I am captivated by actress Park Bo-young and the story itself. This is about ‘Unknown Seoul’.
The tvN drama ‘Unknown Seoul’ (written by Lee Kang, directed by Park Shin-woo), which started airing on the 24th of last month, is a romantic coming-of-age drama where twin sisters, who only resemble each other, swap lives through a lie to find true love and life. Currently, six episodes have been released, achieving a peak viewership rating of 6.4% (based on Nielsen Korea nationwide) and gaining popularity.
In the drama, Miji temporarily swaps lives to help her sister Mirae, who is cornered at the edge of a cliff. Just as Mirae protected her in the past, this time Miji lives her sister's life. Through this, the sisters gradually open their closed hearts and confront their respective wounds.
Their journey shines even brighter with Park Bo-young's delicate performance, who is taking on four roles. Park Bo-young described it as “a challenge and opportunity that will never come again in my life.” Although they have identical appearances, she naturally transitions between the completely different personalities of the twins, enhancing the immersion. Without drastic emotional swings, she convincingly portrays the nuances and psychology of the characters with restrained expressions and glances. It is Park Bo-young's strength that makes viewers laugh and cry along with Miji and Mirae's emotional lines.
Her chemistry with Park Jin-young is also impressive. The combination of Park Bo-young's charm and Park Jin-young's steadfastness adds a warm excitement. Park Jin-young, who plays Ho-su, Lee Jae-in, who plays the younger versions of Mirae and Miji, and Park Yoon-ho, who plays the younger Ho-su, also leave a strong impression. Actors like Ryu Kang-soo, Moon Dong-hyuk, Jang Young-nam, Kim Sun-young, and Cha Mi-kyung also deliver stable performances, fulfilling their roles.
‘Unknown Seoul’ offers deep comfort through its story itself. When Miji, who thought she could only run, isolates herself in her room after an injury and berates herself saying, “I feel like such a trash,” her grandmother comforts her, saying, “Miji is also hiding to live. No matter how messy and unappealing it looks, everything done to survive is brave.” The encouraging words, “Yesterday is over, tomorrow is far away, and today is still unknown,” resonate gently.
Ho-su's mother, who recognizes the warm side of Mirae, who others say is cold, Ho-su, who shows consideration by saying, “There’s a reason when someone hides something,” Ho-su, who climbed Du Bong Mountain with all his might, and Miji, who waited at the summit, and Miji, who dislikes herself for pretending not to care despite doing her best, all present relatable stories that touch the heart.
Writer Lee Kang stated, “I imagined what it would be like if a twin could replace me, and suddenly wondered if that twin's life would be more peaceful than mine. Everyone feels that their life is the hardest, but I started thinking that perhaps everyone is fighting their own battles.” She added, “The self-hatred that whips and belittles oneself with words and thoughts that one wouldn’t say to others feels like an unresolved homework for me. I hope our protagonists and the viewers of this story can be a little kinder to themselves.”
In this way, the heartfelt compassion and love conveyed through the lives of Miji and Mirae, the sincere intentions of writer Lee Kang, the emotional direction of director Park Shin-woo, and Park Bo-young's vivid performance on screen come together to captivate the audience. This is why we hope that ‘Unknown Seoul,’ which has just reached its turning point, will beautifully complete the stories of Miji and Mirae alongside Park Bo-young.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
#‘Yang Churi’ is an abbreviation for Yang So-young's recommendation list. I recommend without discrimination between movies, dramas, and variety shows.
