'Red Balloon' Seo Ji-hye "I'm the type of person who says everything I want to say to my friends"

"My personality is opposite to Eungang. Our synchronization rate is about 50%. I'm the type of person who says everything I want to say to my friends. When I feel bad, I say it's bad and I'm honest. Sometimes I get really frustrated because Eungang can't talk. We're similar in that way. All humans have a sense of ‘relative deprivation,’ so I think I also have that part of me. For example, I often think things like, ‘I wish I was born in that kind of environment, I wish I had a husband like that.’”

On the 22nd, an interview was conducted with TV Chosun's 'Red Balloon' actress Seo Ji-hye (who plays Jo Eung-kang) at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Having filmed three works in a row from last year to this year, he looked much more gaunt than usual.

Seo Ji-hye expressed her extraordinary passion, saying, "I think I survived with my mental strength. I was sick at the beginning of filming 'Red Balloon'. I took medicine well and tried to control my mind well." He said, "Usually we filmed 12 or 16 episodes, but this time it was 20 episodes. The filming period was only 5 months, so it was physically difficult. However, I was fortunate that the chemistry with the actors was comfortable and good. A lot of veterans guided us." added.

Seo Ji-hye's role, Jo Eung-kang, is a person who lives her entire life feeling a sense of relative deprivation from Bada (played by Hong Soo-hyun), whom she met in her first year of high school. Afterwards, she falls in love with the husband of the sea, Go Cha-won (played by Lee Sang-woo), and falls into an affair. 'Red Balloon' broke its highest viewership ratings every episode.

He said, "This work is a drama that got rid of the stereotype that the main character must be good. It seems that there is no such thing as completely evil or completely good. Everyone crosses a line at least once, and sometimes not. Everyone can be said to be evil or good. “There is no way. Everyone has an instinct for desire,” he said.

He said, "The writer also gave me advice to think about a lot of essential things. I don't know much because I haven't lived like Eungang, but I tried to experience it indirectly as much as possible."

He also confessed, "Even though I was the main character, I received a lot of criticism. It was a challenge in its own way. In the future, when I choose a character, I think I will choose something more interesting. I don't think the challenge is a bad thing."

Seo Ji-hye has met viewers with three works in a row. Now I'm taking a break. He said, "I want to travel a lot and have a relationship. I also wanted to see the movie 'Avatar', but I haven't seen it yet. There are no theaters anymore. I want to see movies that have been pushed back." He added, "I couldn't watch it live because the time zone overlapped with 'One Scandal,' but I want to watch it live when 'Red Balloon' ends. It's a drama I really want to binge-watch."

Seo Ji-hye is 40 years old in Korea this year. He, who is still single, shyly said, "I think marriage should have been given to me by fate. It didn't go as planned," and "I don't even try to find it, but I have a vague thought that 'I will do it someday.'"

He continued, "My mom doesn't push me about marriage any more. Still, she asks me if I should be in a relationship. It doesn't mean that I try hard, so I think if I work hard, a relationship will come naturally."

He also said, "It's been so long since I dated that I don't even know what kind of dating style I have. I think I need to find out again," making the scene burst into laughter.

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr