‘Silenced and strong.’ She may be enduring a whirlwind of passionate emotions on the inside, but on the outside she is calm and composed.She is like a pearl dug out of a mud flat, a ‘lotus flower’ blooming in the mud.This is Lee Je-yeon from ‘Heart Pairing.’

The female cast member Lee Je-yeon is ‘hard carrying’ the explosive popularity of Channel A’s ‘Heart Pairing’, which reached its turning point with the 7th episode aired on the 26th.Lee Je-yeon, who did not receive much attention in the beginning due to her introverted appearance, has been showing off a great unexpected charm since the 5th episode when her occupation was revealed, piquing the public’s curiosity.

Lee Je-yeon, who was expected to be a ‘ballerina’ or a ‘college student’ due to her innocent and young appearance, is actually a ‘corporate lawyer’.She graduated at the top of her class from Yonsei University’s Department of Public Administration and completed her degree at Yonsei University’s College of Social Sciences Law School.After that, she worked at a law firm and is known to be about to open her own law firm.

Even Lee Je-yeon’s unique delicate and slow breathing, which was perceived as unfamiliar because it was far from the existing ‘Yeonp Grammar’, is being re-evaluated as ‘positive’ by adding this ‘professional aura’.The image of her as a woman of few words and shyness at first is being replaced with ‘caution’ and ‘confidence’.


The ‘Lee Je-yeon fever’ is also revealed in the recent topic rankings released by FUNdex, which is compiled by Good Data Corporation.In FUNdex’s TV - OTT integrated non-drama performer topic chart for the 3rd week of April, Lee Je-yeon ranked 5th.In the same chart, Kim Sa-rang, who appeared in Coupang Play’s ‘SNL Korea’, took 1st place, followed by BTS ‘Jin from Netflix’s ‘Daehwajang Gianjang’.

Regarding the secret to Lee Je-yeon’s popularity, both inside and outside the broadcasting industry say that her differentiated image, which clearly draws a lineup of existing dating reality shows that are like a ‘famous feast’, was effective.An official said, “There was a lot of criticism that she was like the same old thing in the ‘flood of romance shows’, but there really wasn’t an alternative,” and “Lee Je-yeon’s emergence as a character who is strong on the outside but soft on the inside will be a fresh stimulus to the’ K -romance ‘that is becoming entrenched.”

Along with the Lee Je-yeon syndrome,’ Heart Pairing ‘has also become the center of attention in home theaters, breaking new records every week.For example, it is ranked 4th on the’ TV category non-drama topicality ‘chart and 1st on the’ non-drama search response ‘chart, attracting overwhelming interest from women in their 20s.

‘ Heart Pairing ‘, created by the same production team as’ Heart Signal ‘, inherits the virtues of’ Heart Signal ‘in terms of well-made visual beauty, delicate relationship dynamics, and mystery suspense, but it is clearly differentiated in that it is about finding a lifelong partner.It does not stop at simply confirming a love’ signal ‘, but as the title suggests, it aims for’ pairing ‘, a’ true happy ending ‘of becoming a couple.

‘ Heart Pairing ‘, which created a completely new’ Yeon-pyeong star’, is currently airing on Channel A every Friday at 10:50 p.m.It can also be viewed on almost all domestic OTTs, including Netflix, Tving, Wave, and Coupang Play.


Reporter Jang Eun- eunj@donga.com

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