Yoo Ji-yeon, strong presence in ‘Lovers 2’

Actress Yoo Ji-yeon revealed her strong presence in Part 2 of ‘Lovers’.

Yoo Ji-yeon immediately captured the attention of viewers with her impactful appearance in episodes 11 and 12, the beginning of part 2 of MBC's Friday-Saturday drama 'Lovers' (planned by Hong Seok-woo/directed by Kim Seong-yong, Lee Han-joon, Cheon Su-jin/written by Hwang Jin-young).

Yoo Ji-yeon gave a passionate performance in the role of Hwa-yu, the mistress of King Yun Chin, a Joseon prisoner hunter. Hwa-yu is a person who is jealous and greedy and will do anything for her own benefit.

Hwayu's appearance in the 11th broadcast was enough to attract attention. She threatened the Korean captive girls with an angry face, and did not even blink even though the girls were very frightened. In particular, he threw away Hangi, one of the captured girls, and even scolded her, saying, “How dare you hit your tail in front of Wangya?” Furthermore, he did not hesitate to commit evil acts, such as ordering his subordinates with a glance and mercilessly dragging Suhyang, another prisoner who was guarding Hang's side, towards a pot of boiling water. Yoo Ji-yeon, who then showed off her viciousness by pouring boiling water on Soo-hyang, heightened the immersion of the play by drawing Hwa-yu's character in perfect detail, from her sharp eyes to her tone of voice and facial expressions.

As Hwa-yu's evil deeds continued in episode 12, Yoo Ji-yeon's colorful and angry acting reached its peak. When Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin), who was taken prisoner, looked up at King Yunchin and King Yunchin smiled, Hwa-yu was overcome with jealousy and made a cruel expression. Afterwards, as he watched Yun Chin-wang, who was possessed by Gak-chae, he showed his anger by shooting and glaring at Gak-chae harshly. Yoo Ji-yeon showed off her ability as a scene-stealer by stably portraying a difficult villain role and making the play more tense.

Furthermore, Hwa-yu grabbed Gil-chae by the hair and slapped her cheek, saying, “How dare you hit Wang-ya’s tail! Bring it here!” he said, heightening the dramatic tension. She tried to drag Gilchae into a pot of boiling hot water and tried to cut off her finger. When King Yunqin's subordinate, Yang Si, tried to stop him, he became angry and threw down Gilchae.

Yoo Ji-yeon portrayed the character three-dimensionally by skillfully controlling the speed and speed of the character, inconsistently, and skillfully controlling the emotions that change from time to time. In particular, she played a role in doubling the dramatic fun with a completely immersive and unique performance even in a fleeting moment. We are looking forward to the future activities of Yoo Ji-yeon, who boasts excellent character digestion skills.

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