Memorable moments: Kim Ji-won discusses her 'Queen of Tears' character
What's the story
Kim Ji-won, the star of the groundbreaking K-drama Queen of Tears, recently shared her experiences portraying the character Hong Hae-in.
Hong is a chaebol heiress—often referred to as the "queen" of Queens Group's department stores.
Following the series' successful conclusion on Sunday, Kim expressed her gratitude for viewers' support.
She told Soompi, "I waited with a nervous and excited heart as we filmed for a long period that took all four seasons."
Reflections
'The beginning of Episode 11 is the most memorable...'
Kim highlighted a scene from Episode 11, where Hong's family discovers her illness, as a memorable moment that allowed her to delve deeper into her character's emotions.
"While normally watching the broadcasts, there are moments when I monitor myself, but Episode 11 is one that I also watched while crying."
"The senior actors were sad together [with me] beyond the camera even though it was a scene they did not appear in...I recall tears flowing a lot just naturally."
Character analogy
Kim compared her character to a four-leaf clover
Kim reflected on the significance of her role, expressing, "Hong will remain [in my memories] as a four-leaf clover to me."
She noted the character's resilience, stating, "Actually, there is not that much time that the character spends despairing."
"Although she has a difficult time, she overcomes it quickly, and she puts in effort to do so," likening her character's strength and hope to a four-leaf clover.
Message to her character
'Hae In, you worked really hard': Kim
Kim delved deeper into her character, revealing, "Hong has a lot of love, but she is not very good at expressing it."
She highlighted Hong's growth in expressing herself better as the story progresses, expressing her hopes that viewers would perceive her character as "a warmer person than expected."
Wrapping up, Kim shared a heartfelt message to her character, saying, "Hae In, you worked really hard! I hope you are only filled with happiness going forward."
Viewership ratings
Meanwhile, 'QoT' finale smashed viewership records
The final episode of the tvN drama scripted history by achieving the highest viewership ratings ever for the South Korean network.
The episode garnered an unprecedented average nationwide rating of 24.85%—surpassing the previous record set by Crash Landing on You in February 2020.
Comprising 16 episodes—QoT revolves around the married couple Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) and Hong, as they confront challenges in their marriage.
Catch all its episodes on Netflix.