Fresh and lively Kim Tae-ri – witty Kim Se-jeong: actresses who are taking great leaps to become “rom-com queens of the new generation”
Kim Tae-ri of “Twenty Five Twenty One” and Kim Se-jeong of “A Business Proposal” are currently the two hottest K-drama actresses.
Actresses Kim Tae-ri and Kim Se-jeong have recently risen to become the “double hard-carry” that leads the rom-com boom on the small screen. The two are showing their potential by putting their ongoing works, tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama “Twenty Five Twenty One” and SBS’s Monday-Tuesday drama “A Business Proposal”, on high ranks. They are proving themselves as new “rom-com queens” by gaining explosive popularity not only in Korea but also all over the world.
In “Twenty Five Twenty One”, Kim Tae-ri plays the high school fencing athlete Na Hee-do, and forms a romance with Nam Joo-hyuk, who plays Baek Yi-jin, a sports reporter. She has received many favorable reviews for her performances of expressing exciting and fresh emotions towards Nam Joo-hyuk’s character, who is constantly showing support for Na Hee-do. Kim Tae-ri also captivated female fans with her lively charm and strong personality of saying whatever she has to at any time and any place.
She devoted herself to fencing practice for about six months and did numerous scenes of fencing matches herself while filming. At the age of 32, Kim Tae-ri took on the role of a teenage high school student, immediately breaking the concerns over her suitability that initially arose. In addition to romance, Na Hee-do’s healthy competition with rival Ko Yu-rim (WJSN’s Bona) and friendship with high school friends such as Moon Ji-woong (Choi Hyun-wook) also receive the viewers’ love and interest. Thanks to this, “Twenty Five Twenty One” premiered to an average nationwide rating of 6.4 % on February 12th and has now reached two-digit ratings with 10.7 % on March 20th.
Meanwhile, Kim Se-jeong is capturing the viewers’ hearts with her charming portrayal of Shin Ha-ri in “Business Proposal”. The story begins when Shin Ha-ri disguises as her best friend to meet Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop), CEO of the food company she works for, on a blind date. Kim Se-jeong shows how she can act naturally in comic situations like those found in cartoons, such as a scene in which she suddenly falls backwards after being hit by a flying baseball. Because of this, the plot of “Business Proposal” might be called “a bit childish,” but many viewers have praised Kim Se-jeong’s performance, saying, “Her acting is realistic.”
The ratings of “Business Proposal” are also skyrocketing. It recently exceeded 10%, an impressive record given how difficult it is for Mon-Tue dramas to achieve double-digit ratings these days. On Netflix, the drama ranked 9th in the global chart for “Most viewed TV shows and programs” as of March 21st. Kim Se-jeong is a former member of girl group Gugudan and was mainly cast in student roles such as KBS 2TV’s “School 2017,” but through “Business Proposal”, she received an opportunity to further broaden her acting range.
