lead you don’t want to mess with.
I first met her as the second lead in My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, and while perhaps she still hadn’t fully reached her potential as an actress, it was definitely a memorable role (although of course it’s hard to compare with Kim Sun Ah, who was my other option, but there is still a bitter taste in my mouth after Masked Prosecutor so I couldn’t choose her in good faith). She’s also just a lovely person in general, and I love seeing what she’s doing beyond Dramaland – whether it’s art, fashion, or just updating us on the animals in her life. (Why yes, I am an Instagram stalker.)
But the past few years have shown that she’s a versatile actress who seems to choose interesting roles that appeal to me on a deeper level than most leading ladies.
Of note:
The sassy and spirited foul-mouthed chaebol daughter Yeo Chi who had to learn to be poor in History of Salaryman. I’ll never hear the phrase “You’re fired!” the same way again.
My vague interest in Bubblegum immediately leapt to “must watch!” when I learned she was cast as the lead, and while I enjoyed the show very much, I’m not sure if I would have stayed with it through the emotionally heavy middle-section if it weren’t for her ability to bring a delicate sensitivity and realness to Haeng Ah and her struggles as a career woman with her love life, friends, and family.
My favorite role of hers – and one of my favorite dramas – is writer Lee Go Eun in King of Dramas. There was just something magical about this drama and the entire cast, really, but Jung Ryeo Won was especially delightful and it solidified her as one of those actresses who I will watch no matter what.
Bonus:
Stepping outside of Dramaland, Castaway on the Moon is one of my favorite Korean films. If you haven’t seen it, then I highly recommend it. It’s hard to describe – it’s definitely not a thrill-seeking action-paced film, or a rom-com, or any of your standard films. It has a languid pace that allows you to spend time with this two unusual characters who are “castaway” on their solitary islands – be it a literal island or the island one creates in one’s mind. Plus it’ll make you realize that, yes, you can get jjajangmyeon delivered anywhere.
I’m very curious as to what her life was like when she was living at home with their mother, because that just sounds like a recipe for disaster. I’m not surprised she moved to Seoul with Soo Young because it seems like Soo Young is the more responsible one — and the one who actually cares about Yoo Ah (remember that she was like, “Of course Mom didn’t try to see me, she never does”).
So I’m going with the headcanon that she was pretty much left to her own devices growing up, and because she didn’t have as many boundaries as perhaps her peers, she was forced to make it up as she went along. Which made it easy for her to fall into that “thug/jjang” role.
She’s got a forceful personality and I actually like it, because she’s decidedly unapologetic about going after what she wants, even if that includes Min Suk.
[…]The show has teased promises of some character growth. Such as: Soo Young marveling that Yoo Ah is growing up when she realizes that her sister has been doing the housework because she found out that Soo Young lost her job. But she didn’t confront her sister about it because she respected her sister’s pride, and quietly did what she could to make things easier for her instead of complaining she wasn’t getting her allowance.
So yeah — she can be a bit of a bully and clingy, but she still knows when to back off. I assume the show will still play up her obsession with Min Suk, but I’m hoping they’ll continue to give her some character growth, too. After all, she and Min Suk are both high schoolers. If he’s being forced to grow up because of his bizarre situation, then maybe she will learn to grow up, too, in order to support her awesome older sister.
(But I’m assuming there will be some sisterly angst because I figure we’re headed to them liking the same boy, although I’m not sure I’m on board with that yet.)
Turns out, I was not at all on board with Soo Young “stealing” Min Suk. Okay, maybe he was never Yoo Ah’s to steal, but he was still a high school student and it still bothered me that Soo Young and Min Suk got married. Which is why I feel like Yoo Ah definitely got the raw end of the deal. She loves her sister, no question about that, and she wants her sister to be happy, which meant she was the one sacrificing her crush on Min Suk so that her sister could be happy. In the end, she actually felt like the more mature person than her sister.
Despite the whole Min Suk thing. I really appreciated the realistic feel of the sisters’ relationship. Yoo Ah may appear to be a selfish brat, but she was always true to herself and yet willing to put aside her desires in order to support her family – especially her sister. She might whine and complain about it, but she knows when to suck it up and do the right thing, even when it hurts. If that isn’t growing up, then I don’t know what is.
You’d think I’d go with an awesome mother who was unfairly killed off, but instead I gotta go with Evil Demon Mom. Not that she was always evil. Or a demon. I mean, Eun Oh was willing to do anything to find his mother, which makes her kinda awesome. He only was willing to interact with the chatty Arang once he realized she was wearing his mother’s hairpin. How was he to know that his mother was actually evil incarnate and terrorizing her new son, Joo Wal? Being possessed by an evil spirit may not exactly be the best form of parenting, just sayin’.
But he does eventually free his mother from the evil spirit and then, for a few tender moments, gets to speak to her, his true mother, and she with him – until she dies. Yep. All that blood, sweat, and tears to defeat a powerful demon, and all for what? A few minutes with the person you’ve been desperately trying to find for most of your life?
alternatively
called: kdrama women’s week and that extra day sbrs added so it starts
on the 1st and ends on International Women’s Day.
Day One: Tuesday 1st March
Favourite Fridged Mother (She was great but you only see her in flashbacks. She was great but she didn’t survive the drama. She was great but she dies five minutes into episode one…)
All-Time Favourite Second-lead Character
Day Two: Wednesday 2nd March
Most Vilified Teenage Girl
Favourite Female Driven/Dominated Dramas
Day Three: Thursday 3rd March
Favourite Body of Work (e.g Kim So Yeon: Iris, Two Weeks, Prosecutor Princess etc.)
Favourite Older Actress
Day Four: Friday 4th March
Favourite
Overseas Returnee (Ex that has been in the US for eons but returns
halfway through the drama to disrupt the leads. Returnees that do not
fit that description are also welcome!)
Favourite Female Lead
Day Five: Saturday 5th March
Re-write:
LGBTQ Character of Choice (Was it not explicitly stated in the
narrative but plausible? Was it explicitly stated? Was it entirely in
your head?)
Inspiration Character of Choice
Day Six: Sunday 6th March
Re-write:
Most Likely to Escape an Abusive Relationship (Favourite lead left at
the last episode in a toxic relationship romanticised by the narrative
which raised several red flags for you. How/Why was this relationship awful? If you’re feeling creative, how does she escape?)
Unfairly Treated Female Character (By show, By fandom)
Day Seven: Monday 7th March
Favourite Token Detective (99% male cast, one woman–appreciate her!)
Scenestealer/Free Choice
Day Eight: Tuesday 8th March
Favourite Matriarch
Please tag posts #kdramawomensweekor add us (@undergroundkdrama) so they are easier to find and admire. Feel free to check the tag for what was done last year if you need some inspiration.
I
left the prompts from last year in italics in case you wanted to change
your choice/give some shine to a character or actor who failed to make
the cut.
Alongside the “week” we’re doing a collaboration project with @sodramaticmagazine based on KWW which will be released on the 8th of March to round up the entire thing, so look out for that!
The Obsessive Dilettante 