'The beginning and end of "Now, Affair Is Not a Problem" was Kim Hye-soo...'What to add, what to let go'

*This content was translated by AI.

Actress Kim Hye-soo has completed the ending of "Now, Affair Is Not a Problem."

On the 5th, Kim Hye-soo shared news about the series finale through her agency, Hodu & Y Entertainment.

Coupang Play's series "Now, Affair Is Not a Problem" is a black comedy depicting Park Kyung-hee (played by Kim Hye-soo), who started in a demolition village and succeeded as an influencer with one million followers, only to become entangled in an unbearable secret. As cracks begin to form in the world she fiercely built for herself, the story unfolds.

From the very first episode, Kim Hye-soo meticulously layered the complex facets of her character. She naturally embodied a figure who, despite flashy attire and formal behavior mimicking upper-class life, would unexpectedly slip out with profanity at critical moments.

Kim Hye-soo pointed to Episode 7, which features all major characters gathering in one space, as the most memorable scene. "This is the point where the structure of the work explodes all at once and also a very important moment for Kyung-hee. It's because everyone enters the order that Kyung-hee herself has created. People who had been moving for different reasons until now face each other's secrets, desires, fears, and anxieties in one place," she explained.

She continued, "Especially, this scene was structured so that not just one person's emotions were followed, but all characters' reactions and movements had to come alive simultaneously within a single frame. It was the moment when no one could fully control the situation. Therefore, it needed to be both entertaining and strangely filled with tension and fear. In fact, director Lee Chang-hee composed Episode 7 in approximately 40 minutes of real-time, connecting scenes as one breath rather than cutting them into small pieces to let the characters intertwine. The fact that all characters in one space were visible simultaneously was very interesting both from an acting perspective and for viewers."

Every word and action of Park Kyung-hee was infused with her past and present, along with her desperate struggle not to lose success. Kim Hye-soo's performance, which did not miss a single detail—from the anxiety and complexes hidden behind polite speech and gestures, to the heavy responsibility of caring for family and company, and the desperation to avoid falling back down—added three-dimensionality to the character.

Kim Hye-soo's attention to detail was especially evident in her emotional acting. When Park Kyung-hee, who rarely showed emotions even when her life was shaken to its roots, finally collapsed, Kim Hye-soo heightened dramatic immersion by portraying the character's inner world with subtle restraint rather than exaggeration.

For example, there is the scene where Park Kyung-hee, upon learning of the relationship between Im Jae-hong (played by Kim Ji-hoon) and Ahn Soo-jeong (played by Jo Yeo-jung), calmly puts an end to the chaos with the dry remark, "You and I are just business now." Another example is the moment she witnesses Director Kwak (played by Joo In-young), whom she believed was like family, betraying her. Kim Hye-soo persuasively expressed the character's complex psychology: someone who appears unshakably strong on the outside but can only collapse when alone. Within a single scene, she conveyed subtle emotional shifts between coldness and sadness, anger and desolation, forging a strong emotional connection with viewers.

That is why Park Kyung-hee's sharp profanity served as a device that brought the character to life. The occasional outburst of profanity went beyond mere character-based entertainment, revealing Kyung-hee's true essence that could not be erased even after achieving success. Her act of pouring out rough language at moments when genuine emotions burst forth, despite wrapping herself in formal speech and gestures, fully captured the life of a person who had lived fiercely. Kim Hye-soo breathed life into these lines by framing them not as meaningless consumption but as Kyung-hee's desperate struggle to endure and survive until the end.

Creating a vivid character was not solely about acting. Styling that visually expressed Park Kyung-hee's personality, desires, and obsession with success also played a significant role. Bold and flashy outfits—from blouses adorned with large ribbons to bright red dresses, trench coats, tight polka-dot dresses, and high-end tweed jackets—fully revealed Kyung-hee's desire to live a "life on display."

Her voluminous hippie perm also completed Kyung-hee's glamorous exterior. Kim Hye-soo did not treat all these styling choices as mere visual treats but wove them into the character, incorporating her longing and complexes toward the upper class and her desire to prove her success. Details such as pulling out a high-end tweed jacket to visit Ahn Soo-jeong's home accumulated to support the character's psychology and actions, giving birth to an even more vivid Park Kyung-hee.

Kim Hye-soo cited the burgundy-colored slit dress paired with a brick-colored satin trench coat as her most memorable outfit. She said, "This was the costume that occupied the longest duration from the latter half of Episode 6 until before the Episode 8 epilogue. It was produced considering various situations and functions even during the preparation phase. The script explicitly stated to emphasize the silhouette, so I spent a lot of time deliberating on the slit design and especially the color."

She continued, "I wanted Kyung-hee's outfits to hint at a shift toward blood-red tones after the events truly began. Burgundy is a color that contains desire, maturity, sensuality, anxiety, and traces of blood all at once, carrying far more complex meanings than simply red. I hoped the color burgundy itself would be expressed as strangely overlapping with Kyung-hee's state."

"Now, Affair Is Not a Problem" was not just a story centered on infidelity but a work that showed how many different faces humans reveal in the face of unexpected events. Even Kyung-hee's final moments, which preserved everything yet were by no means beautiful, left a bitter aftertaste. At the center of this lingering feeling stood Kim Hye-soo. She did not miss a single detail in her meticulous setup and raised the work's quality with flawless acting, creating the character Park Kyung-hee who lived and moved at every moment. This is why "Now, Affair Is Not a Problem" received the evaluation that it "began with Kim Hye-soo and ended with Kim Hye-soo."

Kim Hye-soo concluded by saying, "As an actress, 'Now, Affair Is Not a Problem' was a work where I simultaneously pondered 'what to add' and 'how much I could let go.' It will likely become more than just an entertaining piece; it will be a work that left another new face as an actor." She expressed her affection for the project.

Meanwhile, "Now, Affair Is Not a Problem" has consistently held the number one spot on Coupang Play's popular works list since its release, achieving high popularity by recording the highest cumulative viewership in its first week of release.

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*This content was translated by AI.