Lee Hye-ri Confirmed Her Drama Comeback

On the 17th, the drama “Benevolent Competition” (written by Kim Tae-hee and Min Ye-ji, directed by Kim Tae-hee) announced its production confirmation along with the casting news of Lee Hye-ri.

“Benevolent Competition,” based on a popular webtoon of the same name, is a high-teen mystery thriller that depicts the precarious relationships of teenage girls amid a survival competition that is fiercer than college entrance exams. The story unfolds when “Woo Seul-gi,” an orphan from a provincial orphanage who doesn’t fit in, transfers to Chae Hwa Girls’ High School, which is attended by the top 1% of students in South Korea.

In the drama, Lee Hye-ri plays “Yoo Jae-yi,” the one and only power player at Chae Hwa Girls’ High School. Yoo Jae-yi is a genius high school girl who ranks in the top 0.1% among the top 1% students at Chae Hwa Girls’ High School. She has everything, from natural beauty and a high IQ to a good family background, making her a perfect character.

Having lived a life envied by everyone since birth, Yoo Jae-yi is well aware of her superiority and knows how to use it to her advantage. She shows particular interest in the new transfer student, Woo Seul-gi, and will develop a precarious relationship oscillating between friendship and obsession.

Through this role, Lee Hye-ri returns to drama for the first time in about three years since the 2022 drama “May I Help You.” Lee Hye-ri, who has mainly played bold and spirited characters in works such as the dramas “Moonshine,” “My Roommate Is a Gumiho,” “Miss Lee,” “Two Cops,” “Reply 1988,” and the movie “My Punch-Drunk Boxer,” is expected to transform into the enigmatic character “Yoo Jae-yi,” who hides her true self behind a perfect facade, in “Benevolent Competition,” raising expectations.

Meanwhile, “Benevolent Competition,” which has confirmed its production along with Lee Hye-ri’s casting, is scheduled to be released in 2025.