Director Jin Hyuk and writer Park Ji-sook personally revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the creation of the ‘fake Ok Tae-young’.

JTBC‘s new Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Madam Ok’s Tale’ (written by Park Ji-sook, directed by Jin Hyuk), which will be aired for the first time on the 30th, is a work that depicts the fierce survival fraud story of Ok Tae-young (played by Lim Ji-yeon), a woman whose name, status, and husband were all fake, and the entertainer Cheon Seung-hwi (played by Chu Young-woo), who risked his life to protect her.

Amidst anticipation for Lim Ji-yeon‘s versatile acting transformation from a miserable slave to an elegant lady, director Jin Hyuk, who directed dramas such as ‘Sisyphus’, ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’, and writer Park Ji-sook, who wrote ‘Uncle’, ‘Spring Days of My Life’, have joined forces to attract attention.

With the unique subject matter of a runaway slave becoming a woman and living a new life, the casting stage has been receiving a lot of attention, and writer Park Ji-sook, who took charge of the writing, said, “At first, I looked for materials to weave together the stories of real people based on historical facts, but it wasn’t easy to find records of women with dramatic narratives. I thought that many women who pioneered their lives in the patriarchal order of Joseon, where Confucian values were deeply rooted, simply did not leave records of their existence, so I decided to create a fictional character who was not recorded.”

Regarding ‘Okssibuinjeon’, which contains writer Park Ji-sook‘s imagination, director Jin Hyeok introduced it as, “It is a fusion historical drama set in a fictional era of Joseon. It is a story about a slave named Gu-deok, who was born in the lowest social class, jumping over the social ladder to become a nobleman named Ok Tae-young, and risking his identity being revealed to help people in need and protect his family.” “There are many good Korean historical dramas where female characters drive the narrative, and Ok Tae-young’s charm lies in her modernity and trendiness added on top of that authenticity,“ he said, describing the character.

Lim Ji-yeon‘s bold transformation into the intriguing Gu Deok character is also garnering much anticipation from viewers. Director Jin Hyeok said, “From the beginning, I was all-in on the female lead role, to the point where I thought I would have to give up on the drama if it weren’t for actress Lim Ji-yeon. “I couldn’t think of anyone else but Im Ji-yeon for this character who has to express all emotions, including gentleness, strength, joy, sadness, and longing, on her journey from the bottom to the top,” she said, expressing her utmost satisfaction with the casting.

In addition, director Jin Hyeok described Choo Young-woo, who plays the role of Yeon-in Cheon Seung-hwi, as “an actor with outstanding character making,” and reflected on his strong first impression, saying, “I wanted to discover a young and new male actor with great acting skills, and his voice was exactly what I wanted.” Writer Park Ji-sook also did not spare her praise, saying, “The way he expressed Cheon Seung-hwi’s diverse emotions through free acting that was not stereotyped was refreshing and uniquely charming.” He also gave a thumbs up, saying, ”All the actors who appeared in this production had a perfect synchronization with their characters that gave me goosebumps.“

Lastly, writer Park Ji-sook said, ”Goo-deok is a great conman who deceives everyone under the fake identity of Ok Tae-young, but at the same time, he is also a hero who defends and saves people who are in danger like him. Even if her life itself was a lie, if someone was helped because of her, can people really criticize her as a hypocrite? “I hope that the journey of a lowly female slave enduring great hardships and carving out her own life can provide comfort and courage to people,” he said, pointing out the message he wanted to convey through his work.

Director Jin Hyeok said, “I wanted to create a good drama that uses the class system of the past to find a way for today‘s conflicts and frustrations, represented by the so-called ‘dirt spoon’, ‘golden spoon’, to move toward hope and reconciliation,” adding, “I chose the format of a historical drama, but there is a lot of content that reflects and overcomes reality. I hope it will be a drama that pierces blocked hearts and leaves a lingering impression.”

‘Madam Ok’s Story’ will be first aired at 10:30 p.m. on the 30th.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter projecthong@donga.com