Channel A‘s weekend drama ‘The Witch’ Park Jin-young and Noh Jung-eui have completed the beginning and end of a mystery romance by adding life characters.

The two actors, who have been the center of attention since the first broadcast with their dazzling performances, captivated viewers’ weekend nights with delicate emotional acting that was sometimes lovely and sometimes desperate. As a result, the highest viewership rating in the last 8th episode rose to 3.7%, breaking its own record (provided by Nielsen Korea), and attention is focused on how the remaining 2 episodes will end.

Park Jin-young, who returned with delicate emotional expressions and deeper acting skills, completely absorbed himself into the character and fully demonstrated his potential as a ‘trustworthy actor’. He loves Mi-jeong (Noh Jung-eui), but he completely immerses himself in the complex situation and emotions of not being able to approach her due to the ‘Law of Death’, and he increased the level of perfection by 100% adjusting the tempo and pacing of restraint and expression.

In particular, ‘The Witch’ was a work where expressing emotions other than words was important because the male and female protagonists could not meet face to face or have many conversations. Accordingly, he created a new character that would never be seen again by expressing the love that he had gradually built up over the past 10 years since he first met Mi-jung, using only his eyes and expressions as unspoken language.

Park Jin-young‘s emotional acting struck the heart. In the last broadcast, Dong-jin stood in front of Mi-jung for the first time as ‘Lee Dong-jin’. And he conveyed the sincerity that he had kept in his heart for a long time, saying, “Mi-jung, do what you want now. It’s okay though”. It was useless to fold his fingers and count to avoid the death rule that says you can‘t have more than ten words, but it was something he really wanted to say to Mi-jung, who was hiding alone. The fact that the first words he spoke at the risk of death were not confessions but comfort was enough to touch the heartstrings. It was a time when his true worth was confirmed to the point that people said, “Park Jin-young is the genre.”

Noh Jung-eui successfully transformed her acting through “The Witch,” showing a completely different charm from her previous works. Mi-jeong has a complex inner self, but she is a character who cannot express her emotions. Incidents of unknown origin frequently occurred around her, and she was eventually branded a “witch” and left her hometown. She suffered from guilt and was in pain because people were hurt or killed because of her. With the help of her only friend (played by Jang Hee-ryeong), she settled down in a small rooftop in Seoul and stood on her own, but her faint smile was often filled with bitterness and loneliness.

Noh Jung-eui, who focused on emotions rather than trying to be dark or down, delicately expressed the narrative and numerous emotions of Mi-jeong, who lives alone, cut off from the world, and built Mi-jeong into her own character. This expressiveness allowed viewers to immerse themselves in her story. “I can’t imagine Mijung without Noh Jung-eui” This was the reason for the viewers‘ praise. In addition, it left a strong belief in actor Noh Jung-eui’s future path.

The journey of Dong-jin and Mi-jung, Park Jin-young and Noh Jung-eui, which left deep afterimages on viewers, has only two episodes left. In the last 8th episode, while Dong-jin was leaving after saying his final goodbyes to Mi-jung, he encountered a car approaching him quickly. In the preview video for episode 9 released right after the broadcast, Dong-jin‘s disappearance was hinted at. With Dong-jin gone and Mi-jung left behind, it was a moment when the final episode was more anticipated than ever, wondering what kind of ending awaits them.

Channel A’s Saturday-Sunday drama ‘The Witch’ airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.