Lim Ji-yeon is fully fulfilling her role as a ‘hit maker’.

Her latest drama, ‘Madame Ok‘s Tale’, has also led the rise in viewer ratings, coming one step closer to consecutive box office hits.

‘Madame Ok’s Tale’, which began airing on the 30th of last month, is set in the Joseon Dynasty and tells the story of Ok Tae-young, whose name, social status, and even her husband are all fake, and Cheon Seung-hwi, who risks his life to protect her.

Lim Ji-yeon first challenged herself with a historical drama in 2016, when she debuted, through the drama ‘Daebak’, but she was not satisfied with the amount of screen time or the box office performance at the time.

The attention of both inside and outside the broadcasting industry is focused on the fact that Lim Ji-yeon, who has been on the rise with ‘The Glory’ and ‘The House with a Yard’, will be taking on the title role and leading the drama.

Perhaps because Lim Ji-yeon felt this burden, she said at a recent production conference, “I had a sense of inferiority and thought I wasn‘t suited to historical dramas, so I turned down offers to appear in them in the past,” and “This time, I wanted to properly show that I can do historical dramas well.”

Contrary to concerns, Lim Ji-yeon captured attention from the first episode with acting that was close to a ‘one-man show’. The story of how Gu-deok, a lowly slave who is abused and persecuted, becomes Ok Tae-young, the daughter of a noble family, was quickly portrayed.

She took on various roles, from a slave to a landlady and a lady, running for her life through a blizzard or surviving a burning inn alone after being attacked by bandits.

Thanks to Lim Ji-yeon’s extraordinary acting, the first episode recorded a viewership rating of 4.2% (Nielsen Korea), and the second episode saw a rise to 6.8%.

Lim Ji-yeon said, “I‘ve done everything I can as a historical drama heroine, from cross-dressing to a slave, a noblewoman, and a madam,” and confidently said, “I was so thirsty for historical dramas that you can look forward to seeing a new side of me in the future stories.”


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com