Women are no exception. Women know their power to move people's hearts as they wish. Men know but pretend not to know, and even if they do, they are helplessly captivated.
She is used by him thoroughly. One by one, she overcomes the ruin of the men she has used. A ruthless sociopath who hides his blatant desires behind a glamorous mask.
As if her unfortunate past had not diminished her evil deeds, they became even more hideous. "I think Baek Ah-jin is a character that you can't root for. She is the main character of the work, and I played
"Because he is such a difficult character, rather than trying to understand him, I think I just tried to accept him as he was," says Kim You Jung.
With only two episodes remaining until the final episode, TVING's original series "Dear X" continues to be a huge hit until the very end.
Based on the popular webtoon of the same name, this TV series depicts the destructive romance between the protagonist Baek Ah-jin, who wears a mask to survive, and the "X"s who are manipulated and trampled upon by him.
"Dear X" overcame the pressure of being a live-action film and, with the release of the first episode on the 6th of last month, was also boosted by the platform's expansion into overseas markets, becoming a global hit.
The excellent direction and adaptation, as well as the passionate performances of the actors, have captured the hearts of fans of the original work. And at the center of the enthusiastic response is Kim You Jung, who plays Baek Ah-jin.
Recently, I met actress Kim You Jung at a certain place in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Baek Ah-jin of "Dear X" said that Kim You Jung has been in the industry since the movie "Elegant Lie" (2014).
This is Kim You Jung's first villain role in 11 years. "The original work was very famous and had received good reviews, so I was very worried," she said, but her worries and pressure were a lie.
Baek Ah-jin, played by [the actor], was the very definition of "a devil in human skin." "The sociopathic tendencies of Baek Ah-jin, as portrayed in the webtoon, are brought out to the fullest.
So when I turned it into a film, I was worried about how to best capture that same atmosphere. I came to the conclusion that I needed to strip it down and keep it minimal."
"Dear X" is the story of Baek Ah-jin's life. Starting from her childhood, which was anything but ordinary, through her school days, to becoming a top star actress, Baek Ah-jin has lived through the ages.
As the story progresses, Ah Jin grows into a more ruthless and merciless demon. Even in the original work, Ah Jin is a character with a unique worldview that has no parallels.
Approaching the character of Baek Ah-jin without a target in mind was a difficult challenge. "At first, I sought the advice of psychology professors and others to understand how this person with antisocial personality disorder could behave.
I asked many questions about how Ajin would feel in a situation like that. In the end, rather than creating a character by combining various things, I decided to approach Ajin by experiencing the situation on the spot.
Kim You Jung portrayed Baek Ah-soo's direct lines that showed no consideration for the other person's feelings and his intense gaze.
She tried her best to capture Jin's personality. "I wanted to express the cold atmosphere depicted in the original work. I have big eyes, so if I open them a little wider, you can see the whites of my eyes. So,
I think I made an effort to make it look like his eyes were covered in white. In order to give the impression that his eyes were floating in the air, I paid a lot of attention to his gaze and the energy coming from his eyes during filming.
I also tried to express the somewhat cold feeling that Baek Ah-jin has by subtly changing the endings of her words and the timing of her pauses."
Extreme situations and emotions sometimes overwhelmed her.
"I lost a lot of weight during filming, and I felt like I was gradually sinking psychologically," she said. However, she didn't try to shake off the darkness that was attacking and crushing her.
I felt that the feelings I had at the time were similar to Ah Jin's situation, so I wanted to maintain that feeling while filming."
"When we weren't filming, the director and my co-stars would joke around with me a lot.
He helped me to speak as Kim You Jung, not Baek Ah Jin. Thanks to him, I think I was able to act without losing sight of myself and stay centered.
Even though she is a character who is difficult to deal with, she encouraged me by saying, 'Ajin must be having the hardest time,' and I received a lot of comfort from her." Baek Ah-jin is someone who will use any means and method to get what she wants.
The premise of a top Korean actress being a horrible sociopath and the evil deeds she commits are far too unrealistic, but Kim You Jung said, "I chose the parts that viewers can sympathize with."
"After all, the TV Series is a story about the desires that everyone has in their hearts. Everyone wants to live their life well, just like Baek Ah-jin.
I think this work is a good expression of that desire, as well as the emotions that arise in human relationships and extreme situations. In a sense, it shows what to do when building a relationship with someone.
I think it's a work that makes you question yourself and how you should realize your desires." The most satisfying response was, "It's like Baek Ah-jin is actually alive."
Although she has been an actress for quite some time, she is still confused by the positive reviews she receives for her acting. Kim You Jung said, "I think it's the best compliment I can receive as an actor who plays a character."
"I feel like I'm being praised too much, and it doesn't really seem real," she said with a laugh. Aside from being a hit, for Kim You Jung, "Dear X" was a stepping stone for her to grow as an actress.
"I think I've grown in some ways by showing viewers a side of me that's different from the image I had up until now. That's why I'm so happy to be involved in this project.
I think it will make me feel even more affection for the character, and it will be a work that will leave a deep impression on me (in my acting career). I have seen movies and dramas that make me feel like "that character is actually alive somewhere for some reason."
Llamas stay in your mind for a long time, and the character of Baek Ah-jin is a perfect example of that. Starting as a "national child actor," Kim You-Jung has quickly become one of the leading actresses in her twenties in Korea.
It is true that the success of "Dear X" has increased the pressure on her future activities. However, Kim You Jung is grateful to those who watch her acting and have high hopes for her future.
For this reason, she is continuing to hone herself and moving forward slowly. "I need to find a way to release the pressure that came with the success of the film. I hope that people will continue to like my acting.
There are people who are looking forward to my work, and there are people who will continue to look forward to my work. It is because of these people that I feel that I will continue to work hard.
Just as I have been doing this work, I think I can have fun creating something that many people can easily enjoy."
2025/12/01 08:05 KST
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